Supercharger power set by whether or not you have a destination set

[TessieEddie]

Just completed a 600 mile trip from FL to NC. There are now 10 Tesla Superchargers along our I75/I85 route. When I plug in our destination, the nav system selects SCs that I don't want to use: First stop at the limit of range that would require slowing down to reach. Second stop in downtown Macon, GA that takes longer to get to and is further away from food/shopping options. The only solution I have found is to navigate to the SC desired. On the first stop I plugged in our 2nd SC stop before we got there. Initial charge rate was 130KW and very fast. We charged in less than 30 min., faster than expected. Upon arriving at 2nd SC, the initial charge rate was 75KW but we were going shopping so I assumed it would increase. Upon checking 15 min. later I was appalled to see that it was down to 25KW! I went back to the car and moved it to a new charger even though there were only two other cars charging and none nearby. The next charge cycle stayed at 75KW until we were done. The charge time took about 25 min. longer than anticipated so I was very disappointed. 3rd stop, same problem. We were at about 12% SOC but only charging at 75KW. I unplugged and plugged back in, no change. On a hunch I realized that the Nav system had no final destination plugged in. I manually stopped charging and entered our destination into Nav, about 100 miles away. Charger rate when immediately to 145 KW!!! We were done charging in about 12 min.

So, clearly Tesla has determined that if you are at a SC with no destination entered, you are not in a hurry so they limit your charge rate to 75KW. I am not sure how it dropped down to 25KW, but perhaps after some period of time it drops that low. This would help discourage local owners from using SCs instead of charging at home or with destination chargers overnight. It probably also helps prolong battery life. So I understand all of this but I was totally frustrated that I had to figure this out on my own and suffered about 40 min. of extra charge time which makes a lot of difference on a 9 1/2 hour trip. I wish Tesla would be more transparent with these things. They also need to add features to Nav to allow selection of specific SCs (unless this is already possible and I just don't know how to do it!

Bottom line: Always have a beyond destination programmed into Nav when charging at a SC!

My car: Model 3 LR AWD w/Aero

 

[Zoomit]

Is it correct to assume that none of these sites had Urban Superchargers?

 

[SSonnentag]

I pretty much always let the car map out the route initially, and then I select the SC stops that I want to use, and then navigate to the SC as my destination. Occasionally I can leave the entire route planned and the car does choose logical charging stops, but more often than not I have to override the car and route to individual superchargers.

 

[SSonnentag]

I pretty much always let the car map out the route initially, and then I select the SC stops that I want to use, and then navigate to the SC as my destination. Occasionally I can leave the entire route planned and the car does choose logical charging stops, but more often than not I have to override the car and route to individual superchargers. The car also doesn't know anything about charging options at your destination, so you must manually calculate how much power you'll need to arrive with in order to accommodate each particular destination's situation.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

Why didn't you go to the new Macon Supercharger station, right next to a Panera, instead of the old location downtown.
The old location is also a few miles out of your way, so why go there instead?

And yes, sometimes the in-car navigator makes strange recommendations for the "next" Supercharger stop and I either ignore its recommendation or explicitly select a Supercharger.

It would be nice if the navigator would be changed to allow the selection of Superchargers for a long trip.

When at a Supercharger, I always select the next Supercharger in the Navigator, and then try to leave when the expect arrival charge percentage hits a target.
That target depends on weather and my personal comfort level, and can be as low as 15% in Florida and as high at 25% mid-winter in the mid-West.

 

[CUBldr97]

that's really interesting. and there is no difference in the SC locations rated output? GEN 1 through GEN3?

 

[SSonnentag]

that's really interesting. and there is no difference in the SC locations rated output? GEN 1 through GEN3?

To my knowledge, the routing doesn't take charge rate into consideration when selecting charging stops.

 

[bxr140]

I frequently supercharge between NorCal and SoCal and I never have a destination set when I’m supercharging, mostly because I find the trip routing terrible and so I don’t use it, but also because I don’t trust Tesla’s assessment of idle fees.

I never have an associated problem with charge rate.

 

[ewoodrick]

I’ll disagree with having to route to speed Supercharging, seen fast speed too many times without route

 

[TessieEddie]

Is it correct to assume that none of these sites had Urban Superchargers?

Correct. There are two Urban superchargers along the way in Atlanta but I avoid these. In fact, I witnessed 145 KW charging power at the last one as soon as a entered a distant destination address.

 

[TessieEddie]

I frequently supercharge between NorCal and SoCal and I never have a destination set when I’m supercharging, mostly because I find the trip routing terrible and so I don’t use it, but also because I don’t trust Tesla’s assessment of idle fees.

I never have an associated problem with charge rate.

I hope you don't start having a problem but please note that this was not happening on a trip we took in April so I believe it could be a very recent change.

 

[TessieEddie]

that's really interesting. and there is no difference in the SC locations rated output? GEN 1 through GEN3?

None are Gen 3 as far as I know but you could look: Tom Hill Rd. SC near Macon, GA and Buford, GA SC.

 

[bxr140]

I hope you don't start having a problem but please note that this was not happening on a trip we took in April so I believe it could be a very recent change.

My second to last supercharged trip was three days ago from NorCal to SoCal and my last trip is right now, going back north. Zero charge rate issues.

What you’ve done is conjured a premature conclusion based on no evidence and pure speculation and, at the risk of being a bit harsh, have done the community a disservice by stating it to be objectively and definitively true. Good intentions, which I’m certain is your motivation here, are the catalyst for most misinformation.

There are plenty of reasons why we don’t get the charge rate we think we should get. Some are understood, some are not. Given the throttling-gate circus from a few years ago, it’s pretty safe to assume the odds that Tesla is purposely reducing charge rate based on some software technicality are barely nonzero. It is always in Tesla’s best interest for people to vacate a charger ASAP.

 

[plumazul]

My second to last supercharged trip was three days ago from NorCal to SoCal and my last trip is right now, going back north. Zero charge rate issues.

What you’ve done is conjured a premature conclusion based on no evidence and pure speculation and, at the risk of being a bit harsh, have done the community a disservice by stating it to be objectively and definitively true. Good intentions, which I’m certain is your motivation here, are the catalyst for most misinformation.

There are plenty of reasons why we don’t get the charge rate we think we should get. Some are understood, some are not. Given the throttling-gate circus from a few years ago, it’s pretty safe to assume the odds that Tesla is purposely reducing charge rate based on some software technicality are barely nonzero. It is always in Tesla’s best interest for people to vacate a charger ASAP.

What he could have been seeing is just hot chargers that needed to cool down a bit?

 

[bxr140]

What he could have been seeing is just hot chargers that needed to cool down a bit?

Could be. There’s quite a lot of evidence out there to suggest it’s a contributing factor, though I’m not sure it’s actually been confirmed by any Tesla channels, like roadside assistance. Anyone?

Charging facility hardware failure/degradation seems to be a leading verified cause; many times if you call Tesla roadside they’ll say ‘yeah, 2A is running slow, best bet is to move’. The other big thing is a nebulous reset of the charge (unplug-replug) or the car (scroll wheel reset) that’s basically ctrl-alt-del. You don’t really know what problem you’re solving, but that’s a Tesla roadside go-to in my experience.

The last thing, which is really the first thing, and not really a factor with the OP is battery temperature.

Final takeaway—if you’re getting a low rate and you don’t think you should, AND it bugs you, call Tesla roadside. Don’t blindly speculate.

 

[TessieEddie]

Why didn't you go to the new Macon Supercharger station, right next to a Panera, instead of the old location downtown.
The old location is also a few miles out of your way, so why go there instead?

And yes, sometimes the in-car navigator makes strange recommendations for the "next" Supercharger stop and I either ignore its recommendation or explicitly select a Supercharger.

It would be nice if the navigator would be changed to allow the selection of Superchargers for a long trip.

When at a Supercharger, I always select the next Supercharger in the Navigator, and then try to leave when the expect arrival charge percentage hits a target.
That target depends on weather and my personal comfort level, and can be as low as 15% in Florida and as high at 25% mid-winter in the mid-West.

I did indeed go to the Tom Hill Rd. SC outside of Macon, not the one downtown. I have been there many times and it is not a nice area. Restaurant selection is eclectic and a long walk away. Plus, it is not directly off of the Interstate like the Tom Hill one is.

 

[TessieEddie]

My second to last supercharged trip was three days ago from NorCal to SoCal and my last trip is right now, going back north. Zero charge rate issues.

What you’ve done is conjured a premature conclusion based on no evidence and pure speculation and, at the risk of being a bit harsh, have done the community a disservice by stating it to be objectively and definitively true. Good intentions, which I’m certain is your motivation here, are the catalyst for most misinformation.

There are plenty of reasons why we don’t get the charge rate we think we should get. Some are understood, some are not. Given the throttling-gate circus from a few years ago, it’s pretty safe to assume the odds that Tesla is purposely reducing charge rate based on some software technicality are barely nonzero. It is always in Tesla’s best interest for people to vacate a charger ASAP.

No evidence? Charging at 75KW. Unplugged and re-plugged in, no change. Stopped charging, set a destination and the charge rate immediately went to 145KW. I call that evidence. Same for "pure speculation". It's not speculation when you have evidence. It would be an extreme coincidence that some other factor caused an almost double the rate of charging but happened at the exact moment that I entered a destination.

You do not state but at the time of charging did you have any destinations plugged in, maybe the next SC? What charging rates were you getting?

BTW, the latest OA update release notes talk about battery pre-warming that allows for more rapid charging. This is presumably only possible if you have a destination plugged in beyond the SC.

I don't see how it is a disservice to the community when I start a discussion about a real issue, i.e. low charging rate and a possible solution - entering a destination. If enough people test my theory with an open mind then we will find out if it is real or not.

 

[darth_vad3r]

No evidence? Charging at 75KW. Unplugged and re-plugged in, no change. Stopped charging, set a destination and the charge rate immediately went to 145KW. I call that evidence. Same for "pure speculation". It's not speculation when you have evidence. It would be an extreme coincidence that some other factor caused an almost double the rate of charging but happened at the exact moment that I entered a destination.

You do not state but at the time of charging did you have any destinations plugged in, maybe the next SC? What charging rates were you getting?

BTW, the latest OA update release notes talk about battery pre-warming that allows for more rapid charging. This is presumably only possible if you have a destination plugged in beyond the SC.

I don't see how it is a disservice to the community when I start a discussion about a real issue, i.e. low charging rate and a possible solution - entering a destination. If enough people test my theory with an open mind then we will find out if it is real or not.

If your subject said “might” be set and had a “?” it would be less judged as a “disservice”.

What you have is one data point and “circumstantial evidence”. If nobody else corroborates this then it makes your experience highly likely to be a coincidence. If many people corroborate it, or you can repeat the drastic increase before/after setting a destination many times, then you are moving towards proving that it has an effect (for your car anyways, it could still just be a bug with your car only )

 

[animorph]

This sounds more like an MCU in need of a reset than a fleetwide problem. No confirmations yet. But fine to post and see if it's widespread.

What firmware version was active for the OP? That seems like it could be a key fact.

 

[TessieEddie]

This sounds more like an MCU in need of a reset than a fleetwide problem. No confirmations yet. But fine to post and see if it's widespread.

What firmware version was active for the OP? That seems like it could be a key fact.

2019.12.1.2 5c87371