Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Tesla Supercharger network

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.

dsm363

Roadster + Sig Model S
Moderator
May 17, 2009
19,118
866
Nevada
Tesla announced their Supercharging plans on 9/24/2012 and updated them on 5/30/13.
Supercharger | Tesla Motors

We already have a few places this is being discussed but thought they should be consolidated in a new thread since the Supercharger network will apply to the Model S, Model X and possibly future models.
Prior threads are
Tesla DC charging network
and
Exciting Charging Announcement Speculation


Also, look at the excellent resource started by daxz
Suggested Supercharger Locations
and the map related to that
Tesla Supercharger Desired Locations

and
Tesla Supercharge Map estimator

Will update this thread as appropriate.

Good news that Tesla will be targeting locations along highways where food and coffee can be found. Exactly the correct strategy I think.


US_Superchargers.jpg

Thanks to Laurent for the screen grabs above and below
TeslaMap a.jpg


And to PhilBa for the overlay of the interstate highway system below:
interstate supercharger map big.png
 
Last edited:
I'd be happy if they started with 100-200 and placed them in service by next spring with the intent to add more. Texas only needs 4 locations to start and we're the third largest Tesla market in the US I believe. California, Florida, Washington State and the East coast will need more coverage. The midwest will need to be addressed as well. Other sites dictated by where they are delivering the Model S to in large numbers (Tesla obviously has this information already).
 
I'd be happy if they started with 100-200 and placed them in service by next spring with the intent to add more. Texas only needs 4 locations to start and we're the third largest Tesla market in the US I believe. California, Florida, Washington State and the East coast will need more coverage. The midwest will need to be addressed as well. Other sites dictated by where they are delivering the Model S to in large numbers (Tesla obviously has this information already).

The thing is that to make Tesla a real success they need them where the cars aren't, not where the cars are. The reason is that where the cars are is mostly covered by home charging. Where the cars aren't is vacation and other travel. The ability to say you can go just about anywhere because there are chargers every 200 or so miles--even if you take the state highways--eliminates any range anxiety and makes the Tesla equivalent to an ICE car in that regard.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dsnows
I agree but with a limited resource it does make sense to start with Superchargers extending out from pockets of customers. This would allow customers in one large city that's 400 miles from the next large city to make the trip with one 45 min charge with the 85 kWh pack for example. Once chargers in the most needed places are done, they do need to extend the network out to places where there aren't as many customers in order to attract more people in that area to buy a Model S.
 
Was at TESLA GALLERIA May 24th. Store Management said the First TEXAS Tesla Supercharger will be between Dallas and Houston, Madisonville, or Centerville !!!! How exciting . Then, he said the next SuperCharger install would be in between HOU and AUS. That will make your blood race, and your Model S too !!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: kayak1
That's what I was thinking. If you put superchargers every 100 miles on the interstates, you would need roughly 400. Total mileage is around 47K, but there are overlaps and beltways, plus favoring placement near interstate intersections would eliminate some redundancy. Tesla could start with every 200 miles, perhaps aiming toward every 50 miles to allow you to bypass an occupied supercharger and go on to the next one, if you are in a hurry.
 
This is probably a good map to use in planning:

View attachment 6274

Here's some facts on it: http://bigthink.com/ideas/21124

I did a drive from Atlanta, to Florence, SC last weekend so this is all fresh in my mind.

I would agree. But I noticed that they have Columbia, SC on I-95 and I-20 (and I-77) It is a good 80 miles from I-95. Florence, SC is on I-95 and at the end of I-20. I drive there a couple times a year, almost always with my dad, to see family. If they had a charger near/in Augusta, GA and Columbia, SC you could make the trip (to Florence, or Columbia) in a 60kWh S.

I want a charger at "Abingdon Manner" I ate there last weekend. It was exceptional. If you are driving on I-95, I highly recommend stopping there. Again this is fresh in my mind.
 
This is probably a good map to use in planning:

View attachment 6274

Sorry, but I don't like this map. It gives weird images of distances and directions. Places in Florida which are 150 miles apart look twice as far as the distance, for instance, of Los Angeles to Phoenix, which is over 350 miles. Huge empty spaces are just a simple straight line to the next big city, but try to drive from Salt Lake City, to Sacramento, a distance of 649 miles.

I think we should use a real map, not someone's military cartoon (these were designed for the military) from the 50s.
 
Sorry, but I don't like this map. It gives weird images of distances and directions. Places in Florida which are 150 miles apart look twice as far as the distance, for instance, of Los Angeles to Phoenix, which is over 350 miles. Huge empty spaces are just a simple straight line to the next big city, but try to drive from Salt Lake City, to Sacramento, a distance of 649 miles.

I think we should use a real map, not someone's military cartoon (these were designed for the military) from the 50s.

A somewhat (a severe understatement) deceptive map. Also, from Seattle to Butte is almost 600 miles. Butte to Billings is only about 225 miles, but looks farther on the map.
 
Sorry, but I don't like this map. It gives weird images of distances and directions.

The whole point is to identify major destinations/stop-overs and the routes between them. They made a choice to rectangularize the geometry, which I think is useful. For instance, you can follow a southern route coast to coast along hwy 10, or a northern route along hwy 80. You can criss-cross from Savannah through Louisvile to Cheyenne to Portland. You see the pattern in the hwy numbering. You quickly identify crossing routes.

Combine this map with statistics on how many cars (not trucks) travel the spans and you get a good idea of which roads should have Superchargers and in what order. You can establish sub-routes you want to support that can be eventually connected to create longer useful route.

Then you need to sit down and figure just where the things should and can go, and that's where a normal map comes in. But, for the preliminary planning and prioritization, this is the map I'd use.

If you want a short-cut, you might want to look at what the Natural Gas companies are doing with their stations:
natural-gas-highway-roadmap.jpg


However, trucking route frequency and consumer car route frequency will not always overlap. For instance, Hwy 1/101 is a popular route for families going up and down California, but it's not much of a trucking route. I use the Rabbobanks along 101 going to Morrow Bay, Santa Barbara, etc., and avoid Hwy 5 since the coast route is far prettier, has more choices of good food, and doesn't have annoying truck traffic. So, for me a Supercharger along 101 in the Central Coast would get way more use than the one they've talked about at Harris Ranch.
 
Didn't Elon say 13 locations covers the country in an H shape? I don't see it being in the hundreds or thousands in the first instance.

I think he did say something like that but don't see how that's a good start for Tesla's Supercharger network. I'm sure that leaves Texas completely out of the loop in that case or ignores the entire middle of the country. I'm sure it won't be in the hundreds or thousands either but if they could hit the ground with 50-100 chargers by the end of the year, that would be big news.