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Newark DE Supercharger PSA... don't hit the curb on 1A

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wk057

Former Tesla Tinkerer
Feb 23, 2014
6,499
17,123
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I just want to make a quick post about this, not sure if this is the best sub-forum or not, but here goes.

People coming to the Newark, DE supercharger.... please don't add your car's plastic to this curb:
psanewark.jpg


The nose-first far left 1A spot has the remnants of battle damage for what seems to be quite a few Model S. I was there the other day (couple days after I took this picture) and was at 2B... and watched another owner hit the curb of doom here pulling into 1A.

Just figured I'd share since I, admittedly, nipped this curb my first time into the spot also... barely... not nearly as bad as the person I saw the other day. :(

-wk
 
Just curios if the lines were painted like this when you visited. Looks like someone re-painted the lines so there are 5 spaces for the 4 stalls, all lined up wrong. I added red arrow where the original lines were correctly placed and removed.



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Just curios if the lines were painted like this when you visited. Looks like someone re-painted the lines so there are 5 spaces for the 4 stalls, all lined up wrong. I added red arrow where the original lines were correctly placed and removed.

YES! This totally screwed me up trying to park at 2B a few days ago. I thought I got it right, but then someone pulled into 1B and there wasn't enough space for 2A, so I unplugged and moved over a bit so there was room, and sure enough, someone pulled in with just enough space for 2A.

Someone really screwed up the lines there, and should be fixed (again).

Upon looking at it, obviously some shmoe came along and thought that the SC stalls should be centered in the spaces, and not offset to the left (the correct way the old lines were painted). I wonder if TM knows about this?
 
Part of the problem with 1A is that the charger is far from the curb. I parked there only once and I had to park very close to the curb to get the cable to reach the charging port.
Yes, that is the only way to get close enough to 1A. I avoid that one, if possible.

The lines are poorly painted/repainted. It is interesting to watch people park though as everyone has a different feeling on which lines to use!
 
I emailed the pic to Tesla ([email protected]) at the same time I posted the comment so it has been reported. No lines would be better than those lines!

Also, looking at satellite images from before the supercharger was there, those lines were how the old spaces were set up. Apparently when they put in the supercharger, the old lines were removed and new correct lines put in. Someone later scraped up the new lines and re-painted the old ones. Didn't stop for a minute to think, hmm, these old lines were scraped up, maybe there was a reason for that...
 
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I charge in Newark frequently. Over the years, I have earned & re-certified my CCIE in curb rash, and I have vowed to avoid it in this car. So I am extra careful when parking against a curb or pulling into a head-on charging stall (Rocky Mount NC has one too). Surprisingly, I find I can park "far" from the side curb & still get the cable to reach if I pull up very close to the front curb. Based on my opening statement, not surprisingly I did get parking sensors which help in avoiding front spoiler rash. :)

Between the the old lines, the new lines and the diagonal "EV" lines, trying to back into the stalls in Newark using the camera is like trying to qualify on some bizarro flight simulator. Luckily there is usually no or only one other car there most of the time for me, trying to dock with a full house might earn me another dubious certification. These really should be corrected.

Funny story, I charged there on the afternoon of 3 July just as a storm was rolling in. Just as I was pulling in (to 1A, no less), the high wind broke the little sapling that was planted in front of the SC equipment shelter and it landed about one inch from my fender. Not that it would've done any damage except maybe for some polishable scratches, but even watching a little tree fall towards your car is scary.
 
I emailed the pic to Tesla ([email protected]) at the same time I posted the comment so it has been reported. No lines would be better than those lines!

Also, looking at satellite images from before the supercharger was there, those lines were how the old spaces were set up. Apparently when they put in the supercharger, the old lines were removed and new correct lines put in. Someone later scraped up the new lines and re-painted the old ones. Didn't stop for a minute to think, hmm, these old lines were scraped up, maybe there was a reason for that...
I would think maybe the Tesla stalls were put in under the limiting factor that there would still be X number of other stalls. Then, with the new Tesla lines, one was eliminated. The center realized it and repainted back to the original number of stalls, not caring that it doesn't line up well for Tesla drivers.
 
I would think maybe the Tesla stalls were put in under the limiting factor that there would still be X number of other stalls. Then, with the new Tesla lines, one was eliminated. The center realized it and repainted back to the original number of stalls, not caring that it doesn't line up well for Tesla drivers.


Hanlon's razor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon's_razor

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.
 
Got a response from Telsa already. Not sure if it will result in anything soon, but at least they are aware of it now.

Thank you for your email. Our team is looking into remedying the issue.

We appreciate your enthusiasm and support of Tesla and our Supercharger technology.

Thanks,
Tesla Supercharger Team
 
I live fairly close to this supercharger. I have been tempted to take driveway sealer and white paint and redo the spots myself at 3am

This and the Hamilton, NJ supercharger are almost equal distance/time away from me (~40 miles). However, I'm within 2 miles of the Hamilton one almost every day (I don't actually use it much though).

But the Newark one is pretty popular... almost always at least one other Model S there when I've stopped there... good lines could help.
 
A simple way to back into the "old" spaces is to center the sign on the rear camera screen. The proper spaces have the signs directly in the center. Also might be an easy way to tell other Tesla owners at that stop that are having issues. The old lines are hard to see but the signs are obvious.
 
A simple way to back into the "old" spaces is to center the sign on the rear camera screen. The proper spaces have the signs directly in the center. Also might be an easy way to tell other Tesla owners at that stop that are having issues. The old lines are hard to see but the signs are obvious.

I use this technique at Superchargers all the time. Check your own geometry, but I find that if I stop just as the curb is about to disappear out of view from the rear camera, I am in perfect position to plug in.
 
A simple way to back into the "old" spaces is to center the sign on the rear camera screen. The proper spaces have the signs directly in the center. Also might be an easy way to tell other Tesla owners at that stop that are having issues. The old lines are hard to see but the signs are obvious.

Great advice but over there today just to recheck the lines (yes, I am off work Wednesdays and have no life) and people parked all over the place!
 
Just went through Newark twice this past weekend, and the lines are still all wrong. Luckily, I was the only MS charging, so I could pull in to the space properly (the OLD lines)... but I was worried that there would be some other MS owner who doesn't realize this, and try to park using the new lines, and either park too close to my car, or really screw it up if a third or fourth MS showed up. I don't see why it's so difficult for Tesla to get this straightened out, so the lines are correct again.