Texas Superchargers Out of Service?

[DanDi58]

I am thinking the other way. If the power is out, can you use your electric vehicle battery to keep the lights on in your house. 70 Kwhr should be able to power your house for 4 days, maybe longer.

No, Tesla doesn't support bi-directional charging yet. The only BEV I've seen that does will be the Lucid Air. Hopefully this wouldn't require a HW change but I suspect it will.

 

[Pianewman]

Peter Inman: I don't know, but "camp mode" at 65f helped us survive 61 hours w/o electricity (Fort Worth, TX)

 

[papab]

I see several posters make assumptions that the car app will show if a super charger is down, did anyone actually verify that it worked? I'm sure there were a few superchargers down in the crisis

 

[byeLT4]

I know when Victoria was down the app did not show *anything* available. Like how it usually shows 6/6 or 4/6 available it didn't even show 0/6 it just showed nothing. I can't verify that this happened right away however, I know it was without power for over 24 hours.

 

[israndy]

I remember a few years ago during hurricane season when the Supercharger in the Keys got swamped with water it showed out of order according to people here (who live there). I think the Superchargers here stayed online during the wildfires but I am not close enough to have tracked it in my car. I have always heard that the Superchargers communicate back to headquarters so I imagine they will always show their current status, not just wait for someone to complain that they are out to the 800 number.

 

[mk677]

I see several posters make assumptions that the car app will show if a super charger is down, did anyone actually verify that it worked? I'm sure there were a few superchargers down in the crisis

the warnings on the car app are not always reliable

 

[Pianewman]

the warnings on the car app are not always reliable

Do you have specific experience with this? That was the question.

 

[brkaus]

Some gas stations here have been without gas due to delivery issues. Had it lasted any longer more would be out.

I had electricity through the whole mess.

 

[bobby g]

Yes, of course I knew the car uses electricity. That's insulting. What I meant was a person traveling from east of Texas and going west to California on a trip they planned days ago and then finding all their Supercharger options were closed due to the widespread power outage. In my scenario, the option of "not going" doesn't apply.

Switch to the 40, it stays in areas that are not just local grids

 

[jsight]

here in FLA gas stations are required to have generators for backup power, I am surprised the NC with their coast being a magnet for hurricanes doesn't have similar regs.

That isn't as useful as you might think. It only applies to stations built in ~15 years and from what I understand also does not necessarily require a generator onsite. It just requires the transfer switch. In practice this means the stations with generators will be overwhelmed and quickly of gas during a prolonged power outage.

 

[mk677]

That isn't as useful as you might think. It only applies to stations built in ~15 years and from what I understand also does not necessarily require a generator onsite. It just requires the transfer switch. In practice this means the stations with generators will be overwhelmed and quickly of gas during a prolonged power outage.

the larger issue is getting the fuel trucked into the stations, while the corner gas station might be able to remain open with their generator if the terminals are down or if the roads are impassible the stations can't be replenished.

 

[israndy]

Posted in the Superchargers Visited thread

Looks like they were showing blackouts that affected specific chargers

 

[jboy210]

We bought Powerwalls with the SolarRoof just for issues like this. More specifically the PSPS we endured 2 years ago. We wanted to always be able to charge the car and power the house. And a fun point, without the Powerwalls + TEG, solar on the roof powers nothing if the grid is down.

 

[jboy210]

the larger issue is getting the fuel trucked into the stations, while the corner gas station might be able to remain open with their generator if the terminals are down or if the roads are impassible the stations can't be replenished.

Another issue is communication for the gas stations' computers and registers. Without communication, pumps and clerks cannot validate credit cards. And some cash registers need a PIN and validation from a remote server to unlock.

 

[jeremymc7]

And a fun point, without the Powerwalls + TEG, solar on the roof powers nothing if the grid is down.

That's the best selling point for a Powerwall I've heard. IE solar is worthless in outage without a Powerwall.

I just wish they would make a PW that's a fraction of the side. With the power we use the small solar is good enough. But the PW is the same price as the solar. That's too much to justify.

 

[jboy210]

That's the best selling point for a Powerwall I've heard. IE solar is worthless in outage without a Powerwall.

I just wish they would make a PW that's a fraction of the side. With the power we use the small solar is good enough. But the PW is the same price as the solar. That's too much to justify.

There are other systems that have smaller batteries, but really the Powerwall should be bigger IMHO. Your home can consume the 13.5 kWh capacity of a PowerWall pretty quickly. Drying a load of clothes can use 4 kWh. Pre-heating and baking for an hour can use 4-5 kWh. And running AC on a hot afternoon can consume more than that.

Hopefully the new battery technology they showed at Battery Day will make their way into PowerWalls and make a major reduction in the cost per kWh.

 

[israndy]

That's the best selling point for a Powerwall I've heard. IE solar is worthless in outage without a Powerwall.

Interestingly, all the people I have been trying to buy a PowerWall thru think the same in reverse. A PowerWall is useless w/o solar. I want one instead of a generator, but they all ask don't you want solar to fill it back up the next day?

No one will even work with me to install one that is kept charged by the grid to carry me thru any outages which means no internet or furnace. Its a vacation cabin deep in the woods, if the battery runs out, I'll drive home...

 

[jeremymc7]

Interestingly, all the people I have been trying to buy a PowerWall thru think the same in reverse. A PowerWall is useless w/o solar. I want one instead of a generator, but they all ask don't you want solar to fill it back up the next day?

I’d buy a Powerwall (alone) to buy power at off hour rates and for backup. But apparently that’s not legal here? Otherwise I’d install solar alone to eliminate the majority of my bill. Both is just too expensive, too long of a payoff, and honestly power rarely goes out here.

 

[brkaus]

I’d buy a Powerwall (alone) to buy power at off hour rates and for backup. But apparently that’s not legal here? Otherwise I’d install solar alone to eliminate the majority of my bill. Both is just too expensive, too long of a payoff, and honestly power rarely goes out here.

I’m not sure it’s illegal, but I guess anything is possible. I don’t think it qualifies for any federal credits.

 

[israndy]

It doesn't qualify for SOLAR credits if you are going to hook it to the grid and time shift.

I think the SGIP would work for that, which is what I am trying to accomplish, but they are always underfunded. You need to install the batteries and than pray that they get funding and that they take you in on that round.

I haven't found anyone that will sell me the PowerWall w/o solar, Tesla itself is always oversold on SGIP

I may have to buy one and install it myself
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ele/d/fremont-tesla-powerwall-founders-series/7280400805.html