Supercharger congestion problem ideas.

[aesculus]

I am, however as I have stated a million times. I have never ever seen any congestion anywhere here in the Chicagoland area.

If you like, we can export some of this from California to you no charge. (pun intended)

 

[SpiceWare]

The only problem that I have with this entire thread though....is that congestion is SUCH a non-issue 99.9% of the time across the US.

If you were a Tesla owner today you would know that statement is not true.

That 99.9% might be a slight exaggeration, but probably not by much:

There's 296 supercharger locations in the US. There's 46 in California (search count for ", CA" on supercharger.info's Data page is 52 hits, less the 6 not yet open).

Assuming all congestion happens in CA 24 hours a day * then congestion is a non-issue (296-46)/296 = 84% of the time.

* If this were true we'd be hearing about it all the time in the media

 

[Garlan Garner]

If you like, we can export some of this from California to you no charge. (pun intended)

Very clever.

No thanks - Not looking for any congestion. Thanks for the offer though. LOL

 

[GKwey]

Everyone of current and future owners call their legislators to pass a bill to fund the superchargers at our local parks; public or government parking facilities; government-owned vacant lots near highway intersections, in national parks.

 

[roblab]

Obviously you have not been to California supercharging stations.

Living in CA, and having used CA superchargers most, I have found that nearly always there are plenty of spaces open for use. I am often the only car.

The difference was only in about three places, and the problem was that these SCs weren't placed for long distance travel so much as for local use, mainly Burbank, Fountain Valley, and San Juan Capistrano. Some superchargers at a Service Center, like Dublin, get filled by the dealer, some like SJC, and Harris Ranch, fill only at rare peak times, but Burbank and FV both are filled morning, noon and night by locals. Unless you come after 10 PM or before 6 AM, it will be a wait. I see that Santa Ana and Buena Park are in progress, which will make 7-10 superchargers in the LA area. I guess Tesla will just have to keep putting in SCs for all the people who can't get a charger put in at home or don't want to use it because it costs 5 bucks at home.

But really, truly, there is little crowding most everywhere. Tesla is doing a good job, and they are not done.

 

[RandyS]

Everyone of current and future owners call their legislators to pass a bill to fund the superchargers at our local parks; public or government parking facilities; government-owned vacant lots near highway intersections, in national parks.

Many municipalities and public entities provide funding for more universal charging stations (such as Level 2). A particular flavor of DC Fast Charging can't be used by the masses, so they are usually not eligible for public funding as you have suggested. Many grant opportunities, for example, require both Chademo and CCS connectors for DC fast charging statons. Tesla Superchargers would fall into that type of proprietary charging station that would be difficult to get public funding for...

 

[KJD]

Many municipalities and public entities provide funding for more universal charging stations (such as Level 2). A particular flavor of DC Fast Charging can't be used by the masses, so they are usually not eligible for public funding as you have suggested. Many grant opportunities, for example, require both Chademo and CCS connectors for DC fast charging statons. Tesla Superchargers would fall into that type of proprietary charging station that would be difficult to get public funding for...

This is a good point and I would hope that in the future Tesla will make a CCS adapter because it appears that is where the market is headed now.

For the short term a good compromise would be to ask for 80 amp J1772 because everyone can use that.
70/80A Level 2 EVSE CS-100 Hardwired | ClipperCreek

 

[Red Sage]

This is a good point and I would hope that in the future Tesla will make a CCS adapter because it appears that is where the market is headed now.

For the short term a good compromise would be to ask for 80 amp J1772 because everyone can use that.
70/80A Level 2 EVSE CS-100 Hardwired | ClipperCreek

As part of the 'Deal with the DEViL' that sees the Great State of California spending $200,000,000 over the course of ten years to build Hydrogen Fuel Stations, there is also a provision that allows an additional $50,000,000 for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations. I have no idea what they are installing or where, but the money has been allocated.

 

[aesculus]

My local supermarket is getting 4. Not sure why. If you cannot make it to your local supermarket without recharging, where can you get to?

 

[mhan00]

Destination Charger Etiquette ; What does r/teslamotors think? • /r/teslamotors

Refers to a destination charger, not a super charger, but it's an example of an asshole customer that Tesla will have to address eventually. Some people just don't give a *sugar* about other people. Idle time fees should do a lot to take care of that.

 

[Nuclear Fusion]

I wouldn't worry too much. They will be ubiquitous.
What concerns me is the apathy of the entire car industry, that will lead to Tesla having a monopoly on electric charging stations, which will lead to an overpriced cash cow for them.
In the same way YouTube didn't remain 'free' forever after Google bought it and advertising & subscription fees were introduced, Tesla is not only going to charge for the use, but steadily increase the fees. And ultimately the car industry will be to blame for their apathy in allowing Tesla to develop this monopoly.

 

[Red Sage]

@Nuclear Fusion -- Depends upon what one feels is a 'monopoly'. For instance, NADA is accusing Tesla Motors of wanting a monopoly by not using 'independent franchised dealerships' as a distribution method 'like everyone else'. Meanwhile, Tesla has exposed that the 'independent franchised dealerships' are claiming a monopoly on the sale of new vehicles, which they do not deserve.

Tesla Motors has made sure their cars could be charged pretty much EVERYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE, using ANYTHING... And then they made all their patents open and royalty free... That doesn't seem like a monopolistic practice to me. More like an inclusive one.

Those who expect that the Supercharger network will eventually become a profitable enterprise that amounts to becoming 'The Next EXXON!' are woefully inaccurate. I would say something else, but that might find its way to Snippiness... Setting up the Superchargers to only operate with authorized vehicles is not monopolistic, but practical. Certain plug-in vehicles have extremely small battery pack capacities. Superchargers should not have to throttle back to accommodate them. And it sends the entirely wrong message if ICE based plug-in hybrids are allowed to use them. Tesla Motors cannot force GM, Toyota, Volkswagen, or Ford to join the Supercharger network. But Tesla can make an offer and set the terms for inclusion. This only becomes a monopoly if the others go out of business after refusing to join.

 

[zenmaster]

Tesla introduces fee for lazy owners who leave their cars at Supercharger stations

 

[jerry33]

There was an Elon Tweet in FB indicating that it would be tweaked so that the idle fee would only be applied in cases where the SC was nearing capacity. This makes sense because it's going to be hard to convince potential SC location property owners that they are encouraging Tesla owners to spend as little time as possible at the SC. This is the opposite of what property owners would like and is likely to slow the growth of SCs.

My hope is that they have real alerts that actually alarm in the car and on the App in a rather loud way when the idle fee is in force (in case you're napping while charging).

 

[zenmaster]

I'm not seeing a problem here with SC availability under this model. SC demand and availability will increase with sales. SC stalls are typically adjacent to regular parking spots. I can't figure out why they are even providing the grace period, as the required charging time is always deterministic.

 

[JeffK]

I'm not seeing a problem here with SC availability under this model. SC demand and availability will increase with sales. SC stalls are typically adjacent to regular parking spots. I can't figure out why they are even providing the grace period, as the required charging time is always deterministic.

Simple... If someone were to plug in and go into a restaurant, they cannot always get out in a timely manner. If the stalls aren't busy then it should matter, but if the stalls are busy then the person can make some alternative plan.

The real issue is that I've seen a parking lot nearly empty and an ICE vehicle parked in a charging spot... there should be a phone number for a local towing agency for matters such as that.

 

[alseTrick]

Instead of charging $.40/minute, I think they should charge a flat fee up front - say $2.00 - and THEN charge $.40/minute. Except I'd give a 10 minute grace period, not 5.

 

[Garlan Garner]

Fantastic!!!!!

Looks like Elon is thinking just like I do. Its so refreshing to hear sensibility from someone with no bounds.

@TeslaMotors We are going to modify this so that people only pay a fee if most bays are occupied. If the site is basically deserted, no problem to park.

I've never been against anyone parking at a SC as long as they aren't interfering with someone else. Everyone enjoy supercharging as long as there are some ethics involved. The practice of ethics is getting more and more blurred each passing day. IMHO that's why mankind is requesting so many rules and guidance.

If the Creator of the SC's doesn't care about parking at them ( when appropriate )....then why should we?

If the Creator says ......... then why won't we respond appropriately?

 

[zenmaster]

Simple... If someone were to plug in and go into a restaurant, they cannot always get out in a timely manner.

Sorry, totally BS reason. What's the difference between timely manner with a metered spot and an SC spot then? Responsible adults have dealt with metered spots for generations.

 

[Garlan Garner]

Sorry, totally BS reason. What's the difference between timely manner with a metered spot and an SC spot then? Responsible adults have dealt with metered spots for generations.

What kind of metered spot are you referring to that has been around for generations?