Supercharger locations - why back-in?

[Candleflame]

Most folks I know don't back into parking spots. IME, the types of folks that typically back into spots are typically self-important a-holes that don't mind how long it takes them to back into the spot (or how long they're blocking traffic in the parking lot) as long as they can get out a fraction of a second sooner.

Also, for people that don't have a lot of experience backing into spots, having to do it in between 2 $100k+ cars isn't going to make it any easier This is going to be a bigger problem now that there are so many M3's out there.

Why wouldn't Tesla include longer cables on these stations to offer more flexibility?

And prior to the M3, was Tesla's target buyer someone like I mentioned above? That hasn't been my experience in the PNW where I see these cars all over the place, parked normally.

most people here in Australia don't seem to know how to reverse park. there is usually also an extra lane so you can safely reverse out of the parking spot and dont have to reverse onto the road. In Europe most people reverse park as it is much easier to reverse into our tiny spots and much safer to exit.

I actually can't forward park at all because it is really hard to judge the distance on the other side of the car as you just never really get into a situation where you wouldnt reversepark in europe...

Short supercharger cables save tesla money and make the charger design easier. and there is less electricity wasted as heat.

 

[arcus]

Short supercharger cables save tesla money and make the charger design easier. and there is less electricity wasted as heat.

Plus, they don't end up lying on the ground cover in mud and other debris, or being run over by a careless driver.

 

[brkaus]

As the song says:
Money money money money money money
Money money money money money money
Money money money money money money
Money money.

Having back-in stalls is cheaper. Having shorter cables is cheaper. Less likely to be damaged: cheaper.
The stanchions are off the pavement out of the way, so less space is required.

Wait a minute... So it is about the money or @ItsNotAboutTheMoney ?

 

[Derek Kessler]

Plus, they don't end up lying on the ground cover in mud and other debris, or being run over by a careless driver.

My local airport has EV chargers in the remote lot and terminal garage. They all have retracting ~20-foot cables that spool up inside the pedestal. If they didn't, I can guarantee they'd be a dirty mess strewn about the ground because you can't count on people to take 30 seconds to even sloppily wrap up a cord and drape it on the hook.

That said, a retracting spool for a cable as thick and stiff as a Supercharger's would have to be hilariously large.

 

[arcus]

That said, a retracting spool for a cable as thick and stiff as a Supercharger's would have to be hilariously large.

For sure! Or one would have to have an insurance against accidental injuries from handling it

 

[GWord]

I know you are going to get many 'disagrees'. And me too for this post. And all those folks think they are smarter than 90% of drivers - scratch that 95% of drivers - in the US. Take *any* parking lot in the US and you will see over 99% of the cars will be nose-in. And these folks who disagree with you think those that park nose-in - which is 99% of drivers - are all bunch of idiots who don't know how to park, and they know better.s.

Here's a hot take: ignorance, impatience, poor skill or stupidity drive nose in behavior, in large extent. Only in rare instances is nose in parking safer. Every safety institute recommends back in parking. IIHS, NHTSA, AAA etc. All of them. 100%. And every fleet operator I've ever dealt with also requires back in parking where possible. Professional drivers almost exclusively back in or pull through. Even big rig drivers. Every truck parking area I've ever seen or seen photographed is almost all occupied as pull thorough or back in. Your supposition that nose in is inherently safe, simply because a plurality of non-professional drivers engage in that behavior, is obviously poor reasoning. Drivers also text, apply makeup, speed, fail to signal and pick their nose while driving.

 

[NeverFollow]

Here, I have seem many parking lots with signs saying "head in parking only".
But then I am in California and everyone in the country knows that Californians can't drive.
But really, around here if you back your car into a parking spot, it is kind of considered as a Show Off.
Most people are not capable of doing that.
Most people can't parallel park either as it is not required to pass the driving test.

In many places, you even get a ticket if you back into a parking spot,
I guess to avoid the smoke going toward a building windows.

 

[David29]

Here, I have seem many parking lots with signs saying "head in parking only". But then I am in California and everyone in the country knows that Californians can't drive. But really, around here if you back your car into a parking spot, it is kind of considered as a Show Off. Most people are not capable of doing that. Most people can't parallel park either as it is not required to pass the driving test.

I always wondered why there would be such a sign. Once you know how, it is definitely more accurate to back in, and safer.

 

[David29]

I see a lot of people mentioning that in this thread. That definitely used to be true, but now that backup cameras are required in all cars, the opposite is true. My area is very much the land of big trucks and SUVs, so it's the test case with big vehicles next to you to block the view. When backed in and ready to pull out forward, you can only see what is line-of-sight from your eyes from the vantage point farther back in the passenger compartment of the car. Your eyes aren't out on the front bumper. It's an angle that can't see around the end of the big truck next to you. You don't really have a choice but to try inching forward blindly until you can directly see around it.

With the backup camera at the very back bumper of the car, and having a wide angle fish-eye lens on it, I can see all the way up and down the aisle when I'm about to back out before my car ever moves. So the answers about visibility are directly opposite, depending on whether you're talking about with or without a backup camera.

I wish this were true! I am deathly afraid of hitting someone in a parking lot (and of being hit -- someone almost struck me earlier this week when I was walking past their car). In my opinion, the Tesla Model S rear camera does not see enough to the sides to avoid hitting pedestrians, especially if they are walking close to adjacent cars. I have come close more than once. And I think I can see better when moving forward than I can moving backwards. The exception is that I cannot see the ground well when going forward, so I am nervous about parking forward. Even in my own parking space at home, I have a hard time seeing where the car is relative to the lane lines and the end of the space, when going forward. So I park back-end-in except when precipitation obscures the rear camera.

(Maybe we need an objective test to resolve our differing opinions!)

 

[Electroman]

Here's a hot take: ignorance, impatience, poor skill or stupidity drive nose in behavior, in large extent. ..... Professional drivers almost exclusively back in or pull through.

All right, so that basically means around less than 1% are smart and the rest stupid - and I am not going to argue with that characterization.

The point is: Tesla put the charger port in the back to cater to those less than 1% smart drivers and annoyed the rest 99%. Now that is an idiotic decision.

 

[arcus]

The point is: Tesla put the charger port in the back to cater to those less than 1% smart drivers and annoyed the rest 99%. Now that is an idiotic decision.

That is your assumption. We would have to take a poll from all Tesla owners to settle this

I personally like the SCs where the stalls are installed parallel to the curb with clear perpendicular line markings on the ground - makes it no brainer to use backup camera and those lines as a guidance.

Now, for a comparison, have fun with this (close home, so I can speak from experience) - minding cross traffic behind you, the curb nearby, the stalls themselves (as you have maneuver with your car's hood around it) or the cars parked to the right if you charge in 1A.

 

[GWord]

All right, so that basically means around less than 1% are smart and the rest stupid - and I am not going to argue with that characterization.

Now we're speaking the same language!

 

[timk225]

Anyone who can't handle backing into a spot does not deserve to have a Tesla. They give you a back up camera, how much more hand-holding do you want?

 

[ai4px]

There is one spot at the Florence SC Supercharger that you don’t have to back in to. Pull up straight in.

 

[Electroman]

Anyone who can't handle backing into a spot does not deserve to have a Tesla. They give you a back up camera, how much more hand-holding do you want?

Anyone who can’t back out of a parking spot doesn’t deserve to be driving any modern car. They give you a back up camera, how much more hand-holding do you want?

 

[XHabjab]

Anyone who can’t back out of a parking spot doesn’t deserve to be driving any modern car. They give you a back up camera, how much more hand-holding do you want?

Well, it would be good if the car could park itself. Forwards or backwards.

Oh yeah, the Tesla can do that.