Tesla Supercharger Network

[apvbguy]

I didn't miss it, I simply ignored it. They are making very impressive progress. They are working with 40 some odd utility areas/zones and various billing structures. They are openning like 3-5 per week around the world per JB Straubel recent youtube (Sep 26th). I'm sure they are getting better and better at managing this and dealing with all the parties (permits) involved.

This is true. If you follow along on the Tesla Motors Club site, you'll see that there are sites all over the US that are currently under construction and there are Model S drivers staking them out and posting the progress on the internet. It is not all hype from Elon and Tesla Motors. It is real progress and at what appears to be a rate very close to what Tesla has projected.

I will remain a skeptic, however I hope that you are correct and their progress can be maintained
FYI
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1089040_life-with-tesla-model-s-east-coast-road-trip-freeze-in-slow-lane-or-languish-at-nissan-dealers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[GRA]

2014 projections from http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; [I look at the end of 2014 when the Model X is supposed to be available]

Right, perfect example of what I'm talking about. Look at the density of SCs along cold, sparsely populated I-90 through Minnesota, SD, NE Wyoming, Montana and up to Washington, compared to the density in places most conducive to BEVs (and where far more Teslas have been sold), especially east of the Mississippi. I-70 is loosely covered east of Denver, I -80 not at all between Cheyenne and Des Moines, I-10 stops around Tucson, I-40 goes only as far as OKC before making a several hundred mile detour to the south to rejoin I-10. If you're in Atlanta, if you want to go any direction from North counter-clockwise to SW, you're SOL. But hey, if you are one of the likely very few Tesla owners who live in Missoula, Butte, Bozeman or Billings, or such iceboxes as Duluth or Brainerd, MN, Tesla's got you covered ahead of the other areas. Does this seem like a rational SC deployment order to anyone?

FWIW, if it were me I'd first emphasize getting high densities from the west coast to I-25 (via I-84 initially from the Northwest, I-90 comes later), east coast to either the Mississippi or the Missouri (K.C. - I-35 north), and pick one initial coast to coast route, either I-80/I-70, I-40 or I-10. Since I-70 is already well covered across Colorado, plus it passes through larger metropolitan areas in the plains (St. Louis/K.C.) and provides a three-way split at I-15, it gets my vote. I-90 would be dead last to be finished in 2015 among the transcontinental interstates, although I would complete it earlier from Seattle as far as I-15 to allow people from the PNW to get to Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

 

[GeekEV]

I think cold areas need them to be more densely placed because of the significant power draw required for warming the passengers and warming the battery. They simply won't be able to go as far as the warmer climates. From that perspective I think it makes perfect sense. From the perspective of population density and popularity of travel routes, maybe not.

 

[scottf200]

Made a GIF

 

[apvbguy]

Made a GIF

the gif is great as are all the TESLA depictions of future charging stations, that doesn't change the question, will the nice pictures become reality?

 

[Zythryn]

the gif is great as are all the TESLA depictions of future charging stations, that doesn't change the question, will the nice pictures become reality?

The map is marked. The first is 'today', the second is 'cooking soon' then 2014 and the final 2015.

This is the planned rollout which may change.

 

[apvbguy]

the gif is great as are all the TESLA depictions of future charging stations, that doesn't change the question, will the nice pictures become reality?

The map is marked. The first is 'today', the second is 'cooking soon' then 2014 and the final 2015.

This is the planned rollout which may change.

the reality is that of all the promised chargers in the NE US all of ONE is up and running, hence my comments about overly optimistic maps that TESLA issues

 

[TonyWilliams]

the gif is great as are all the TESLA depictions of future charging stations, that doesn't change the question, will the nice pictures become reality?

The map is marked. The first is 'today', the second is 'cooking soon' then 2014 and the final 2015.

This is the planned rollout which may change.

the reality is that of all the promised chargers in the NE US all of ONE is up and running, hence my comments about overly optimistic maps that TESLA issues

So, what your saying is that Superchargers that were planned to already be installed in your area are not installed? Or, are you just bellyaching that the chargers planned for 2015 aren't yet installed?

 

[apvbguy]

So, what your saying is that Superchargers that were planned to already be installed in your area are not installed? Or, are you just bellyaching that the chargers planned for 2015 aren't yet installed?

let me try to make my point simple and easy to comprehend

of the chargers in the eastern part of the US that were "promised" to be installed in fall of 2013, on those pretty maps from TESLA, I believe that only one has actually been installed. I hope that this is succinct enough.

 

[palmermd]

So, what your saying is that Superchargers that were planned to already be installed in your area are not installed? Or, are you just bellyaching that the chargers planned for 2015 aren't yet installed?

let me try to make my point simple and easy to comprehend

of the chargers in the eastern part of the US that were "promised" to be installed in fall of 2013, on those pretty maps from TESLA, I believe that only one has actually been installed. I hope that this is succinct enough.

well here is a link to a customer created map and not the Tesla created one. It shows that there is much more than one installed. Clearly the west coast highway was their first long distance creation, but they are also working on the I-95 route right now and it should be complete early in 2014. By the end of 2014 most major routes will be covered and by the end of 2015 the network will have nearly complete coverage of anywhere you want to drive. So over 3 years they go from none to complete coverage. Pretty impressive in my experience. Yes, there are areas that feel they should have chargers sooner. No matter what order they build these complaints will arise. Permitting is their biggest obstacle, so if you want to help them build out faster, work with local building departments to assist them. I'm sure they would welcome assistance in that area.

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showwiki.php?title=Tesla+Supercharger+locations" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[scottf200]

well here is a link to a customer created map and not the Tesla created one. http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showwiki.php?title=Tesla+Supercharger+locations" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Don't know if this is more current but I think they are try to keep up. Header info at the top allows you to build a 'route' and see the locations in a list. [update]forgo the link to go with this text http://www.teslawiki.net/supercharger/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; [/update]

confucius say: person with more than one tesla map never know what superchargers are available!

 

[GeekEV]

There is also this map (which is awesome) that shows both open and under construction with configurable range circles, route mapping, etc..

http://www.teslawiki.net/supercharger/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regardless of what you believe, it shows three open and two under construction in the NE. Also, I think you're misreading the original map (which they've since simplified). Only the red dots indicated what was to be open at that time. The gray dots meant "coming soon" - at the time the slider was set to. So, it looks like all of the red dots for Fall 2013 are open or under construction. Is it all those gray ones you're complaining about?

Here's a copy of the original map:
http://image.motortrend.com/f/wot/tesla-expanding-supercharger-network-introducing-faster-charging-tech-372673/59372278/Tesla-Supercharger-map-Fall-2013.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[apvbguy]

It shows that there is much more than one installed.

what part if NE United States tripped you up? what part of new installations promised by the end of 2013 are you not getting. I know that there are a FEW units already in place, but the ones I am talking about are the ones that were "promised' and were supposedly past the wish list stage.
since none of us are in a position to exert any influence on TESLA's pace of building out the system, all this is just a lot of bloviating

 

[apvbguy]

There is also this map (which is awesome) that shows both open and under construction with configurable range circles, route mapping, etc..

http://www.teslawiki.net/supercharger/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regardless of what you believe, it shows three open and two under construction in the NE.

sheesh

 

[palmermd]

It shows that there is much more than one installed.

what part if NE United States tripped you up?

north east is a relative term. depends on how you define it. If you want Maine, NH and VT, then ok, but if you split the country into four equal pieces, there are about 9 in the north east.

Clearly you are not happy with their progress, so I'll stop trying to point you to evidence that they are actively working on expanding this network.

 

[palmermd]

There is also this map (which is awesome) that shows both open and under construction with configurable range circles, route mapping, etc..

http://www.teslawiki.net/supercharger/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That is a much better map. I like how they also show the ones under construction. Thanks.

 

[GRA]

I think cold areas need them to be more densely placed because of the significant power draw required for warming the passengers and warming the battery. They simply won't be able to go as far as the warmer climates. From that perspective I think it makes perfect sense. From the perspective of population density and popularity of travel routes, maybe not.

Certainly they need closer spacing in colder areas, although Colorado is also cold, and mountainous as well. But here's my main point: given the choice between early installation of SCs across Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota, three states with a combined (2012) population of 2.414 million in 322,100 sq. miles, or (for example) on routes radiating out from the Atlanta metropolitan area (population 5.43 million, area 8,376 sq. miles), which makes more sense from the standpoint of serving the most customers soonest at the lowest cost? Especially knowing that Georgia has a $5,000 rebate for EVs, and is much warmer than the northern tier states, so the SCs don't have to be as close together? Unlike SpaceX, this is NOT rocket science

Even adding Minnesota to the first three only boosts the population served by another 5.379 million (about the same as the Atlanta metro area alone) in an additional 86,939 sq. miles, making a total of 7.793 million spread over 409,039 sq. miles, and 3.422 million of them are in the Twin Cities metro area:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Minnesota_population_map_cropped.png" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[GRA]

It shows that there is much more than one installed.

what part if NE United States tripped you up?

north east is a relative term. depends on how you define it. If you want Maine, NH and VT, then ok, but if you split the country into four equal pieces, there are about 9 in the north east.

Clearly you are not happy with their progress, so I'll stop trying to point you to evidence that they are actively working on expanding this network.

He's hardly the only one to be griping. Here's part of David Noland's most recent article on GCR:

"While Tesla's free DC quick-charging locations seem to be sprouting like weeds throughout California, Texas, and Florida, we parched Nor'easters continue to wander in a vast charging wasteland that essentially contains only two Supercharger stops, in Milford, Connecticut, and Newark, Delaware.

"(A third Supercharger, in Darien, Connecticut., is so close to Milford that for all practical purposes, it is redundant.)

"Again and again, we've been titillated by promises that our long drought would soon be over. Last spring, Supercharger maps on the Tesla website promised three additional sites in the Northeast by Summer 2013. Then seven more by Fall.

"There's now snow outside my window. And of those 10 Superchargers promised by Fall, only one is a reality today: the redundant Darien station.

"For all practical purposes, the Northeast has not gotten a single useful new Supercharger for a full year."

"Long trips impossible

"As a result, long trips in my 60-kWh Model S (which has an official EPA range of 208 miles) were virtually impossible. On many occasions, I've had to leave the Model S at home and take my Chevy Volt on trips to visit friends in upstate New York, Cape Cod, and Baltimore.

"After almost a year of ownership, I had yet to take the Model S on a trip of more than 168 miles one way."

Full article here:

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1089040_life-with-tesla-model-s-east-coast-road-trip-freeze-in-slow-lane-or-languish-at-nissan-dealers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Zythryn]

Guy, you are using the wrong measure. Total population is not the basis of deciding where superchargers should go.
The decision is based on two things primarily, population of Model S cars and allowing access to long distance trips.

There are more Model S owners in Minnesota than in Kansas or Nebraska. Add to that a destination such as Mount Rushmore or the Mall Of America in Minnesota and it supports the idea of a cross country route through the North.

Yes, part of the reason is the route Elon took with his brother years ago. All I am saying is there are other factors that come into play that also support that route over one through Nebraska.

 

[apvbguy]

Guy, you are using the wrong measure. Total population is not the basis of deciding where superchargers should go.
The decision is based on two things primarily, population of Model S cars and allowing access to long distance trips.

There are more Model S owners in Minnesota than in Kansas or Nebraska. Add to that a destination such as Mount Rushmore or the Mall Of America in Minnesota and it supports the idea of a cross country route through the North.

do you really believe that it is more important to make mt rushmore more accessible by EVs is of a higher priority than getting the i95 corridor completed?

Yes, part of the reason is the route Elon took with his brother years ago. All I am saying is there are other factors that come into play that also support that route over one through Nebraska.

so the person who posted that TESLA is building out the charging infrastructure according to some odd fantasies of musk wasn't far off the mark.