Supercharger - Alameda, CA (LIVE 15 Dec 2018, 12 stalls)

[alanh]

I’m very glad this location is open. I first used it on Tuesday, the day before the grand opening.

I find the 30 Minute General Parking sign to be very confusing. I don’t understand the intention there.

Also, I created the Yelp entry for this location and added information and photos to the Foursquare entry

 

[alanh]

I enjoyed the pics, Randy, and I hope your charger issue is resolved rapidly.

 

[mociaf9]

I find the 30 Minute General Parking sign to be very confusing. I don’t understand the intention there.

The intention is that anyone is allowed to park there, regardless of vehicle type or charging activity, for 30 minutes. If you're charging, then there's no time limit.

As to why they would do that....Commercial buildings are required by the local planning/zoning rules to maintain a certain number of parking spaces per 100 sq.ft. of floor space. A restricted EV charging station (EVCS) doesn't count as a parking space because they are not available to the general public use and EV charging isn't the same as parking and they are treated differently under the California Vehicle Code and CA Building Code. So, by signing that the stall is still available for general parking (with a 30 minute time limit) they haven't reduced the number of available parking spaces. Any EVCS stall which says "Charging Only" gets eliminated from the count of available parking.

 

[jdber]

So, by signing that the stall is still available for general parking (with a 30 minute time limit) they haven't reduced the number of available parking spaces. Any EVCS stall which says "Charging Only" gets eliminated from the count of available parking.

The problem with the 30-minute parking sign is that the ground is painted with EV Charging Only, which is contradictory.

 

[steves_mousse]

In summary, the authority needs to tell us which to apply: T and F => F, or, T or F => T

 

[mociaf9]

The problem with the 30-minute parking sign is that the ground is painted with EV Charging Only, which is contradictory.

The ground painting should only be on the "handicapped charging stall(s)". And if they also signed that with the time-limit, that's either a mistake or bad site design/layout. The "EV Charging Only" ground painting is specifically related to indicating that that stall isn't a "parking" stall but a charging only stall for the purposes of ADA compliance within the CA Building Codes.

 

[israndy]

Ok. The Supercharger has been open two weeks and here was today’s availability:

Seems very busy. During the entire waking hours only one moment when no one was charging. Even this second, midnight, and 3 of you are there. You have to go overnight between 9pm and 9am if you don’t want to share a charger.

-Randy

 

[bmah]

Ok. The Supercharger has been open two weeks and here was today’s availability:

How the heck did you get that graph?!?

Bruce.

 

[billlake2000]

Yes, Randy, howdja get that cool graph???

 

[israndy]

Oh, sorry, I created a new API, it's called "point a camera at the Tesla app ALL DAY and then transcribe the video in bed into Numbers on the iPad". I will probably do it again for a weekday view.

I am looking forward to a real API for it: Aggregating supercharger occupancy data

This was just in response to the guys in North Dakota complaining that Alameda is NowWheresVille and how did they get a Supercharger.

-Randy

 

[PLUS EV]

Celebrating the New Year at this location now and totally agree that the parking bumpers need to be moved back. I backed all the way into the bumper, then inched forward 2-3 inches and when I went to plug in, it would barely reach. And I mean barely, like a little old lady probably wouldn't have been able to plug it in. Looks like a nice location, but of course nothing is open right now.

 

[israndy]

What a fun way to spend New Years, or are you on the road for business? Walgreens was open, with food and restroom. I never got a response from Tesla, but I took a tape measure to a bunch of Superchargers and it's normally 40" from the bumpers to the face of the supercharger, and the charger straddles the painted parking line. In Alameda, it's 60" away. That's a huge difference.

-Randy

 

[PLUS EV]

What a fun way to spend New Years, or are you on the road for business? Walgreens was open, with food and restroom. I never got a response from Tesla, but I took a tape measure to a bunch of Superchargers and it's normally 40" from the bumpers to the face of the supercharger, and the charger straddles the painted parking line. In Alameda, it's 60" away. That's a huge difference.

-Randy

I'm on my way to the Rose Bowl but of course I had to detour to the Bay Area to add the new superchargers to my list

The Starbucks near San Jose-Cherry Ave was actually open at 5:30am and apparently had been open since 4:30am, so that was fortunate. None of the employees even appeared to be hungover.

 

[jdber]

It looks like they moved the bumpers back aboy 18 inches. In the picture you can see a little discoloration and some cut-off bolts in the ground where the bumper used to be. The hoses should be a little easier to move around now.

 

[israndy]

Success!

I never got a response to my email to Telsa about that issue and went from SpC to SpC the last week collecting measurements from other Superchargers and I sent them the photos and measurements I collected this week. I am SO HAPPY. Did they move the 30 Min General Parking signs away from the EV Charging Only painted spaces?

Next step is figuring out l the slow charge rate:

I cannot imagine what is going on. I know the battery is over 60% charged but that is a slower charge that I get at home at 240 volts. I have seen many check-ins/comments on the Supercharger app of others with slow charging at the Alameda Supercharger.

As I said in the video's notes, if the site charged faster it would have a greater turnaround and be less crowded.

-Randy

ps. Just walked by, all the spaces have the moved bumper. The signs over the painted spaces haven't been moved.

 

[PLUS EV]

Success!

I never got a response to my email to Telsa about that issue and went from SpC to SpC the last week collecting measurements from other Superchargers and I sent them the photos and measurements I collected this week. I am SO HAPPY. Did they move the 30 Min General Parking signs away from the EV Charging Only painted spaces?

Next step is figuring out l the slow charge rate:

I cannot imagine what is going on. I know the battery is over 60% charged but that is a slower charge that I get at home at 240 volts. I have seen many check-ins/comments on the Supercharger app of others with slow charging at the Alameda Supercharger.

As I said in the video's notes, if the site charged faster it would have a greater turnaround and be less crowded.

-Randy

ps. Just walked by, all the spaces have the moved bumper. The signs over the painted spaces haven't been moved.

Looks like your battery is like 90% full there so I would expect it to be fairly slow.

I can't comment on the 3, but I've noticed with my S100D, if I plug in with it in the tapering zone (SOC of 55% or more), I get a slower rate than if I plug in with a low SOC and then it moves up into the tapering zone. For example, if I plug in at 20% SOC, I will still be getting something like 70kW when I get up to 70% SOC. But if I arrive at the supercharger with a 70% SOC, I will only get something like 40kW when I plug in. It's kind of annoying for those times when you just want to do a quick top off to make a long leg.

 

[jdber]

Next step is figuring out l the slow charge rate:

I agree. The Alameda charger is much slower than the San Mateo and San Carlos chargers that I had previously been going to (San Mateo is the same style (A/B), San Carlos is the newer individual stalls). Even when nobody is next to me, I'm at about 1/2 the charging speed I would expect to be at.

 

[HandleX]

Stopped by here on Friday evening as I'm not familiar with Alameda and was curious. Tesla nav had us take 23rd street off southbound 880 to Park St. It definitely wasn't a quick ride from the freeway as you are going through a congested area. We left via Otis and Doolittle Dr (back of the island) and that seemed like a good way to go as it takes you past the airport to 98th Ave and quickly on to 880.

As reported by others charging is slow. 73kW was my fastest rate, but that was only for about 7 minutes. The rest of the time I was in the thirties and twenties.

The shopping center is nice with lot's of places to eat. Wife and kids went to Party City while I did my "I charged here stop." Overall this will be good stop once the charging issues are fixed.

 

[israndy]

I took my car to charge again here and got a video of it charging at 41kW with it was 40% full, I then drove it to Manteca where I charged it at 118kW from 25%. I took videos and sent them to TeslaNA via email so I'll hear back in a month.

When I got back from the cabin I was at 20% and I went to charge at 5 am when there wasn't supposed to be anyone else there so I wasn't sharing. I got there and ONE other car was there (in my spot) so I went to the entire other end of the SpC and plugged in. I got it to charge at 74kW. I was lower than I was in Manteca and yet charged slower. Something is wrong. I spoke to the other 5 am guy and his S was charging at 101kW.

I am so confused.

-Randy

 

[PLUS EV]

I took my car to charge again here and got a video of it charging at 41kW with it was 40% full, I then drove it to Manteca where I charged it at 118kW from 25%. I took videos and sent them to TeslaNA via email so I'll hear back in a month.

When I got back from the cabin I was at 20% and I went to charge at 5 am when there wasn't supposed to be anyone else there so I wasn't sharing. I got there and ONE other car was there (in my spot) so I went to the entire other end of the SpC and plugged in. I got it to charge at 74kW. I was lower than I was in Manteca and yet charged slower. Something is wrong. I spoke to the other 5 am guy and his S was charging at 101kW.

I am so confused.

-Randy

Where were you charging at 5am?