Close call getting home in the Tesla !
Discussion
Coming back from Cornwall over the weekend I headed to Darts Farm Superchargers to top up the car before heading back home. Couldn't use them as there were already 2 Teslas plugged in and charging. Although the signs say charging is limited to 30 minutes, and having waited 45 minutes for at least one of the owners to return - I headed for the alternative location in Sainsburys car park Exeter where I was able to charge.
Left Exeter and after a long drive and a couple of diversions due to traffic got home 3 and a half hours and 199.8 miles later with 7 miles left in the 'tank' !
That's the closest I've come to running out of juice and the last 20 miles or so meant frequent checks of battery remaining.
Having said that, I'm impressed with how accurately the Tesla forecasts range as it was very, very accurate at predicting battery life remaining etc.
Not sure what will happen as more Teslas take to the roads, especially if owners leave them plugged into Superchargers unattended and for longer than they are supposed to. This trip isn't the first time I've found both the Superchargers at Exeter occupied and if you're heading further South West they are the last Superchargers on the map, so have to wait to charge rather than driving on to the next ones.
Anyway, thought some of you might be interested to know that the software which predicts range seems to be better than the fuel gauge in my other cars at predicting remaining miles left.
Left Exeter and after a long drive and a couple of diversions due to traffic got home 3 and a half hours and 199.8 miles later with 7 miles left in the 'tank' !
That's the closest I've come to running out of juice and the last 20 miles or so meant frequent checks of battery remaining.
Having said that, I'm impressed with how accurately the Tesla forecasts range as it was very, very accurate at predicting battery life remaining etc.
Not sure what will happen as more Teslas take to the roads, especially if owners leave them plugged into Superchargers unattended and for longer than they are supposed to. This trip isn't the first time I've found both the Superchargers at Exeter occupied and if you're heading further South West they are the last Superchargers on the map, so have to wait to charge rather than driving on to the next ones.
Anyway, thought some of you might be interested to know that the software which predicts range seems to be better than the fuel gauge in my other cars at predicting remaining miles left.
Lgm50 said:
Coming back from Cornwall over the weekend I headed to Darts Farm Superchargers to top up the car before heading back home. Couldn't use them as there were already 2 Teslas plugged in and charging. Although the signs say charging is limited to 30 minutes, and having waited 45 minutes for at least one of the owners to return - I headed for the alternative location in Sainsburys car park Exeter where I was able to charge.
Figures. One of those Teslas belongs to an owner of Darts Farm (The place is a bloody gold mine, as I'm sure you sussed out). It's always parked in one of the charging bays whenever I happen to go past. He clearly regards it as his personal parking space.I just had an email from Tesla today telling me about the European destination charging network and how it's growing. If I had one today with the journeys I do, Id have to rely on home charging almost exclusively but by the time my Model 3 is delivered I'm expecting it will be a lot better.
The question I keep wanting to ask current Tesla owners is what are your options if you do run out of charge? Is a recovery truck the only option?
Would it be possible for someone to bring an external battery pack to you with enough range to get you to a charger or is that not technically possible?
The question I keep wanting to ask current Tesla owners is what are your options if you do run out of charge? Is a recovery truck the only option?
Would it be possible for someone to bring an external battery pack to you with enough range to get you to a charger or is that not technically possible?
interesting that the Darts Farm owner thinks he can supercharge as I believe that in the small print with Tesla, the superchargers are only supposed to be used for charging on long distances i.e.:- not a free top up close to where you happen to live!
Problem would be solved with a few more Superchargers at Exeter or further down in the South West such as Bodmin, Truro etc.
Next time I travel that way I'll try charging at Bristol instead.
Problem would be solved with a few more Superchargers at Exeter or further down in the South West such as Bodmin, Truro etc.
Next time I travel that way I'll try charging at Bristol instead.
Lgm50 said:
interesting that the Darts Farm owner thinks he can supercharge as I believe that in the small print with Tesla, the superchargers are only supposed to be used for charging on long distances i.e.:- not a free top up close to where you happen to live!
That is a question which should be asked of Tesla. Does the same apply to destination chargers? If some of these destination charger locations have only 1 point and the owner has a Tesla, I can see that causing conflict at some point.FurtiveFreddy said:
That is a question which should be asked of Tesla. Does the same apply to destination chargers? If some of these destination charger locations have only 1 point and the owner has a Tesla, I can see that causing conflict at some point.
I think you can only use them by prior arrangement anyway. So they book you in for a time slot.Now that Tesla have the 'Summon Me' remote control thing, maybe they can develop a "Move Out Of The Way" app, whereby once somebody else's Tesla has outstayed th 30 minutes courtesy period, you can make it bugger off and park somewhere else nearby, so you can get onto the Supercharger.
Doofus said:
Now that Tesla have the 'Summon Me' remote control thing, maybe they can develop a "Move Out Of The Way" app, whereby once somebody else's Tesla has outstayed th 30 minutes courtesy period, you can make it bugger off and park somewhere else nearby, so you can get onto the Supercharger.
I nearly posted the very same thing this morning. Would be fairly easy one would think.More bays are needed, or even better a set of 6 bays at proper M-way services somewhere on that route would be good. As it is there are 2 at Darts Farm which is 3 miles off the M-way, 2 in Exeter Sainsburys carpark and then 2 in John Lewis car park in Bristol - those are the closed to the M5 in that area that I know of which isn't great, plus of course, there are none any further South West than the Exeter ones.
Mind you, quite like the idea of adding to the App. Even though a bugger off button might not be likely it would be good to be able to hit a
"I'm waiting to charge' button" and for an alert to pop up on the other Tesla phones in the immediate vicinity.
Mind you, quite like the idea of adding to the App. Even though a bugger off button might not be likely it would be good to be able to hit a
"I'm waiting to charge' button" and for an alert to pop up on the other Tesla phones in the immediate vicinity.
Doofus said:
Swervin_Mervin said:
I nearly posted the very same thing this morning. Would be fairly easy one would think.
Yeah, you would say that, though.My idea, my royalties
AH33 said:
Is it not possible to book slots on chargers yet? And at the end of the charge, the cable disconnects so if someone else forgot, you could still charge?
It's coming. I think the software already includes intelligent routing with some kind of ground traffic control system. So if you stick your detination in and it works out someone else will be charging when you get there it tells you to pull off early and miss a later stop. My guess is it could end up with you havinv to tell them in advance as the needs of all users outweights the needs of a lazy individual who couldn't be bothered to book! They'd abviously have to allow for people getting held up in traffic, but I beleive that the point of the system, it's real time not a booking type reservation system.Lgm50 said:
Hmm, Just had a look at the Tesla Supercharger map for 2016 and it seems to show a Supercharger is due to open further down in Cornwall which would be good - does anyone know where they are planning this one as I can't seem to zoom in on the map!
Nope - it's always been that way. When a new site goes on the map there's all sorts of speculation until one of the locals finds a place where they are digging a super charger sized set of holes. Eventually some boxes arrive and final confirmation is reached on the forums before Tesla officially announce the opening date. ;-)I've found the same Lgm50, that the range calculation is really accurate if you keep to the recommended speed, etc. and there isn't a 20mph headwind!!
Regarding Superchargers, people 'hogging' them will definitely become an issue, and it really is down to owners to be considerate and reasonable. One option would be to put Superchargers in the middle of back-to-back bays, rather than against walls, and have them auto-disconnect when full. That means for an existing bank of Superchargers, you could back up to one already in use and when that car is full, unplug it and plug into yours. The current setup of them always being up against a wall/edge of car park is somewhat limiting in that respect.
Tesla are also able to get all the data they need from Superchargers in terms of usage, and I hope they would have the balls to start contacting owners via their cars who are using them inconsiderately (i.e. leaving them plugged in when fully charged, or using them to top-up needlessly).
On the issue of number of stalls, to say 2 is "pathetic" is a bit harsh (whoever made the comment), as they've only been in the UK for 2 years, really. They installed what they could where they could to ensure owners could drive their cars around, and I'd say they did a damn good job. Ongoing arguments with Ecotricity (apparently now resolved) prevented them from installing at major motorway services initially, but this is improving (e.g. Oxford/Wheatley Services on the M40, South Mimms on the M25, etc.). They are also drastically increasing the number of Superchargers this year, predominantly in Q3 and Q4, both in new locations and upgrading existing ones (e.g. South Mimms will grow from 2 stalls to 12!).
As for the South West, they would like to put Superchargers in the Cornwall Services but again are being restricted by existing third party charge points there I believe - their aim is to get one at that Services though, and then rely on destination charging elsewhere around Devon/Cornwall/etc as most people have offroad parking. Same goes for East Anglia.
Regarding Superchargers, people 'hogging' them will definitely become an issue, and it really is down to owners to be considerate and reasonable. One option would be to put Superchargers in the middle of back-to-back bays, rather than against walls, and have them auto-disconnect when full. That means for an existing bank of Superchargers, you could back up to one already in use and when that car is full, unplug it and plug into yours. The current setup of them always being up against a wall/edge of car park is somewhat limiting in that respect.
Tesla are also able to get all the data they need from Superchargers in terms of usage, and I hope they would have the balls to start contacting owners via their cars who are using them inconsiderately (i.e. leaving them plugged in when fully charged, or using them to top-up needlessly).
On the issue of number of stalls, to say 2 is "pathetic" is a bit harsh (whoever made the comment), as they've only been in the UK for 2 years, really. They installed what they could where they could to ensure owners could drive their cars around, and I'd say they did a damn good job. Ongoing arguments with Ecotricity (apparently now resolved) prevented them from installing at major motorway services initially, but this is improving (e.g. Oxford/Wheatley Services on the M40, South Mimms on the M25, etc.). They are also drastically increasing the number of Superchargers this year, predominantly in Q3 and Q4, both in new locations and upgrading existing ones (e.g. South Mimms will grow from 2 stalls to 12!).
As for the South West, they would like to put Superchargers in the Cornwall Services but again are being restricted by existing third party charge points there I believe - their aim is to get one at that Services though, and then rely on destination charging elsewhere around Devon/Cornwall/etc as most people have offroad parking. Same goes for East Anglia.
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