Tesla should offer an incentive to leave crowded superchargers.

[Daniel in SD]

Right now if you're on a road trip during a high traffic day the optimal strategy is to charge to near 100% at every supercharger because that will give you more options on your next supercharging location just in case those are also congested. Tesla has tried to solve this problem by by dropping the default charge percentage at congested superchargers to 80% but of course you can always set it back to 100%. My idea is that when a supercharger is full Tesla should offer a discount on your next supercharge session if you leave within five minutes or before reaching a 60% SoC.

 

[roblab]

Right now if you're on a road trip during a high traffic day the optimal strategy is to charge to near 100% at every supercharger because that will give you more options on your next supercharging location just in case those are also congested. Tesla has tried to solve this problem by by dropping the default charge percentage at congested superchargers to 80% but of course you can always set it back to 100%. My idea is that when a supercharger is full Tesla should offer a discount on your next supercharge session if you leave within five minutes or before reaching a 60% SoC.

As a Tesla owner who has about two hundred thousand miles of Tesla driving and charging, I disagree. California superchargers are spaced about a hundred miles apart, if not closer, and most of our cars will do over two hundred miles on a charge. If one charges at their motel (I choose the ones with charging), they can drive nearly four hours on that charge, or at least three, when they have to stop for a bathroom and coffee break. Charging much more than 200 miles is silly. With the computer telling you how much charge you have left and how far it will take you, why are you charging to 100%??

And why are you not able to charge at less congested times? Stop at 10AM instead of noon, then again at 2PM. Don't do what the herd might do. Try a different route. Find a different charger. Why would you opt to spend double the time charging to 100%?? OPTIMALLY, you'd charge to 80%, drive to first SC, charge to 80%, drive to second SC, and drive to your destination, or motel with charging.

In my experience, the first 80% goes quickly. Anyone at a supercharger sitting and waiting for the last 20 percent is wasting time, for himself and for other drivers. They can EASILY make it to the next charger, often not having to supercharge more than once during the day. Maybe twice, and NEVER have to charge "to 100%". That's a huge waste of time and it blocks a lot of other people wanting a charge. If everyone did as you do, I can see why you're congested in SD.

 

[Daniel in SD]

That's a huge waste of time and it blocks a lot of other people wanting a charge. If everyone did as you do, I can see why you're congested in SD.

It's not a waste of time if it allows you to avoid a line at the next supercharger. I agree that it's not optimal for overall utilization, that why it's a problem that Tesla should solve! I actually haven't had to employ this strategy though I have to admit that I would be tempted if it would save me time. I have seen people charging well past 90% at Superchargers where there are people waiting in line though.
I've thought about it some more and I think it would be better for Tesla to simply give people Supercharger credits to leave a full Supercharger. They could design an algorithm (neural net?) that would try to get people to leave for the minimum amount of money. Different people would get different offers based on their past charging behavior and destination (somehow you've got to make it difficult to game the system though).

Or, they should just implement surge pricing.

 

[jeeperrs]

It's not a waste of time if it allows you to avoid a line at the next supercharger. I agree that it's not optimal for overall utilization, that why it's a problem that Tesla should solve! I actually haven't had to employ this strategy though I have to admit that I would be tempted if it would save me time. I have seen people charging well past 90% at Superchargers where there are people waiting in line though.
I've thought about it some more and I think it would be better for Tesla to simply give people Supercharger credits to leave a full Supercharger. They could design an algorithm (neural net?) that would try to get people to leave for the minimum amount of money. Different people would get different offers based on their past charging behavior and destination (somehow you've got to make it difficult to game the system though).

Or, they should just implement surge pricing.

Or they will just charge you a super premium for clogging up the SC from 80%-100%. So, you will get one rate up to 80% and then a second rate up to 100%. I think my idea will win Tesla's attention.

 

[seattlite2004]

This is the answer: Congestion pricing - Wikipedia

Edit: Just saw surge pricing suggestion above...yep...that is the answer.

 

[hmgolds]

For me on road trips, I find the reduced charging speed past 80% plenty incentive to leave unless I really need the extra range. And in my interstate travels (midwest, mid-Atlantic, New England, and Ontario) I've never encountered a wait to get into a SC stall. I realize CA is a different case.

Where I have noticed issues is with "in-town" Superchargers, particularly if located by shopping. I suspect that many just opportunity charge since they are there. Or even use it because it's the closest place to park. If you provide credits to leave, people might abuse that offer by plugging in (then unplugging) when they might not bother to plug in at all. Surge pricing (say going above 80% when the SC is full) would be an option and might be acceptable of all that extra profit is invested in SC capacity.

 

[Eno Deb]

And why are you not able to charge at less congested times? Stop at 10AM instead of noon, then again at 2PM. Don't do what the herd might do. Try a different route. Find a different charger.

If you were driving, say, over Thanksgiving or the Christmas holidays between LA and the Bay Area, there simply was no choice. All chargers along the route had lines at one point or another. On Christmas it was aggravated by a closure on the Grapevine due to snow, which forced many to take the 101 route, which has too few chargers to begin with. These issues will only get worse.

I think it would be a good idea for Tesla to apply surge pricing or strictly enforce the 80% (or an even lower) limit on such days. It would also help if they finally released a 100kW+ CCS adapter, so Teslas could utilize the growing Electrify America network if necessary.

 

[user212_nr]

Or they will just charge you a super premium for clogging up the SC from 80%-100%. So, you will get one rate up to 80% and then a second rate up to 100%. I think my idea will win Tesla's attention.

Agree with this over the suggestion of a discount, but its just too complicated still.

Tesla is pretty capable to figure out the economics for the supercharger themselves. They are being built, albeit slowly.

 

[Matsayz]

Or...build more chargers! Think of the day when we have chargers on all four corners of an intersection with competing prices! /s...except yeah there needs to be more chargers of all flavors.

 

[Missile Toad]

Some simple solutions:

1. Fix the broken stalls, handles and cables promptly, once reported;
2. Identify the stalls that the incumbent car occupied for the longest duration (maybe in the incoming car's navigation screen) -- that stall will give highest output in a paired stall situation;
3. Navigation currently accounts for distance and elevation to next charger, when determining necessary fuel load. Add temperatures and headwinds, and it should be able to give better guidance how much charge to take on-board to reach destination without overfilling;
4. Raise the fees for charging, so that true charging infrastructure competition can take root, and thrive, for the benefit of all EVs;
5. Give a rough estimate, at the conclusion of charging at a noon 'rush hour', of a comparison of charging time at a hypothetical 10AM charge, under similar temperatures and states of charge (presumably, without sharing needed for the congestion typical of noon-time);
6. And for crying out loud, accurately report when sites are in a REDUCED SERVICE mode. Don't act like you have no idea Tesla!

 

[Missile Toad]

Some complex solutions:

1. On holiday travel, get batches of Teslas to 'platoon' by networking the acceleration and brake systems to follow at less than a car length from each other. Tour-de-France cyclists are trained to put the least tired rider at the front -- put the car with the maximum SOC in the front.
2. If a platoon member is about to 'brick', have a mobile charging vehicle (I don't know, maybe the cyber truck), extend a charging umbilical to that last car so it can increase its charge to 'make it' with the rest of the platoon.
3. Mr. Fusion;
4. FSD, drives you while you sleep.

Number 4 is a real stretch. The other 3, are comparatively simpler.