Supercharger wait times as Model 3 numbers increase

[lapolak]

Hello,

First time poster, long-time lurker, Model 3 reservation holder (non-owner).

As I debate whether to pull-through with my Model 3 reservation (most likely will) I have been thinking much about how impacted Superchargers are, or may become, as more people get Model 3's, S's or X's, etc...

My fantasy is to take the car on road trips (I do 3-5 a year). LA to Vegas, LA to SF, LA to Monterey, LA to SD, etc... I know there are multiple SC stations on each of these routes, but how impacted is the network? Have there been any issues with people waiting in line?

I imagine that as the Model 3 becomes more ubiquitous, along with increased sales of the S, X and future models, the SC network might become more impacted and it will no longer truly be a "30 minute" pit stop to charge up.

Any thoughts? I have always wanted a Tesla and most likely will go through with the Model 3... but the scenario of waiting 30+ minutes to charge my own Model 3 for 30+ minutes has given me pause.

Thanks!

 

[Kcharwood]

Just imagine all the car manufacturers trying to break in to ev’s without a supercharger network

 

[Tam]

...waiting...

Crowded stations are a problem but you can manage it with long range battery and multiple station choices.

There used to be only 1 station (Harris Ranch) between Los Angeles and San Francisco so when it's crowded, there was no other choices.

Now you have: Burbank, Tejon, Bakersfield , Button willow, Kettleman, Harris Ranch, Los Banos, Gilroy...

The same with Los Angeles and Las Vegas that you had only 1 choice in Barstow.

Now you have: Barstow, Yermo, Baker, Primm...

So, with your long range battery, you can choose which to skip and which to stop by.

Tesla Navigation shows you each station availability status so you can make your choice.

The longer range battery you have (such as 620 mile Gen2 Roadster), the more choice you get and the problem is easily managed (you can charge at home and destination and skip all the crowded stations).

 

[oripaamoni]

Also consider that they will not be free like it is for most current X and S owners. I bet a lot of X and S owners stop by a local super charger often rather than charge at home. Hopefully with the cost now associated with the superchargers M3 and new S,X owners will only stop at the superchargers on a road trip. I am looking forward to the SD-Vegas , SD- LA runs

 

[MXWing]

Title should be "Will supercharging wait times increase as more Model 3s are on the road?"

-They have increased the number of supercharger stations
-They have increased the number of stalls at supercharger stations
-Without it being "free", only Model 3s that actually need them will use them.

Your road trips are not excessive and are on routes where there are a ton of chargers. Coupled with the LR Model 3, I really don't see this being a problem.

 

[RDoc]

I'm actually a lot more concerned about Tesla Service Centers. There are very few of them, at least in the Boston area, and they are currently very busy.

 

[chillaban]

I've been taking SF to Vegas road trips every 2-3 months since 2016, and I've noticed that while at first almost every trip required planning to avoid charger congestion, lately it's so much on the side of a ghost town that there's some chargers I've been afraid to stop at.

As others have said, there's like 4x more charging stations along this route and that number is growing. And each of those charging stations has increased in capacity as well.

I wouldn't be super concerned about the LA to Vegas corridor.

 

[ℬête Noire]

I'm already laying the groundwork for any trips I take on a long weekend to come into it with the mentality of "I'll get there when I get there, and maybe I'll meet some friendly people on the way". I've gathered that the start/end of long weekends on busy routes, at popular stations, were already busy affairs.

 

[Webeevdrivers]

Hello,

First time poster, long-time lurker, Model 3 reservation holder (non-owner).

As I debate whether to pull-through with my Model 3 reservation (most likely will) I have been thinking much about how impacted Superchargers are, or may become, as more people get Model 3's, S's or X's, etc...

My fantasy is to take the car on road trips (I do 3-5 a year). LA to Vegas, LA to SF, LA to Monterey, LA to SD, etc... I know there are multiple SC stations on each of these routes, but how impacted is the network? Have there been any issues with people waiting in line?

I imagine that as the Model 3 becomes more ubiquitous, along with increased sales of the S, X and future models, the SC network might become more impacted and it will no longer truly be a "30 minute" pit stop to charge up.

Any thoughts? I have always wanted a Tesla and most likely will go through with the Model 3... but the scenario of waiting 30+ minutes to charge my own Model 3 for 30+ minutes has given me pause.

Thanks!

I wouldn’t sweat it in the short term. We just drove from Palm Springs to British Columbia in our Motorhome and made a point of trying to stop at Superchargers along the way to get a feel for what it would be like to do the Trip in a Tesla someday. (Considering putting our name on the 3 list for a 2021 delivery). We never saw more than one or two Tesla’s at Superchargers with dozens of stalls. Tesla is currently cranking out about 700 model 3’s a week. I think everybody has figured out now that 10,000 a week or even 5000 a week is probably not going to happen in the next few years if ever. If they are up to 2000 a week by the end of 2018 I would be (pleasantly) surprised but I don’t think you’ll have too many worries on at least the i5 corridor. And they seem to be adding Supercharger capacity reasonably consistently. It was a cool trip and a chance to kind of see the west coast corridor thru the eyes of a Tesla driver. Kettlemen is very cool. So is Harris ranch.

Cheers.

 

[lapolak]

I'm actually a lot more concerned about Tesla Service Centers. There are very few of them, at least in the Boston area, and they are currently very busy.

Yup, that is definitely on my list of concerns.

It was a cool trip and a chance to kind of see the west coast corridor thru the eyes of a Tesla driver. Kettlemen is very cool. So is Harris ranch.

That is something I'd like to do (albeit not on such a huge scale as your trip) if I were to get the car. Thanks for sharing.

Crowded stations are a problem but you can manage it with long range battery and multiple station choices.

There used to be only 1 station (Harris Ranch) between Los Angeles and San Francisco so when it's crowded, there was no other choices.

Now you have: Burbank, Tejon, Bakersfield , Button willow, Kettleman, Harris Ranch, Los Banos, Gilroy...

The same with Los Angeles and Las Vegas that you had only 1 choice in Barstow.

Now you have: Barstow, Yermo, Baker, Primm...

So, with your long range battery, you can choose which to skip and which to stop by.

Tesla Navigation shows you each station availability status so you can make your choice.

I did some research on their site and noticed a few of the Supercharger stations are massive (Baker being 40 slots). I doubt i'd ever take the car cross country, and I see they're opening one up in my neighborhood this year and a friend's neighborhood up North. So I guess this concern can be crossed off.

 

[ℬête Noire]

I did some research on their site and noticed a few of the Supercharger stations are massive (Baker being 40 slots). I doubt i'd ever take the car cross country, and I see they're opening one up in my neighborhood this year and a friend's neighborhood up North. So I guess this concern can be crossed off.

"....where I live." I don't know of any SC stations in TX with more than 10 stalls, everything but a couple near Dallas are 8 and down, most less than that. On the highway between Houston (6mil people) and Austin (2mil people), about 165mi of SH290, there is no SC.

There is an 8 stall about the core of Austin. On the other end, in Houston there's a 6 stall on the north side that's not really even in the city. There is also an 8 stall outside on the east side. Yes, the 5th largest metro in the US has a total of 14 stalls at 2 outskirt locations...and a huge hole on the Southside of it. From a friend's family member, MX purchased last year, I've been told that the Austin station gets busy at peak travel times already pre-M3 (they live well south of Houston, so don't use that 290 route and I believe use the Victoria SC).

An hour+ out on the Interstates to the north, east and west do have 6-8 stall stations on the way to Dallas, Louisiana, and San Antonia. About 200 miles north you'll get to a 10 stall SC. But that's a VERY busy corridor and I'd be concerned of getting run over if I wasn't traveling at least 70mph, so expect super-miling it down there isn't going to be a popular choice.

There's a very good reasons I'm getting the LR.

The map here is still thick here with grey pins, that Tesla lists as "Target opening by end of 2018". We'll see.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Hello,

First time poster, long-time lurker, Model 3 reservation holder (non-owner).

As I debate whether to pull-through with my Model 3 reservation (most likely will) I have been thinking much about how impacted Superchargers are, or may become, as more people get Model 3's, S's or X's, etc...

My fantasy is to take the car on road trips (I do 3-5 a year). LA to Vegas, LA to SF, LA to Monterey, LA to SD, etc... I know there are multiple SC stations on each of these routes, but how impacted is the network? Have there been any issues with people waiting in line?

I imagine that as the Model 3 becomes more ubiquitous, along with increased sales of the S, X and future models, the SC network might become more impacted and it will no longer truly be a "30 minute" pit stop to charge up.

Any thoughts? I have always wanted a Tesla and most likely will go through with the Model 3... but the scenario of waiting 30+ minutes to charge my own Model 3 for 30+ minutes has given me pause.

Thanks!

It just depends on Tesla's approach to the network.
As long as Tesla allocates an appropriate amount per car to a Supercharger infrastructure fund the situation should get _better_ as coverage and density increases.

 

[SpiceWare]

"....where I live." .... On the highway between Houston (6mil people) and Austin (2mil people), about 165mi of SH290, there is no SC.

Yep, depends on where you live. For my trips from Houston to Austin I already pass the Supercharger in Columbus as it's faster to come in via 71 on the south side rather than 290 on the north. For the 290 route Brenham's on the list of planned sites for 2018, once done you can pick up some Blue Bell while you charge

 

[ℬête Noire]

Yep, depends on where you live. For my trips from Houston to Austin I already pass the Supercharger in Columbus as it's faster to come in via 71 on the south side rather than 290 on the north. For the 290 route Brenham's on the list of planned sites for 2018, once done you can pick up some Blue Bell while you charge
View attachment 283436

True. I'm about 50 miles by-the-crow North of you.

Personally, with an Aggie in the family now, I'm kinda hoping they get College Station in this year. Not that I can't already very easily handle that round trip without a charge, even with the Bolt, but once Brenham and CS are in I'll be covered in any direction I'm leaving/arriving if I need to squeeze out the last of a range and sometimes I'll be leaving elsewhere straight away after coming back after visiting the kid.

 

[Kuhz]

I wouldn’t sweat it in the short term. We just drove from Palm Springs to British Columbia in our Motorhome and made a point of trying to stop at Superchargers along the way to get a feel for what it would be like to do the Trip in a Tesla someday. (Considering putting our name on the 3 list for a 2021 delivery). We never saw more than one or two Tesla’s at Superchargers with dozens of stalls. Tesla is currently cranking out about 700 model 3’s a week. I think everybody has figured out now that 10,000 a week or even 5000 a week is probably not going to happen in the next few years if ever. If they are up to 2000 a week by the end of 2018 I would be (pleasantly) surprised but I don’t think you’ll have too many worries on at least the i5 corridor. And they seem to be adding Supercharger capacity reasonably consistently. It was a cool trip and a chance to kind of see the west coast corridor thru the eyes of a Tesla driver. Kettlemen is very cool. So is Harris ranch.

Cheers.

You didn’t happen to drive a Mercedes C-Class around Feb. 19th?

 

[Webeevdrivers]

You didn’t happen to drive a Mercedes C-Class around Feb. 19th?

We were in a 40 foot Motorhome pulling an electric smart car. We were on the road from the 15th of Feb to 21 feb.

 

[Kuhz]

We were in a 40 foot Motorhome pulling an electric smart car. We were on the road from the 15th of Feb to 21 feb.

Ah never mind then. Probably passed you in a Red MS at some point as well as that’s when we were heading from San Diego to Seattle

 

[Webeevdrivers]

Ah never mind then. Probably passed you in a Red MS at some point as well as that’s when we were heading from San Diego to Seattle

Can’t say I specifically noticed you but we noticed lots of Tesla’s both on the road and on transports. We are learning as much as we can on the model 3 and the new Nissan Leaf although if we get a Leaf it will be the upcoming long range version. We are buyers in 2020 or 2021. We are thinking of putting a 1000 bucks down on a model 3 just in case as I suspect the lead in will be two years or more. Right now we are leaning towards the Leaf but we are huge Tesla fans so things could change. In the mean time we’ll stick with our Leaf and smart ED until our needs change in 2021.

 

[Webeevdrivers]

Ah never mind then. Probably passed you in a Red MS at some point as well as that’s when we were heading from San Diego to Seattle

You would have noticed us.

 

[Kuhz]

Hmmm.... can’t say I did. Now that I think about it we arrived in Seattle very late on the 21st so you were probably well ahead.