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This earlier Tesla patent application appears to give details of the printed-circuit used in this system, including the use of narrowed traces a fusible links: Patent US20140212695 - Flexible printed circuit as high voltage interconnect in battery modules I found it relevant.

@SeanDog: Thanks for this report. I've taken the liberty of posting a link to it on the South Hill thread: Supercharger - South Hill, VA By the way, when you found all of the spots ICEd, did you tell Tesla? It could help them refine their relationship with the property owner.

The parking signs may be a real problem Here's a report (from the Scranton thread) of a traveller finding all spots at South Hill completely iced : SuperCharger opening soon in Scranton PA

Follow the instructions for towing to shut down without setting the emergency brake. Of course, it will roll like a skateboard without the parking brake, so chock your wheels (or park on very level ground).

I'd charge to 100% and then, when nearing the exit for the first supercharger, check the driving conditions and my remaining charge and decide if I can actually skip the first one. You don't have to decide before leaving home.

What about an option for faster charging? For many people, that's probably more important than more range or acceleration.

Maybe the problem is that your windshield is too clean and shiny. The faint haze that is common on most windshields will diffuse the reflections and make them less noticeable. This is analogous to glossy vs. matte laptop screens. Both reflect the same amount of light, but in very different...

Also note that some superchargers are further from the highway than others. You might take a closer look at skipping those.

What's your worst possible day: commuting plus errands and appointments plus an urgent road trip in a direction where the nearest supercharger is quite a distance away in sub-freezing weather? Is your battery big enough for that? Are you willing to live with the uncertainty of not having that...

I you usually commute alone, as I do, park with the driver's door on the shaded (north) side of the car.

If these are the new, load sharing connectors, then the master can be set for the full 80A and the other set to position F for shared operation. Then you'll get whatever you need, up to 80A on either connector, limited to a total of 80A for safety. See appendix B in...

I find the human-factors arguments to be too simplistic: Driving an ICE uphill, what happens when you release the accelerator? You slow down, almost as if you had regen. If you're driving downhill, you'll continue to speed up. There is no fixed mapping of pedal position to acceleration...

I've walked the direct path through the grass from Sheetz following the worn path near the bank. It has some steep slopes and appears to be a drainage feature, so take care in wet weather. Walking around the bank looks considerably easier, if 3x as far.

With PA superchargers in Cranberry, Somerset, Harrisburg, and Allentown, you can certainly get to NYC, but it's about an extra 40 minutes driving time. If you can tolerate that, you don't have to wait for I-80 superchargers.

Photos posted at Tesla Motors forum: Harrisburg supercharger under construction? | Tesla Motors

I just put a set of the 19" DWS-06 on my 2013 S85 and they feel great. Very secure going around curves.

Neither Seattle nor Minneapolis have superchargers close enough that you can drive any amount around the city and get back to a supercharger with a decent reserve. It's not enough to have superchargers 100 miles away from a city unless you also have one in the city. You can drive through those...

Matching a light body color might not work well without a border to visually separate it from the aluminum wheel spokes. To my eye the brushed aluminum looks too uniform, too much like a pizza pan.

Tesla could fix this problem, but I don't know if they're able. They'd have to set a date after which an option will be included and publicize that fact, and they'd have to make a corresponding price adjustment, a discount for those who buy in the meantime, and/or a price increase for the new...

Just like the metal roof, I'd prefer to use body-color inserts. If not that, then black. An automotive-grade (3-D metallic, like the premium body paint) would be a plus. I've got the 3Q2013 aero wheels which are a greenish-grey to my eye. It's not bad against my dark-blue car, but matched...

Security cameras with prominent signage seems like an appropriate solution for every supercharger, just like there are security cameras at virtually every gas station.

Tesla is now doing some service (annual service, at least) in Ross Park Mall making use of the Sears Auto Center equipment when needed. First my car traveled to Columbus, then to Cleveland, and now to the North Hills, not far, if comments are to be believed, from the eventual location of their...

Yes, Macedonia adds about 20 miles to the I-90 route, but it's much better positioned than that for travelers taking I-80, I-76, I-77, or I-71. Once they cover the direct routes across New York and Pennsylvania, the traffic density through Cleveland might get high enough to need another...

The other day I noticed that the Tesla Find Us map shows a Pittsburgh Store and Service center as "coming soon" in zip code 15201. The pin on the map is near the Lawrenceville Technology Center, but it could just be the center of that zip code, which runs along the south bank of the Allegheny...

Is anything in that neighborhood open 24 hours? The Steak n Shake, according to reviews, closes sometime between 10PM and midnight, even though Google says it's 24 hours. There are some gas station/convenience stores within a half-mile walk, but their hours aren't on line. There are also...

One clever fellow with a recent S70D mounted his transponder on the rear windshield, near the top, reasoning that if the FM antenna works there, then so should the transponder. It works for him, but might violate the toll-authority's rules as it's not visible through the windshield.

The S nose cone looks too much like other cars: even Ford has a similar grill shape. The X makes a clear statement that it's different (and better). The narrow "slit" of black now reinforces the appearance of explosive power. I've always thought the Model S headlights look like the eyes of a...

The blind-spot sensors seem to be sensitive to rain. Yesterday, I got intermittent warnings (gray lines) and even an alert (double red lines) when it was raining, but no other cars were in the area. I hope we don't wind up with active side-collision avoidance of raindrops or a wet sensor.

My local, independent tire unmounts one set of tires, mounts and balances the other, all for $60. I don't bother with a second set of wheels. Tesla's charge seems out of line with the effort involved, given that they've already got to remove the wheels car to rotate them. Maybe 5 minutes...

Readers of this thread might be interested in Green Car Congress which posts lots of reported battery innovations: Green Car Congress: Batteries I find it interesting.

My car was returned to me and the service advisor said it was the same control arm issue noted above (I had sent him the service description), but I haven't yet gotten the official paperwork. This doesn't seem to be directly related to the air suspension. Bouncing the bumper replicated the...

Then there was the time, while supercharging in Dayton, a woman approached and asked what type of gas I was pumping. We had a fine chat.

From 4/3: On Friday, 4/10 a loaner was brought to me and my car was taken to the service center. As of this morning, Tuesday, they do not yet have a diagnosis.

Today, with just over 23K miles, I've just started hearing a groaning/creeking sound when raising or lowering my air suspension. i'll update when I know more.

I'm lucky to work near the Eaton Power Systems Experience Center which has a number of J1772 chargers as well as a CHAdeMO charger, which I used to test my CHAdeMO adapter. It worked but wasn't a good test, as my battery was already at 80%. Power Systems Experience Center The center is only a...

Going down a steep hill, holding the speed constant with regen, I'm the only car without lit "brake" lights. However, if the hill were so steep that I had to use a bit of brake to keep my speed, I'm guessing that the "brake" lights would be on. Same net acceleration, different lights.

The sunshades block 2/3 of the light. Has that proven to be enough to be effective when the sun is reflected off the touchscreen into the driver's eyes?

Last year I tried removing the battery from my fob and, while I could not unlock the car with it, I was able to start the car by holding the fob near the USB and 12-V connectors below the armrests.

The reason that the battery current is around half of the shore current is that the battery voltage much higher than the shore voltage: the same power at a higher voltages takes less current. Of course, the current is also a bit less due to charger losses and battery heating/cooling.

It's interesting that the colors correspond to 270 to 340 Wh/mi, so the worst areas are only 25% worse than the best. That's not too bad, considering the differences in terrain and climate.

It looks to me like: out-of-money is cured by becoming a 1970's-era pimp with a broad-brimmed hat decorated with a feather, a long coat, and an ornate walking stick. Not to my taste.

Even with my Xice-3's, I won't even try to drive up my 100' long concrete driveway with a 10+% slope in deep snow, but the traction control usually works very well when there's only an inch or two on the ground. Turning off the TC and carefully spinning my wheels has been effective where...

The service advisor at the new Cleveland Service Center confirmed that report.

Here's a description of the additional battery armor. The battery itself is actually protected by a new aluminum extrusion. The titanium plate protects delicate equipment in the frunk. There was lots of discussion and photos posted when this was first released. Tesla Adds Titanium Underbody...

I appreciate the contrast of wearing a mechanical watch in an electric car vs. wearing an electric watch in a mechanical car!

Not much recent here: Kentucky has something in the works

The power needed to charge a Model S depends on how far you drive it each day. I typically drive 60 miles a day, consuming about 20 kWh. I can set the charging current as I need it, and efficiency is reasonably high once you get to around 20A @240V or about 5 kW. A typical whole-home...

There are several Meijer stores near both Louisville and Cincinnati. If you live in the area, it might be worth a peek to see if any of them are getting superchargers, too.

I put a thermometer in the cup holders and parked my car outside for the duration of my workday. Eight hours later, when I came to the car, it showed an outside temperature of 24F, inside of 35F, which matched my thermometer. So, the difference is real: the Model S interior is...

I was told that the drive unit sounds that I had mentioned indicated a lubrication problem, and that the rotors were warped and rusty.