Why is Tesla trying to talk me OUT of purchasing the Twin Charger package?

[passion4audio]

Before I finalized, the sales guy talked me out of the Twin Chargers. He said with the ever-increasing Super Charging stations, I probably won't need it.

After finalizing (and since my Tesla's delivery date was intentionally chosen to be as far off as possible - August, 2014) I phoned Tesla to add the Twin Charger option. They said I really didn't need it.

Would someone please fill me in on whether I need this option?

Here are some facts/questions:

1. Will Twin Chargers benefit me (charge faster) if I pull into a Tesla Service Center for a charge?

2. I understand the Super Charging stations bypass the onboard charger, but what about CHAdeMO? Will I benefit there with the Twin Chargers?

3. I'm not a traveling salesman, and when I come home I usually stay home - so no real benefit at home above regular over night charging.

4. I think some of you may say, hey, if money is no concern then get it... however I don't like to throw $$ away.

Any insight/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[bhuwan]

Have 0 regrets getting the twin chargers, having had to use it for faster charge on several occasions.

I've met a few owners who have had to wait a bit longer (actually double the time) and regretted not having the twin chargers

If you plan to 100% rely on the supercharges then you probably don't need it. Also, I would think that in 1 year we would have several more local chargin stations - thus eliminating the need


I'd say get it.

 

[carrerascott]

Consider resale as well, I'd think people buying later will much prefer to buy a car with twin chargers. Just a thought...

I have twin and the HPWC -- only using 60A for now until they fix it, so I'm only getting 20A more than a single charger would get at this point -- but do like the ability to charge up in a couple hours, occasionally it does happen that the wife comes home from errands, car is down to 120 or so range, and nice to be able to plug it in and get it back to 200+ pretty quickly with the dual chargers.

 

[Chipper]

I think it really depends on where you are, and where you are going. In CA the situation is a WHOLE BUNCH BETTER than anywhere else in the country. Here in Chattanooga it's almost a no-brainer in the other direction.

 

[liuping]

2. I understand the Super Charging stations bypass the onboard charger, but what about CHAdeMO? Will I benefit there with the Twin Chargers?
Thanks!

CHAdeMO does not need twin chargers, since it's DC charging similar to the Superchargers.

 

[Lump]

Doesn't sound like you need them, looks like you might consider the upgraded audio instead based on your name (I don't see it listed in you signature)

 

[brianman]

After finalizing (and since my Tesla's delivery date was intentionally chosen to be as far off as possible - August, 2014) I phoned Tesla to add the Twin Charger option. They said I really didn't need it.

I find this (Tesla's) behavior quite unusual here. In my experience, they often give you info on the pros and cons of various options but never pushed me towards or away from any option. Especially not going so far as "slowing me down" in updating some information to match what I want -- when I didn't ask for an opinion on whether it was a good idea or not.

 

[JST]

Before I finalized, the sales guy talked me out of the Twin Chargers. He said with the ever-increasing Super Charging stations, I probably won't need it.

After finalizing (and since my Tesla's delivery date was intentionally chosen to be as far off as possible - August, 2014) I phoned Tesla to add the Twin Charger option. They said I really didn't need it.

Would someone please fill me in on whether I need this option?

Here are some facts/questions:

1. Will Twin Chargers benefit me (charge faster) if I pull into a Tesla Service Center for a charge?

2. I understand the Super Charging stations bypass the onboard charger, but what about CHAdeMO? Will I benefit there with the Twin Chargers?

3. I'm not a traveling salesman, and when I come home I usually stay home - so no real benefit at home above regular over night charging.

4. I think some of you may say, hey, if money is no concern then get it... however I don't like to throw $$ away.

Any insight/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Am wrestling with the very same question, and in much the same circumstance. I was also talked out of the twin chargers. Here's what I'm thinking.

1. Theoretically you will charge faster at a SC...but only if the SC is pushing more than 50 amps. The sales guy at the Washington DC store told me that their HPWCs don't, and that to his knowledge most SCs don't push more than that. More than anything else, he convinced me that twin chargers really wouldn't be helpful.

2. CHAdeMO is a DC fast charge, just like Supercharging, so you don't need twin chargers. The $1000 CHAdeMO adapter might be a better buy than the twin chargers, depending on the number of CHAdeMO stations around you.

3. Agreed, and I also have a dedicated charger at the office.

4. $2700 for the twin chargers + the HPWC seems pretty steep to me. I could probably be persuaded to spend $1500 on the twin chargers, leaving open the possibility of buying the $1200 HPWC later, but I'm not sure they'd let me do that, and I haven't really pushed that hard to see if I could.

For me, the really relevant point is that there aren't many (or any) 50+ amp chargers around here that I would use regularly. I travel to NYC now and then, but hopefully by the time I do that run the Supercharger will be installed in Edison, and I'm not sure having the twin chargers would help me, anyway.

 

[Gizmotoy]

Tesla's advice against them caused me to look around at how many high amp stations are around. Even in the Bay Area, there are very few unless you include people's houses. It's significantly different in Oregon/Washington/Canada, but I don't plan any trips up that way so I decided against them. I tend to the think we'll see L3 chargers expanding faster than high-amp L2 since more cars support that, but it's just a guess. I have a suspicion that the CHAdeMO/SAE CC adapters will be a better investment than twin chargers long term.

That and you can't unbundle the HPWC anymore, and since I'm in an apartment I can't use it. Along with a couple others on here, I got denied for returning it post-sale as well.

So, I hope I don't regret it, but I'm not worried at this point.

 

[brianman]

That and you can't unbundle the HPWC anymore, and since I'm in an apartment I can't use it. Along with a couple others on here, I got denied for returning it post-sale as well.

Is this updated information? We had heard post-bundling-options-change that people could return the HPWC after purchasing the "HPWC+Twin" bundle. Have they pulled back that offer?

 

[Gizmotoy]

Is this updated information? We had heard post-bundling-options-change that people could return the HPWC after purchasing the "HPWC+Twin" bundle. Have they pulled back that offer?

Based on what I was told, that was never official policy, and I could only find evidence of Tesla doing that for one person. I forget the user names, but in another thread two others on here mentioned they had the same trouble getting them to agree to the return of the HPWC. Or maybe it was the main Tesla forum. I can't recall now.

Maybe if I raised a stink they'd do it, but I got denied twice, and I can't install a charger of any type where I live so I had a pretty strong case for not being able to use one.

 

[staze]

I find this (Tesla's) behavior quite unusual here. In my experience, they often give you info on the pros and cons of various options but never pushed me towards or away from any option. Especially not going so far as "slowing me down" in updating some information to match what I want -- when I didn't ask for an opinion on whether it was a good idea or not.

I thought it was unusual when the rep on my test drive talked me out of the air suspension. He went on about the cost of repair after the warranty and how little benefit it had other than the "floaty" ride. He also added that the suspension would not be worth is since I know I was "only getting the 19's". Unfortunately my wife was along for the ride and was totally convinced it was a waste of money. After joining TMC I really feel like I would enjoy and benefit from having the upgrade suspension on my car but it's too late for that. I know it's still going to be a dream to own.

 

[dhrivnak]

With more than 20,000 EV miles I have YET to find a charging station above 30 amps (6.6 kw) in Tennessee, NC, KY, Missouri or VA. They may exist in some mythical land but I have not found them and I have looked.

As others have noted SuperCharging and CHAdeMO bypass the on board cbarger.

 

[JST]

I thought it was unusual when the rep on my test drive talked me out of the air suspension. He went on about the cost of repair after the warranty and how little benefit it had other than the "floaty" ride. He also added that the suspension would not be worth is since I know I was "only getting the 19's". Unfortunately my wife was along for the ride and was totally convinced it was a waste of money. After joining TMC I really feel like I would enjoy and benefit from having the upgrade suspension on my car but it's too late for that. I know it's still going to be a dream to own.

I wouldn't sweat it. I am not convinced that the air suspension is actually better than the coil springs--and some of lolachampcars posts have me thinking the reverse might be true. I test drove both, and thought that the air suspension was moderately better over bumps with the 21s, but not enough to really mind the coils.

 

[liuping]

Based on what I was told, that was never official policy, and I could only find evidence of Tesla doing that for one person. I forget the user names, but in another thread two others on here mentioned they had the same trouble getting them to agree to the return of the HPWC. Or maybe it was the main Tesla forum. I can't recall now.

Maybe if I raised a stink they'd do it, but I got denied twice, and I can't install a charger of any type where I live so I had a pretty strong case for not being able to use one.

In Canada you can order them separately, because there are more 70A chargers there. It seems very strange they don't just leave the option for us too.

Eventually, they did removed the HPWC from my order, after a long discussion about how I could not use it, but did feel there was value in the Dual Chargers, etc..

That was before the CHAdeMO adapter was announced, which reduces the benefit/need slightly.

 

[ZBB]

I think you have to look at it in your situation.

You already answered that charging at home on a single charger would be fast enough. So the next questions are:
1) Do you go anywhere where high amp AC charging is available?
2) Would you need to charge faster when there? ie -- if you'd just charge overnight anyway, then what's the advantage.

In my case, I went with the single charger. I'm only aware of a couple high-amp J1772s in AZ, and I wouldn't use them anyway (in-town...).

However, if I lived in OR, WA or Canada, I may have had a different answer...

 

[Newscutter]

...I have YET to find a charging station above 30 amps (6.6 kw) in Tennessee, NC, KY, Missouri or VA. They may exist in some mythical land but I have not found them and I have looked....

Was at a test drive event this weekend and Tesla rep made the same point, that the number of high-amp public chargers is practically ZERO and that the Supercharger network build out will be faster and more extensive than public chargers anyway. I don't anticipate needing the HPWC at home either. So we'll be skipping it -- again, largely because of the bundled cost.

 

[jcaspar]

I was told the same thing. Recommended against twin chargers and he leaned towards the standard coil suspension vs. air. I listened to him..

 

[Discoducky]

No regrets on single charger option as I live on the west coast, as you do as well. That isn't to say that I wouldn't consider it for the X, but I doubt it. Sufficient planning on a trip is worth more IMHO.

 

[nrcooled]

I think you have to look at it in your situation.

You already answered that charging at home on a single charger would be fast enough. So the next questions are:
1) Do you go anywhere where high amp AC charging is available?
2) Would you need to charge faster when there? ie -- if you'd just charge overnight anyway, then what's the advantage.

In my case, I went with the single charger. I'm only aware of a couple high-amp J1772s in AZ, and I wouldn't use them anyway (in-town...).

However, if I lived in OR, WA or Canada, I may have had a different answer...

I went through the same rationalization and came out with the same answer. I passed and I haven't missed it at all. I have supercharged a bunch of times and it makes up for not having the twin chargers. Pretty soon, with the SC rollout, twin chargers will be a needless expense.