Tesla Supercharger network

[Gear]

I wonder if they'll continue to build the chargers after a few years from now or if they'll slow dramatically or even stop once the vast majority of the country is covered. They haven't even updated the map past 2015. I have to think they're hoping at least a little bit that some other companies will kick it up a notch in the area of fast charging infrastructure, which is obviously why they opened up their patents. The next few years will be interesting.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I wonder if they'll continue to build the chargers after a few years from now or if they'll slow dramatically or even stop once the vast majority of the country is covered. They haven't even updated the map past 2015. I have to think they're hoping at least a little bit that some other companies will kick it up a notch in the area of fast charging infrastructure, which is obviously why they opened up their patents. The next few years will be interesting.

They've previously said that 2015 is just a limit of planning and that they'd continue to build out as required.

There always:
- expansion
- storage
- solar canopies

 

[AudubonB]

They've previously said that 2015 is just a limit of planning and that they'd continue to build out as required.

There always:
- expansion
- storage
- solar canopies

And also:
-upgrading (90kW to 135kW, for example)
-repair (the Wickenburg SpC had a great big mesquite tree score a direct hit on one two weeks ago during a 500-year monsoon event. Steeeeeeeeerike!)

That's all little stuff - but it adds up just a bit.

 

[roblab]

And also:
-upgrading (90kW to 135kW, for example)
-repair (the Wickenburg SpC had a great big mesquite tree score a direct hit on one two weeks ago during a 500-year monsoon event. Steeeeeeeeerike!)

That's all little stuff - but it adds up just a bit.

Most especially, the supercharger highway expanded to your place in Alaska.

 

[dmckinstry]

Most especially, the supercharger highway expanded to your place in Alaska.

If they do expand up to Anchorage, my next trip there won't be by plane.

 

[aviators99]

If they do expand up to Anchorage, my next trip there won't be by plane.

You do realize that it's a 2400 mile drive with only one Supercharger along the way???

 

[Bugeater]

You do realize that it's a 2400 mile drive with only one Supercharger along the way???

No big deal. My wife and I drove 5540 miles a year ago May - June and only had 4 supercharger stops along the way. And Canada / Alaska would have beautiful scenery.

 

[pgiralt]

I wonder if they'll continue to build the chargers after a few years from now or if they'll slow dramatically or even stop once the vast majority of the country is covered. They haven't even updated the map past 2015. I have to think they're hoping at least a little bit that some other companies will kick it up a notch in the area of fast charging infrastructure, which is obviously why they opened up their patents. The next few years will be interesting.

I think they will continue building superchargers at a fast rate as a ramp up to the Model 3. Tesla knows that for the Model 3 to be successful, customers will need to be able to find superchargers to get them anywhere they want to go. Tesla does not want to cater to the market of people who are willing to spend some time thinking about how to plan a road trip like we do. For Model 3 to be successful, supercharging needs to be ubiquitous.

 

[airj1012]

Update via Tesla Facebook - "Supercharger status update: 11.8 GWh of energy delivered, 44M miles enabled, 1.8M gallons of gasoline saved, 46M pounds of CO2 offset. Price to customers: $0."

 

[Cottonwood]

Update via Tesla Facebook - "Supercharger status update: 11.8 GWh of energy delivered, 44M miles enabled, 1.8M gallons of gasoline saved, 46M pounds of CO2 offset. Price to customers: $0."

At $0.20 per kWh, that is $2.36 million of electricity from Tesla to Tesla owners!

For perspective, that is 2/3 the cost of one 30 second Superbowl ad this year. The rising costs of Super Bowl ads in one chart

 

[HankLloydRight]

At $0.20 per kWh, that is $2.36 million of electricity from Tesla to Tesla owners!

I can't imagine that Tesla pays anywhere near $0.20 per kWh for energy. I'd guess in the volume and delivery they are using at the SC stations, they'd be paying less than half of that (as a national average). I don't know if Tesla counts as "Commercial", "Industrial", or "Transportation", but using the chart below, the HIGHEST of those sectors, nationwide, is $0.1053/kWh.

missing chart: EIA - Electricity Data

 

[Electroman]

Bulk of the costs, I am guessing, are capital and other operational (man power) costs. Electricity costs are probably a small fraction.

 

[Cottonwood]

I can't imagine that Tesla pays anywhere near $0.20 per kWh for energy. I'd guess in the volume and delivery they are using at the SC stations, they'd be paying less than half of that (as a national average). I don't know if Tesla counts as "Commercial", "Industrial", or "Transportation", but using the chart below, the HIGHEST of those sectors, nationwide, is $0.1053/kWh.

Good facts, but Tesla is probably on the high side of that average, maybe by a lot.

Remember that most of the use is in California and Europe. Also, remember that a big part of the cost of electricity on a commercial account is the demand charge, and Superchargers are very peaky in their demand (peak kW used). Tesla is working on this with their energy storage units, but they are not there, yet.

For example:

$0.223/kWh	San Francisco Area	Average Energy Prices in the San Francisco Area
$0.215/kWh	Los Angeles	Average Energy Prices in the Los Angeles Area
EUR 0.120, $0.155/kWh	EU Industrial Average	Energy price statistics - European Industrial Users; Tesla is peakier than most industrial users.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Good facts, but Tesla is probably on the high side of that average, maybe by a lot.

Remember that most of the use is in California and Europe. Also, remember that a big part of the cost of electricity on a commercial account is the demand charge, and Superchargers are very peaky in their demand (peak kW used). Tesla is working on this with their energy storage units, but they are not there, yet.

For example:

$0.223/kWh	San Francisco Area	Average Energy Prices in the San Francisco Area
$0.215/kWh	Los Angeles	Average Energy Prices in the Los Angeles Area
EUR 0.120, $0.155/kWh	EU Industrial Average	Energy price statistics - European Industrial Users; Tesla is peakier than most industrial users.

Those US prices you quoted above are RESIDENTIAL energy costs, which are significantly greater than commercial or industrial.

Still, unless you work for Tesla, nobody actually knows what their cost per kWh is for the nationwide SC network. So anyone's guess is just as BAD as anyone else's. But whatever it is, it's a lot less than the RESIDENTIAL prices we pay, by far. No commercial or industrial customer pays more than $.20/kwh.

EIA - Electricity Data

Even in this chart (which I was sure I posted above, but seems to have been magically removed)... the "Pacific Contiguous" region pays $.14/kwh and just CA is $0.1689/kwh for commercial and $0.1258 for industrial. And with the volumes Tesla can buy their power (esp in CA since their volume there is so high), it's likely less than the state average.

 

[Cottonwood]

Those US prices you quoted above are RESIDENTIAL energy costs, which are significantly greater than commercial or industrial.

Still, unless you work for Tesla, nobody actually knows what their cost per kWh is for the nationwide SC network. So anyone's guess is just as BAD as anyone else's. But whatever it is, it's a lot less than the RESIDENTIAL prices we pay, by far. No commercial or industrial customer pays more than $.20/kwh.

EIA - Electricity Data

Even in this chart (which I was sure I posted above, but seems to have been magically removed)... the "Pacific Contiguous" region pays $.14/kwh and just CA is $0.1689/kwh for commercial and $0.1258 for industrial. And with the volumes Tesla can buy their power (esp in CA since their volume there is so high), it's likely less than the state average.

I admit, that I am probably on the high side, but remember that the vast majority of those commercial and industrial users do not have the "peakiness" of Superchargers; that "peakiness" are a significant cost to Tesla in demand charges. That's why they are working on the energy storage units like we are seeing installed in Barstow.

Whether the cost of all Supercharger Electricity to date is 1/3, 1/2, or 2/3's the cost of a 30 second Superbowl ad, the cost of electricity is very inexpensive compared to the goodwill and viral advertising that Tesla is getting from Superchargers!

 

[Dave EV]

Demand charges in California are around $25/kW in the summer. Each Supercharger cabinet will draw 135kW peak. 4 cabinets (8 plugs) will peak around 500 kW, resulting in a $12k demand charge each month.

The busiest locations push close to 4MWh/day, but most will do significantly less, probably 500 kWh/day on average.

Electricity will range from $0.05-0.10kWh on top of the demand charge. Let's say its 5c.

A 4000/kWh/day location will ring up $6k in energy charges over a month at an average cost of 15c/kWh including demand charges.

A 500/kWh/day location will ring up $750 in energy charges for an average of 42c/kWh.

Its easy to see that the peaky nature of Supercharging is very expensive per kWh. On site storage to minimize peak draw can quickly pay for itself.

 

[jkirkebo]

No big deal. My wife and I drove 5540 miles a year ago May - June and only had 4 supercharger stops along the way. And Canada / Alaska would have beautiful scenery.

Same experience here. 4984 miles all around Norway in July and only 3 SC sessions (first and last day actually). A wonderful trip

 

[Bugeater]

Same experience here. 4984 miles all around Norway in July and only 3 SC sessions (first and last day actually). A wonderful trip

jkirkebo, that was the same with us. The first day we stopped at the Folsom, CA SC a d 3 weeks later headed out from Las Vegas, NV on the last day and hit the Barstow, Tejon Ranch, and Harris Ranch SCs. A very fun trip!
I have to say, I'd sure like to do the Norway trip too! That would be fun for this Californian!

 

[emupilot]

AlbertaNetZero found the location of the supercharger in Canmore, Alberta. It will have four charging stalls - the permit was submitted 9/16.

Canmore Rocky Mountain Inn
1719 Bow Valley Trail
Canmore, AB T1W 1L7

 

[Cosmacelf]

Elon was on Fox Business Network today, and while I only caught the end, I did see him saying that Tesla is installing one Supercharger every 20 hours on average right now...