-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Wiki UK and Ireland Supercharger Site News
- Thread starter WannabeOwner
- Start date
A few weeks ago I tried accessing the charnock richard superchargers after crossing from the southbound side as I didnt know they had changed it. At the same time somone with a booking at the hotel was trying to get through but I was in front of them so the hotel refuses to let him in until I got manouvered out past him and had gone. It's so annoying seeing the chargers there and having to do the detour. Surely the few teslas coming across to charge isn't going to cause an issue
Where did you come off for this? I was looking out for where to come off if I ever needed to do this but didn't see where would be best. Is it much of a detour?
It’s not really a detour at all, it’s a country lane from one side to the other. From memory you drive almost out of the north bound before seeing the sign. As with a couple of other sites it’s well worth zooming in on the main nav to see the route.
Fellsteruk
Active Member
It’s not a massive detour but equally it’s not a case of coming off on one side, nipping over a bridge and your there.
You have to come off I think it’s 38, basically the junction before and swing round Orton maybe this will help
To continue north boun you either go back way came or continue north on the b6261 and join the m6 at penrith I have to say the view at the top of snap is amazing !!
That’s not the way to get from north to south. You enter the northbound services and drive almost to the end, you’ll see a sign to the hotel and take that. It’s a service road and perfectly acceptable to use. See the map below. Ignore the 19 mins, that’s walking!
Four weeks ago, I enquired about a CHADEMO adapter at Tesla (which I bought and find very useful), but the chap in the Tesla shop tried to talk me out of buying the adapter and was telling me about plans for a supercharger somewhere near central Cardiff and South Mimms will expand to 30,ish (can’t recall exact number) into the area near the drive through Starbucks. Strange conversation, no reason to doubt him, obviously hope it’s true...
To be honest, I'm totally sold on Tesla cars, love using SuperChargers and I massive respect for what Elon has done of EVs but...
.. there are 24 'coming soon' new UK SuperCharger locations according to Tesla.
Coming soon to me is less than 1 year (ok, we're talking Elon time, I know that now I've spent £75,000 on a car) but to the rest of the world that's means launching a new site every 2 weeks to deliver all of these in 2019, which isn't going to happen which means Tesla is stretching the truth at best and at worst telling fibs to as a sales tool.
I have just asked the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) if Tesla are misleading the public, I'll update when I hear back.
.. there are 24 'coming soon' new UK SuperCharger locations according to Tesla.
Coming soon to me is less than 1 year (ok, we're talking Elon time, I know that now I've spent £75,000 on a car) but to the rest of the world that's means launching a new site every 2 weeks to deliver all of these in 2019, which isn't going to happen which means Tesla is stretching the truth at best and at worst telling fibs to as a sales tool.
I have just asked the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) if Tesla are misleading the public, I'll update when I hear back.
... especially when you add in how many of those spent the whole of last year being expected in 2018...
cezdoc
Member
I think that was poor advice - maybe the sales assistant was a bit over-enthusiastic - because history has shown us that there are all sorts of hurdles to clear before a new site can be built, and even after the ground has been broken something else can turn up to delay opening (by nearly two years in the case of Brighouse). I wouldn't be surprised if sales staff don't have sight of the real status of the UK Supercharger rollout. If prospective owners were being given hints it would be all over the forums and certainly over the last few years I've seen very few rumours accurately predicting new site openings before ground has been broken.
In the case of Cardiff, there was a "coming soon" pin in the vicinity of the Welcome Break Cardiff Gate services, this is notable as one of the few "coming soon" pins that has actually been removed in the last 6 months or so, so doesn't bode well. But they could be looking at building some Urban Superchargers around the UK instead I guess.
Some site expansions have planning applications linked to them, I guess South Mimms could be one of them. But then again there is an application for Leicester Forest East where Tesla was partnering with a company that has gone bust, and another was made to expand Gordano to 12 bays last year but then withdrawn in December.
Glad you got the CHAdeMO and find it useful (I have one too and it's a big benefit in many parts of the country) - rather than being hamstrung by a prediction which may or may not come true - and may be a couple of years away in any case! The Supercharger network will definitely continue to expand - two sites are under construction in Scotland right now - but even Tesla don't know which of their target areas will come to fruition as time goes on.
Your correct, the sales guy did mention something about urban chargers in Cardiff, but in who’s lifetime!? And they aren’t on the map....
What really p*ssed me off was my car charging to 70% at a supercharger, missed the fully charged phone alert (no phone signal) and then get a heavy email from Tesla I was late returning to the car and next time they want $x per minute to fine me for being late back. So if I’m late there’s a price to pay but for Tesla, “hey ho, another day another dollar”. I don’t hog chargers and if it’s a supply/demand problem, invest and fix the supply end, and stop wasting money trying to get to Mars.
What really p*ssed me off was my car charging to 70% at a supercharger, missed the fully charged phone alert (no phone signal) and then get a heavy email from Tesla I was late returning to the car and next time they want $x per minute to fine me for being late back. So if I’m late there’s a price to pay but for Tesla, “hey ho, another day another dollar”. I don’t hog chargers and if it’s a supply/demand problem, invest and fix the supply end, and stop wasting money trying to get to Mars.
cezdoc
Member
The overstay fees are patently not about making money. If I were you I'd contact your Service Centre, explain the circumstances, and I think you'd have a good chance of the fees being waived.
Of course there is a supply and demand issue but before overstay fees came in some folk would plug in and disappear to the shop/gym for hours on end. One car was habitually left plugged in at Edinburgh airport (only a 2-bay Supercharger) for days at a time. So in that way Tesla are helping the demand side; sorting out the supply side is always going to be slower and far more expensive.
It's not a perfect system but the rules (only apply if 50% or more bays in use, get a warning before fees start) are reasonable. The car gives an estimate of when charging will be complete so you know what time to expect to return by. However, if you're sharing and the other car leaves, the finish time can jump forward. Or you could be delayed by something else unexpected. As an insurance you can set the charge limit higher just in case (or as soon as you realise you'll be delayed).
A few superchargers added at John o' Groats Scotland, Ullapool Scotland, and Penzance Cornwall would be very useful looking at the map (e.g. it's 148 miles from the nearest supercharger at Aviemore to John o' Groats, leaving no range to do a trip around the north of Scotland, unless stopping somewhere with a destination charger -- very few near Skye)
Looking forward to driving around Scotland in a Model 3 some time next year?
Looking forward to driving around Scotland in a Model 3 some time next year?
The good news is that the Model 3 has CCS. You'll be able to plug straight in to not only Tesla superchargers and destination chargers, but ChargePlace Scotland's extensive network of rapid chargers, which I believe are still free of charge as of Feb 2019(?). There's even some on Skye!
Have they actually got anything that Supercharger users would consider "rapid" yet? I'm sure its "coming soon", but I don't think there are any in the UK as yet?
There is one 100kW charger in Leeds, and is as good as it gets so far I believe...
cezdoc
Member
For the Scottish Highlands IMO the first issue to solve is network resilience. The Chargeplace Scotland (CYC administered) network has a very good geographic spread but many sites are single units. There have been instances of two or three units going down on a particular stretch which, even with a Tesla-size battery, leaves you at risk of being stranded. I believe this is starting to be addressed by doubling up charger units.
A 40-50 kW / 130-160 mph charge rate isn't to be sniffed at - and is faster on my MS70 once the battery is more than about 2/3-3/4 full.
Yes the majority are free but charges have started to come in in some regions / sites: Dumfries and Galloway, Moray, and, for example, Tomatin (between Aviemore and Inverness). That said costs are generally quite reasonable and if anything it discourages some free opportunity charging so improves charger availability.
Similar threads
