Tesla Supercharger network

[Model 3]

To be fair to Tesla, they have a lot of restrictions ...

I know I know... Thats why I put "stupid" in quotes.

 

[scaesare]

Really?

I'm happy to believe there's some or even many, but _all_ seems a big stretch, given I've not seen any (neither in the metal over here in the UK, nor on several sets of plans of sites in the US (including all their conduit work) that were made public as part of permit applications).

I think you are correct... all construction after a specific point. There are a couple of earlier ones I've seen that don't seem to have the pad space either...

 

[Rocky_H]

To be fair to Tesla, they have a lot of restrictions placed on them by the owners of the parking lots in which the stations are installed. Additionally, at least in the initial rollout, there were cost considerations to running power through the middle of the lot instead of down the curbside. I do hope they continue to consider more flexible layouts. Situations at Service Centers where they own the property seem to done in a more convenient fashion.

I think that is more than just a little thing. Having the stall pylons out of the parking lot along an edge is about the only way a lot of the locations could reasonably get done, and is probably quite a bit cheaper to build.

 

[dgpcolorado]

I think that is more than just a little thing. Having the stall pylons out of the parking lot along an edge is about the only way a lot of the locations could reasonably get done, and is probably quite a bit cheaper to build.

In addition: in snow country pylons in the middle of a parking lot get in the way of snow plowing and are subject to damage.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

In addition: in snow country pylons in the middle of a parking lot get in the way of snow plowing and are subject to damage.

Good point...but I wonder how they are able to handle it at Nebbenes, Norway, and other locations in snow country which have drive-thru Superchargers.

 

[Rocky_H]

Good point...but I wonder how they are able to handle it at Nebbenes, Norway, and other locations in snow country which have drive-thru Superchargers.

Norway: the land of actually caring about electric cars!

 

[Model 3]

Good point...but I wonder how they are able to handle it at Nebbenes, Norway, and other locations in snow country which have drive-thru Superchargers.

Well, I do live in a snow country, and I just don't see the problem? We are used to plowing our snow around whatever obstacles it may be. Even around the fuel pumps at the gas station.

 

[MP3Mike]

Good point...but I wonder how they are able to handle it at Nebbenes, Norway,

In ground heaters like runways have?

 

[wdolson]

...and how is it then that that backup camera doesn't make backing IN to a slot also that much easier?

To me, it both provides that...as well as offering the benefits jerry33 presented.

I find it easier to back out of a parking spot than back into a spot with cars on both sides. At a supercharger there is also the added pucker factor that you are backing in between two $100K cars.

Any design decision has tradeoffs. The benefits of the approach Tesla took include much shorter lengths of high voltage wiring (somewhat offset by the wiring added for dual drive models,) ability to make productive use of the space under the rear seats, convenience/aesthetics of integrating the charge port into the rear light housing, and getting the door out of the driver's way (with the Volt or Leaf approach, I was always having to walk around the driver's door to plug/unplug. Now I don't have to,) and keeping all of the high voltage stuff away from the main crumple zone.

On the other hand, as you say, it means less convenient placement of charge stations - especially for street parking or while towing, and while nothing is in the front crumple zone, the charger on the X and the port for all of them are squarely in the rear ending zone.

The ideal would be in the middle in the back, but with the hatch going down as far as it does, that isn't practical. The gas cap on ICEs was moved around to the side to allow trunk lids to come down farther.

Though the distance from the charge port now and the back of the battery pack is about the same distance as from the front of the battery pack to the nose. To the nose may be a little shorter because the front of the battery pack extends a little forward of the fire wall. The charger equipment could have been put in the area between the instrument panel and the frunk.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Well, I do live in a snow country, and I just don't see the problem? We are used to plowing our snow around whatever obstacles it may be. Even around the fuel pumps at the gas station.

Fuel pumps here usually have canopies to reduce rain or snow on the customers. I'm hard-pressed to think of any that don't have canopies in my area.

Nevertheless, since the vast majority of Superchargers in the USA are in privately owned lots, mostly hotels based on the dozens I have visited, they are subject to whatever plowing the landlord has contracted for. And they may not want to complicate plowing by putting the stanchions right in the center of the lot. Add to that the cost of running electrical lines to the middle of the lot and I can see why most Superchargers are mounted at the edges of parking lots in the vast majority of locations here.

Perhaps that will change as more very large Supercharger Stations are built on dedicated sites in certain high traffic locations. For now, most of the current Supercharger Stations have been added to existing parking lots in an apparent attempt to disrupt the limited parking, already available in the lot, as little as possible. Many are marked as having half the slots for EV charging only and half the slots available for general parking, for example:

^ Typical Supercharger slot marked for general parking.

 

[Model 3]

For now, most of the current Supercharger Stations have been added to existing parking lots in an apparent attempt to disrupt the limited parking, already available in the lot, as little as possible.

I think that is a more logical reason for the layout then snowplowing.

 

[Gwgan]

Fuel pumps here usually have canopies to reduce rain or snow on the customers

I thought it was in order to comply with fire suppression regs. If they really cared about our comfort they would all use vapor reducing hoses and heated handles.

 

[wdolson]

Fuel pumps here usually have canopies to reduce rain or snow on the customers. I'm hard-pressed to think of any that don't have canopies in my area.

Though the upside of supercharging is you don't have to stand out in the cold while pumping electrons into your tank. Thought about that today when I drove past a gas station when the rain was coming down horizontally.

 

[SpiceWare]

Though the upside of supercharging is you don't have to stand out in the cold while pumping electrons into your tank. Thought about that today when I drove past a gas station when the rain was coming down horizontally.

Don't the gas pumps by you have a latch to keep the gas pumping? I typically wash my windshield while filling the tank.

 

[jerry33]

Don't the gas pumps by you have a latch to keep the gas pumping? I typically wash my windshield while filling the tank.

Depends on the jurisdiction. Some places don't have it. Also, they don't always shut off.

 

[callmesam]

Depends on the jurisdiction. Some places don't have it. Also, they don't always shut off.

Or stay turned on. Not reliably reliable.

 

[napabill]

Is there any kind of notice given if you incur a "Idle" fee at a SC? Or do you just have to wait until you next go in for service? I would fell better if I could be notified real time, so I could verify the current status of the stalls.

 

[Merrill]

Is there any kind of notice given if you incur a "Idle" fee at a SC? Or do you just have to wait until you next go in for service? I would fell better if I could be notified real time, so I could verify the current status of the stalls.

A few weeks ago a notice came on our iPhone at the point we had about 15 minutes left to charge, it said after charging is complete you will incur (I think it was 40 cent a minute) charge.

 

[ohmman]

Depends on the jurisdiction. Some places don't have it. Also, they don't always shut off.

I'm glad I don't have an ICE anymore. I always used to hold them on while I cleaned my windows. Sometimes I'd use the gas cap, if the handle didn't have a latch. I never had an issue, but it sounds as if I were taking some level of risk. 25 years of success, though!

 

[SpiceWare]

Depends on the jurisdiction. Some places don't have it.

Ah - guess that's like some places think you're too dumb to pump your own gas.

Also, they don't always shut off.

True, though I've only encountered that once in my life so far, so it seems to have a very low probability of occuring.