-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Tesla's Snake Charger Pricing Predictions
- Thread starter breiwish
- Start date
-
- Tags
- Tesla Inc.
roblab
Active Member
They're willing to pay big bucks for an 80 amp charger (so it charges faster, but you still have to plug it in), so I would guess a couple thousand should cover it. Lemme see: 3 servo motors and a charge port detection system. Might not even look like the snake. Might just be a box with a charge probe. My model would be cheaper than the snake, but the snake would be what everyone wants, and the snake comes with the Tesla emblem.
Problem is, I suspect they are busy with AP software, ramping up the X, getting ready for the 3 reveal, getting powerwalls out of the Gigafactory, building new supercharger sites so Texas doesn't secede, etc., etc., etc.
So, there might be a wait.
Ulmo
Active Member
There's zero reason why a third party can't make this, for all EV's, including Tesla: the existing connectors would mount into the armature, and whatever buttons, levers, and doors would need to be operated would also have their own mini-armatures (fingers?) to do those tasks. Tesla doesn't have to be the one to come to market with this feature. They certainly could do it. But if they're busy, this is a simple robotic opportunity that could get a lot of people pretty far with a neat little new business.
Hmm. Step motor controller ... EE degree ... hmmmmmm.... wonder if I could ... should i even post
I think a far bigger use would be at supercharger stations. For home use, even if they cut down the complexity quite a bit, most people won't have room for it. Whatever space it might take up would have to be in addition to allowing enough room for a person to get into and out of the car, not to mention get the car into and out of the garage.
I also think that if Tesla wanted to do things right, they would have put a rubber finger on the side of it, so after it unplugs it could push the charging port door closed. That should be more cost effective than making all ports self closing, which is too late for half the cars anyway. I don't think plugging in at home is going to be a big problem, because I'd bet that when people get home, they tend to exit the car anyway. On the other hand, it would be needed for those who want to summon the car and don't necessarily start off inside the garage. Getting into the garage, unplugging the car, and then using the summon feature doesn't make sense for many owners.
How many people think there would be a major advantage to having such a thing at home? The wall charger isn't something that people automatically get and that's relatively affordable. And those who do get it could potentially save hours, not a few seconds to plug something in. It's not as if there's a functionally equivalent alternative. If it comes down to whether I'd prefer to give up spending a few seconds plugging a cable into the car, when doing so would cost more than putting a new SUHD TV in the pool room, then I'd probably consider the gain too minor.
Having something plug in for you when you are on the road in 20 degree weather with heavy rain or sleet and need to go to a supercharger is entirely different, especially for a 15 minute charge when a person wouldn't leave the car anyway.
I also think that if Tesla wanted to do things right, they would have put a rubber finger on the side of it, so after it unplugs it could push the charging port door closed. That should be more cost effective than making all ports self closing, which is too late for half the cars anyway. I don't think plugging in at home is going to be a big problem, because I'd bet that when people get home, they tend to exit the car anyway. On the other hand, it would be needed for those who want to summon the car and don't necessarily start off inside the garage. Getting into the garage, unplugging the car, and then using the summon feature doesn't make sense for many owners.
How many people think there would be a major advantage to having such a thing at home? The wall charger isn't something that people automatically get and that's relatively affordable. And those who do get it could potentially save hours, not a few seconds to plug something in. It's not as if there's a functionally equivalent alternative. If it comes down to whether I'd prefer to give up spending a few seconds plugging a cable into the car, when doing so would cost more than putting a new SUHD TV in the pool room, then I'd probably consider the gain too minor.
Having something plug in for you when you are on the road in 20 degree weather with heavy rain or sleet and need to go to a supercharger is entirely different, especially for a 15 minute charge when a person wouldn't leave the car anyway.
SebastianR
Active Member
This: If you combine Supercharging with "the snake" + Autopilot Summon you have a winning combination. For one you can summon the car from far away (not that important right now IMHO - the legal constraints will not move quick enough and I can't think of too many practical use cases for this with the Model S - if this would be a truck who can haul stuff it would be different!) but more importantly it could change the face of superchargers dramatically: you just drop your car anywhere on the parking lot, get into the virtual line and as soon as the charger is free the car moves to the charger, charges and parks itself afterwards without further blocking the bay. This could happen over night in city parking environments (a solution to the often cited issue of owning a Tesla in places like NYC) or just as you shop/eat in crowded supercharger locations.
Similar threads
