Supercharger - Atlanta, GA - Lenox Rd.

[Bighorn]

Had to try three before one fired up, in the parking garage . The few forward approaches was where I had success.

For purposes of the Supercharger Challenge, we’ve deemed these two areas to be co-located by virtue of sharing the same address. Only counts for one in the wiki.

 

[S100D]

Had to try three before one fired up, in the parking garage . The few forward approaches was where I had success.

For purposes of the Supercharger Challenge, we’ve deemed these two areas to be co-located by virtue of sharing the same address. Only counts for one in the wiki.

Hopefully you contacted Tesla to let them know which Superchargers were not working.

 

[Bighorn]

Hopefully you contacted Tesla to let them know which Superchargers were not working.

Since they’re not numbered and people have put post it notes on some, I did not.

 

[SKRGO]

Since they’re not numbered and people have put post it notes on some, I did not.

I was at the Lenox Rd. parking deck Urban SuperChargers on Sunday and YES they are numbered 1a...... at the very lowest part of the unit near the pavement on the front. Friday I will be passing through and will take some pics and post them.

 

[Bighorn]

Great—there are only 21 to check out and report back on

 

[SKRGO]

I was at the Lenox Rd. parking deck Urban SuperChargers on Sunday and YES they are numbered 1a...... at the very lowest part of the unit near the pavement on the front. Friday I will be passing through and will take some pics and post them.

Update: When arriving at the Lenox Rd. Urban Chargers, I saw a MX plugging and unplugging. I asked if they were not charging and he answered NO and that he was going to report the none working ones to Tesla. While I was in the mall I stopped in at the Tesla store to inform them and he said Tesla had only turned half of the chargers on. I responded that it would be nice if the none working ones were marked or covered with a trash bag or something.

as promised her is a pic of the working Urban Charger that I used and the label at the bottom.

 

[Electrocuted]

These superchargers at bottom of garage parking deck give about 39 KW 164 mi/hr for my Model 3 Long range. Nice to see a mall with many Tesla chargers. But let me make a bold prediction now... In the very near future 1 year we really are going to need an entire garage floor just for Tesla charging lol

 

[ChrisC]

You should be getting 72 kW, as long as your battery is less than 70% full, and plenty of people have reported getting that 72 kW from these stations.

 

[BPM3]

Thanks ChrisC. I was wondering the status of Lenox supercharging as of Nov. 25th.

 

[mmbatlanta]

Moderator note: This post was moved from a new thread in a different forum.

I regularly have miserable experiences at this location. Tesla drivers are using the charging spots as parking spots —sometimes not even plugged in. Otherwise it’s a gangster vibe waiting for an open spot. It’s not uncommon to wait for 30 minutes for the spot —then to have someone who has not been waiting to hijack it. I just experienced that twice. Drivers are not respecting other drivers who have clearly been waiting longer. There are 5 Tesla superchargers located at the Peachtree side of Lenox Square. Mall security won’t allow Tesla drivers to “hover” — we have to park in a random space to wait which makes it a clusterfook. Another Tesla driver and his wife got out of their car (they are also waiting in misery) to accompany me in telling one of the “supercharger pirates” that she needs to move on. An expletive loaded tirade ensued. Solution: use a different section of the parking lot and have a “waiting “ lane similar to the gas pumps at Costco.

 

[ChrisC]

Hi @mmbatlanta ... You may not be aware of a possible solution to these woes: there's AN ENTIRE EXTRA SUPERCHARGER SITE elsewhere at Lenox, and it has *16* super charger stalls! Just scroll up in this thread for discussion of it -- this thread covers BOTH sites, both of which were constructed in summer 2018. The site you're stalking about is indeed a huge PITA to use because it's so centrally located and high profile. The other BIGGER site is harder to find but waaaay less drama. The only tradeoff is that you'll get 72 kW of power because it's the "urban" SC design that Tesla was installing for a while back then. Check your in-car navigation (or phone app, or supercharge.info) and look on the EAST side of the Lenox mall complex.

 

[Dan Colestock]

Question: The map at supercharge.info shows these 72kW Tesla Urban (Super)chargers as NACS. Are they truly NACS-compatible (with full CCS-1/PLC capability) or are they just "North America Tesla" like the older Tesla V2 150kW Superchargers?
The V3 250kW Tesla Superchargers apparently have to be upgraded to be fully NACS-compatible, I assume a similar upgrade is required for each of the 72kW Urban (Super)chargers. Is there anyone who can respond with accurate technical information? Anyone with a Ford F150 Lightning or Rivian able to charge with an approved dc charging adapter?

 

[Dan Colestock]

Question: The map at supercharge.info shows these 72kW Tesla Urban (Super)chargers as NACS. Are they truly NACS-compatible (with full CCS-1/PLC capability) or are they just "North America Tesla" like the older Tesla V2 150kW Superchargers?
The V3 250kW Tesla Superchargers apparently have to be upgraded to be fully NACS-compatible, I assume a similar upgrade is required for each of the 72kW Urban (Super)chargers. Is there anyone who can respond with accurate technical information? Anyone with a Ford F150 Lightning or Rivian able to charge with an approved dc charging adapter?

4/8/2024: There are 16 Urban Superchargers at the Lenox Parking Deck site (north corner, bottom level) and 5 more Urban Superchargers nearby at the outdoor Lenox Valet Lot site. The Tesla "Find Us" map www.tesla.com/findus indicates that these are basic (72kW) Superchargers, and NOT "Superchargers Open to Other EVs" or "Superchargers Open to NACS". Going by their map, it appears that the 72kW Tesla Urban Superchargers are NOT fully NACS-compatible, at least not yet. Assuming this is correct, the question then is whether or not they're worth upgrading for NACS (assuming that's practical), or will they eventually be replaced with "new, improved" V4 charging stations or some other NACS-compatible EVSEs?

 

[JulienW]

I believe Urban (72kW) SCs are pre CCS communication integration like V2s.

 

[Acps110]

Question: The map at supercharge.info shows these 72kW Tesla Urban (Super)chargers as NACS. Are they truly NACS-compatible (with full CCS-1/PLC capability) or are they just "North America Tesla" like the older Tesla V2 150kW Superchargers?
The V3 250kW Tesla Superchargers apparently have to be upgraded to be fully NACS-compatible, I assume a similar upgrade is required for each of the 72kW Urban (Super)chargers. Is there anyone who can respond with accurate technical information? Anyone with a Ford F150 Lightning or Rivian able to charge with an approved dc charging adapter?

V3 250 kW Superchargers are the only ones able to be upgraded to NACS compatibility. V2 120 kW & 150 kW as well as Urban 72 kW will not be upgraded to NACS compatibility. Additionally, Tesla has not upgraded any sites that have mixed versions of Superchargers. Those sites that started out V2 or Urban then later had some V3 stalls also installed, are still Tesla-only.

 

[Dan Colestock]

Thank you for your quick, detailed response.

That all makes so much sense. From Tesla BEV driver's perspective, from CCS-1 BEV driver's perspective, from Tesla's perspective. The Tesla Supercharger/NACS/CCS team is competent and effective, paving the way for EV adoption.
I just hope that in their enthusiasm they don't publish and distribute a white paper titled "How to Set Up a 500Vdc/1000Vdc 620kW NACS EV Fast Charging Site". The 48Vdc "How To" white paper was enough. Anyone have a copy?

I have more NACS-related questions/observations:
1. Some NA Supercharger sites reportedly have lease contracts that limit them to Tesla-only charging. I expect that they'll get enough complaints from drivers of other EVs that most Tesla-only holdout sites will soon be jockeying to sign new NACS-compatible contracts and get their site upgraded for NACS.
2. Older NA Superchargers (V2/Urban) really need clear, conspicuous signage to minimize non-Tesla driver misunderstandings and acting out (blocking stations, intense arguments, assaults, etc.). Once Tesla finishes upgrading their NA V3 Supercharger stations for NACS, I would hope that they quickly replace all the older NA stations or close down these obsolete Supercharger sites completely.
3. Word is that V4 Supercharger stations are currently limited to 250kW, they're likely being connected to V3 ac-to-dc power equipment for now. Correct?
4. At new V4 sites, 1000Vdc/620kW V4 cabinets are likely to follow ASAP, once they've been well-tested. Correct?
5. All NA V3 Supercharger stations will eventually be equipped with integrated MagicDock CCS-1 adapters (unless the MD adapters are a disaster in the coming months), or they will be replaced with V4 Supercharger stations with their integrated MagicDock adapter and other improvements. Correct?
6. Are NA V3 NACS Supercharger stations capable of 500Vdc/1000Vdc charging (perhaps with a site upgrade) or are they limited to ~600Vdc? Do the black & white stations signify 500Vdc/1000Vdc and 620kW capability? As opposed to older red & white stations 600Vdc only?
7. Which NA Superchargers are capable of 500Vdc/1000Vdc charging? V3 NACS? V3 NACS+MagicDock? V4 NACS+MagicDock?
8. Which NA Superchargers can eventually be upgraded for 500Vdc/1000Vdc charging? V3 NACS? V3 NACS+MagicDock?

Thanks in advance for whatever insight you can offer. dc

 

[JulienW]

...
3. Word is that V4 Supercharger stations are currently limited to 250kW, they're likely being connected to V3 ac-to-dc power equipment for now. Correct?
4. At new V4 sites, 1000Vdc/620kW V4 cabinets are likely to follow ASAP, once they've been well-tested. Correct?...

Yes V4's are just V4 dispensers connected to the same V3 cabinets. So they are really V3.5. So far no V4 (1000V) cabinets have been shown (only one V3.5 site in GA so far). No one in the wild knows what is taking so looooong with V4 cabinets. Must be some technical hurdles that are holding them up. Will the V3.5's be upgraded? No one knows but probably not since it would be expensive and the reason they are installing so few.

 

[Dan Colestock]

Yes V4's are just V4 dispensers connected to the same V3 cabinets. So they are really V3.5. So far no V4 (1000V) cabinets have been shown (only one V3.5 site in GA so far). No one in the wild knows what is taking so looooong with V4 cabinets. Must be some technical hurdles that are holding them up. Will the V3.5's be upgraded? No one knows but probably not since it would be expensive and the reason they are installing so few.

Thanks, JulienW. V3.5 seems appropriate shorthand for use on forums like this with knowledgeable readership, but needlessly confusing to others IMHO. FYI, here in the metro Atlanta area, a new 16-station V4 Supercharger site opened on 11/7/2023 in East Point off Camp Creek Parkway, near the existing 12-station NACS-compatible V3 Supercharger site (both sites are OTP, a bit west of I-285). I've been wanting to check it out myself since I learned about it.

You BET there are "technical hurdles". I'm sure that most of the Tesla Supercharging team was as surprised as the rest of us to witness the rapid EV industry adoption of SAE J3400 NACS. NOTHING in the automotive industry happens that fast without government mandate. If ever there was an engineering problem that demanded extraordinary testing to ensure safety, reliability and ease-of-use in all conceivable situations, this is it: untrained EV drivers dispensing 615kW of electrical power via a NACS connection for several minutes - that's a highly lethal 615A@1000Vdc or 1230A@500Vdc (give or take). It blows my mind that they're allowing passive dc fast charging adapters, a recipe for disaster. They can take as long as they need to test and work out the bugs, hopefully longer.

Have any of you heard of a single EV driver being electrocuted or badly injured while charging? Tesla and the other EV and EVSE manufacturers have everything to lose and little to gain by cutting corners on the SAE J3400 NACS roll-out. I hope that they at least require approved dc charging adapters to be UL listed, but how can that possibly be enforced? There are numerous cheap, sketchy-looking EV charging adapters available online, why would anyone risk their expensive BEV battery pack warranty and safety on one of these?

Tesla and CCS-1 equipped EV drivers are going to experience all sorts of unanticipated, inevitable compatibility and interoperability issues, so it's perfectly understandable that Tesla would want a gradual NACS roll-out starting with just a couple of BEV brands charging at select sites. The ElectrifyAmerica, EVgo/BLINK and ChargePoint teams have to be watching to see exactly how Tesla handles EV charging problems that overwhelmed and embarrassed them these past few years.

My guess is that Tesla's long-term plan is to eventually transition to a network of NACS 615kW 500Vdc/1000Vdc V4 Supercharger stations. They're obligated to offer 800Vdc-1000Vdc NACS charging for their new Cybertruck, the Chevy Silverado EV, the GMC Hummer and Sierra EVs, the Porsche Taycan, Hyundai/Kia/Genesis and Lucid EVs, with others to come. First they'll upgrade all their V3 Supercharger stations for NACS compatibility, equipping some V3 sites (eventually all?) with integrated MagicDock CCS-1 adapters, and then replace as many of the obsolete V2/Urban Supercharger stations as possible (some sites are contractually obligated for Tesla-only charging) while they carefully deploy V4 Supercharger stations and V4 power conversion equipment. I expect there will be NACS V3 Supercharger stations for a long time, even though they don't currently support 800Vdc-1000Vdc charging.