50kW at most SC in Idaho and Utah this past weekend

[jdbob]

They had briefly experimented with liquid-cooled charge cables at a few SpC. They were apparently thinner and more flexible and easier to manage.

I suspect they learned a lot from that experiment and went back to the drawing board to design the next iteration. Maybe the next iteration will also include the "snake" motors to automatically plug themselves into your car.

Looks like some others are experimenting with liquid cooled cables as well. Inside EVs

 

[DarrenK]

Thank you for posting this. We are on a 5000 mile road trip and the last week or so our supercharging has been at between 25 and 50 amps. Have not seen over 50 amps in a week and that is at least 10 supercharging sessions. We thought our car was broken.

We are also having lots of issues with the falcon wing doors. They only open half the time and sometimes even the override refuses to work. This seems to be happening especially when the temperatures are high and he car is in direct sunlight.

There is a known issue with the FWD when they get hot or are in direct sunlight. Has to do with overheating of the door sensors. I believe Tesla has added a new layer of insulation, and will also retrofit old FWDs under warranty when they have this problem.

 

[jackbowers]

Have seen this problem during the last 3 summers in hot temperatures, and pretty sure it's related to how hot the handles get. The newer handles are less prone to the problem, but there are still a lot of older ones in service. Pretty sure the throttling is designed to protect a well-worn loose connector from overheating and causing damage to the car. Best bet is to pick a less popular spot with a tight (or recently replaced) connector and hang a white T-shirt over the handle if it is in the sun.

 

[jgrgnt]

I, too, have experienced slow charging speeds at multiple stations across the northwest over the last week. It seems random in that I've had slow charging speeds in what feels like ideal conditions (cool weather, connector isn't hot, no other cars around, new station, etc.), and I've had fast charging speeds in what feels like terrible conditions (high temps, hot connector, older station, etc.).

Regarding shared connections, don't make the same silly mistake I did. Remember to check the stall ID sequence. I assumed all stations had identical sequencing for the stalls (1A next to 1B, 2A next to 2B, etc.). This is the sequence I'm used to seeing in SoCal. Out of habit, I would park two spots away from an occupied stall, thinking I was avoiding a shared connection situation.

At the Mt. Shasta charger, I was experiencing what I thought was an unusually slow charging speed, so I called Tesla to inquire about the station. A Model S was in the stall closest to the charging cabinet, so I parked two stalls away, thinking the S was on 1A, and I would be on 2A. It didn't even occur to me to check the ID numbers. The rep was very helpful and politely pointed out that I was sharing my connection with another car. I paused in slight disbelief, then looked down, and wouldn't you know, the stall sequence was 1A, 2A, 1B, 2B! Doh!!!

 

[vandacca]

I, too, have experienced slow charging speeds at multiple stations across the northwest over the last week. It seems random in that I've had slow charging speeds in what feels like ideal conditions (cool weather, connector isn't hot, no other cars around, new station, etc.), and I've had fast charging speeds in what feels like terrible conditions (high temps, hot connector, older station, etc.).

Regarding shared connections, don't make the same silly mistake I did. Remember to check the stall ID sequence. I assumed all stations had identical sequencing for the stalls (1A next to 1B, 2A next to 2B, etc.). This is the sequence I'm used to seeing in SoCal. Out of habit, I would park two spots away from an occupied stall, thinking I was avoiding a shared connection situation.

At the Mt. Shasta charger, I was experiencing what I thought was an unusually slow charging speed, so I called Tesla to inquire about the station. A Model S was in the stall closest to the charging cabinet, so I parked two stalls away, thinking the S was on 1A, and I would be on 2A. It didn't even occur to me to check the ID numbers. The rep was very helpful and politely pointed out that I was sharing my connection with another car. I paused in slight disbelief, then looked down, and wouldn't you know, the stall sequence was 1A, 2A, 1B, 2B! Doh!!!

The Lawrence Avenue SC (Toronto, ON, Canada) is laid out in a similar way (something like 1A 2A 3A 4A 1B 2B 3B 4B). So there are a few of these places to watch out for.

 

[Rossy]

Same problem in Las Vegas, no one can maintain over 90kw for more than a few mins then it drops to the 30s / 40s / 50s. Called Telsa and they blamed NV energy, called NV Energy and they said has nothing to do with them. Have had this problem several times when it's been 100+ temps. Just plan an extra hour for charging when it's hot. These cars were definitely not designed for road trips, ICE all day for those long drives. Hopefully in 10 years that won't be the case

I'm thinking if there was a pay supercharging source, it would possibly make business sense to provide AC cooling for the power cabinets. My guess is AC cooling would add significantly to the costs of rolling out new supercharger centers. I think the units are air cooled now. Tesla is struggling to create a totally new power infrastructure and expand it, ramp revolutionary new vehicle production while controlling red ink.