Tesla Supercharger network

[hans]

This is incredulous! What EV owner would even do this? Big TESLA sign posted and everything!

9BENZIN on a BMW? Definitely German. "NIEN BENZIN" means "No Gasoline". Be nice to our fellow EV driver and take the open spot next door.

 

[EdA]

This is incredulous! What EV owner would even do this? Big TESLA sign posted and everything!


We need to come up with a name for this.

Zapped?
Friendly fire?
Shock Block?

Volt-ed, Leaf-ed, De-Activate-E-d depending on the vehicle...?
Perhaps a generic term is required, super-blocked?

 

[dsm363]

Towing the Leaf would be defoliating the parking spot, the Volt would be discharging and the DeActivating would work well too.

Tesla does need to work with local government to find a way to allow them to tow cars off of their spots.

 

[GSP]

I agree. I don't think many people do cross country drives anymore anyway. They'd be better off focusing on inter-city routes (Chicago to St. Louis, Dallas to Austin....etc) and then build out from there.

Inter-city Superchargers would be more useful, I agree. However, "sea-to-shining-sea" coverage may be better marketing.

For a lot of buyers, it isn't about how they will actually use the car, but about how they just might use it someday, probably in some alternate universe.

GSP

 

[dpeilow]

This is incredulous! What EV owner would even do this? Big TESLA sign posted and everything!


We need to come up with a name for this.

Zapped?
Friendly fire?
Shock Block?

I see typical BMW driver behaviour crosses over to the electric versions

Funny plate though.

 

[ggr]

A slight change of topic I guess, but I thought I'd mention it. We stopped at the Hawthorne superchargers on Friday. I was showing my father-in-law how easy it was to charge. I pressed the button on the supercharger, the cylindrical door whizzed open, and the cable fell out and dinged the car :-(, just in front of the charge port. Sigh.

 

[JRP3]

The first attack by Skynet? Do we need a "Superchargers are dangerous" thread?

 

[wstuff]

With all the software and RFID tags I think they should be able to recognize a TESLA S as it pulls into the spot, if a non TESLA vehicle pulls into a supercharger there should be triggered a recording , at about 140 decibels and heart throbbing BASS with a GOD like voice, THIS SPACE IS FOR REFUELING TESLA VEHICLES ONLY, A TOW TRUCK HAS BEEN DISPATCHED TO THIS LOCATION< YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO REMOVE THE OFFENSIVE VEHICLE. Then three seconds of silence and then a huge crack of lightning and THUNDER. I think something as subtle as that would work.

 

[hans]

With all the software and RFID tags I think they should be able to recognize a TESLA S as it pulls into the spot, if a non TESLA vehicle pulls into a supercharger there should be triggered a recording , at about 140 decibels and heart throbbing BASS with a GOD like voice, THIS SPACE IS FOR REFUELING TESLA VEHICLES ONLY, A TOW TRUCK HAS BEEN DISPATCHED TO THIS LOCATION< YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO REMOVE THE OFFENSIVE VEHICLE. Then three seconds of silence and then a huge crack of lightning and THUNDER. I think something as subtle as that would work.

Like the Central Scrutinizer from Joe's Garage.

"The white zone is for charging and charging Tesla's only. If you got to supercharge, go to the white zone. You´ll love it. It´s a way of life"

 

[Francis Lau]

A slight change of topic I guess, but I thought I'd mention it. We stopped at the Hawthorne superchargers on Friday. I was showing my father-in-law how easy it was to charge. I pressed the button on the supercharger, the cylindrical door whizzed open, and the cable fell out and dinged the car :-(, just in front of the charge port. Sigh.

That is unfortunate. Can it be repaired by those "remove a ding" places? I know this is off-topic. Sorry.

 

[adiggs]

Looking good for a Model X road trip next year!

Hey Bonnie! That's my idea, though I won't be on the road till 2015 at the soonest (sabbatical eligibility). I'm thinking a road trip that happens to be in an EV, as opposed to an EV road trip. See some of the sights I've seen before, and a few new ones I haven't!

 

[waidy]

With all the software and RFID tags I think they should be able to recognize a TESLA S as it pulls into the spot, if a non TESLA vehicle pulls into a supercharger there should be triggered a recording , at about 140 decibels and heart throbbing BASS with a GOD like voice, THIS SPACE IS FOR REFUELING TESLA VEHICLES ONLY, A TOW TRUCK HAS BEEN DISPATCHED TO THIS LOCATION< YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO REMOVE THE OFFENSIVE VEHICLE. Then three seconds of silence and then a huge crack of lightning and THUNDER. I think something as subtle as that would work.

How about "eject"?

 

[jvonbokel]

I don't think many people do cross country drives anymore anyway. They'd be better off focusing on inter-city routes (Chicago to St. Louis, Dallas to Austin....etc) and then build out from there.

Inter-city Superchargers would be more useful, I agree. However, "sea-to-shining-sea" coverage may be better marketing.

For a lot of buyers, it isn't about how they will actually use the car, but about how they just might use it someday, probably in some alternate universe.

These are both great points. For practical purposes, I want something to help me get from St Louis to Chicago, Kansas City, or Indianapolis. Simultaneously, I also want (however irrationally) to be able to *say* that I can drive to California or New York if I want to. The reality is, even with free electricity, 9 times out of 10 I'd rather pay a couple hundred bucks for a plane ticket than spend 20-30hrs in a car getting to the coast.

 

[JakeP]

Inter-city and cross country are not at all mutually exclusive. Cross country is merely a string of inter-city trips, including sparsely populated areas in the West/Midwest. And every time an area gets a Supercharger, Tesla sells more cars. Which leads to word of mouth selling more cars again. So these things should be self-sustaining, if Tesla was already a steady-state company running at expected profit margins.

 

[JakeP]

GeorgeB states the following on the 21-MAR-2013 Inside Tesla Blog:

"We will be adding Supercharger coverage in many areas over the next three to four months, installing our first Superchargers in the Pacific Northwest, Texas, Illinois, and Florida with additional coverage in the Northeast and California. We’re also expanding existing locations like Harris Ranch, where we’re adding five more Superchargers in the next month."

Color me skeptical, but a minimum of four new sites (hopefully "additional coverage in the Northeast and California" includes new sites as well, not just new units at existing sites) does not sound terribly aggressive for an end-of-July target, if Tesla is going to hit the goal set by Elon of LA to NY on Superchargers by year's end.

 

[Norbert]

GeorgeB states the following on the 21-MAR-2013 Inside Tesla Blog:

"We will be adding Supercharger coverage in many areas over the next three to four months, installing our first Superchargers in the Pacific Northwest, Texas, Illinois, and Florida with additional coverage in the Northeast and California. We’re also expanding existing locations like Harris Ranch, where we’re adding five more Superchargers in the next month."

Color me skeptical, but a minimum of four new sites (hopefully "additional coverage in the Northeast and California" includes new sites as well, not just new units at existing sites) does not sound terribly aggressive for an end-of-July target, if Tesla is going to hit the goal set by Elon of LA to NY on Superchargers by year's end.

I'm counting a minimum of 6 new locations, plus expansions of existing locations. (And Harris Ranch is almost like a new location). I'd expect the ratio of installations/quarter to increase over time, in general.

 

[JakeP]

OK, so 8 new locations (minimum) by end of July, counting Milford and Newark. I would say that is about 42 less than I would have hoped to see halfway through 2013. Here's hoping you are right about an exponential curve for the remaining installations in 2013. Tesla wow-ed us with the concept, I just wish they would do the same with rapid implementation. Every one of these they add will spark many new sales, let's get the ball rolling already!

 

[Larry Chanin]

Color me skeptical, but a minimum of four new sites (hopefully "additional coverage in the Northeast and California" includes new sites as well, not just new units at existing sites) does not sound terribly aggressive for an end-of-July target, if Tesla is going to hit the goal set by Elon of LA to NY on Superchargers by year's end.

I'm counting a minimum of 6 new locations, plus expansions of existing locations. (And Harris Ranch is almost like a new location). I'd expect the ratio of installations/quarter to increase over time, in general.

I tend to agree with Norbert that the rate of roll-out should increase over time, but whether Tesla achieves its stated nation-wide expansion goal by year-end 2014 remains to be seen. I believe that Supercharger staffing was initially severely understaffed and staffing has only recently been recruited and allocated to the project. In addition, being on the cusp of profitability it wouldn't surprise me if certain discretionary Supercharger costs have been temporarily constrained so as to avoid unduly impacting first quarter numbers. However, with the allocation of additional staff to the project, and drawing salaries, it would be counterproductive to hold off Supercharger expenditures for an extended period of time.

Larry

 

[Norbert]

I would say that is about 42 less than I would have hoped to see halfway through 2013.

Why would you expect this number in 2013, let alone "halfway"? IIRC, in the Supercharger announcement Sept 24th 2012, the first number that large was promised for "within 2 years", which would be end of 2014.

- - - Updated - - -

I tend to agree with Norbert that the rate of roll-out should increase over time, but whether Tesla achieves its stated year-end goal remains to be seen.

Just to check that we are on the same page: the year-end goal for 2013 was 12 locations in California. (?) Currently there are 6.

I believe that Supercharger staffing was initially severely understaffed and staffing has only recently been recruited and allocated to the project. In addition, being on the cusp of profitability it wouldn't surprise me if certain discretionary Supercharger costs have been temporarily constrained so as to avoid unduly impacting first quarter numbers. However, with the allocation of additional staff to the project, and drawing salaries, it would be counterproductive to hold off Supercharger expenditures for an extended period of time.

Larry

Agree, and I'd expect these efforts to increase as soon as the resources available above the zero-profit level allow doing so.

 

[wraithnot]

OK, so 8 new locations (minimum) by end of July, counting Milford and Newark. I would say that is about 42 less than I would have hoped to see halfway through 2013. Here's hoping you are right about an exponential curve for the remaining installations in 2013. Tesla wow-ed us with the concept, I just wish they would do the same with rapid implementation. Every one of these they add will spark many new sales, let's get the ball rolling already!

In addition to sparking new sales, more superchargers will cause people to upgrade to larger batteries. I was originally planning to get a 40 kWh Model S as a commuting car and use my wife's Acura for road trips. But the availability of superchargers in CA caused me to stretch the budget a bit and get the 85 kWh pack. So new superchargers should help profitability as I assume the larger packs have better margins.