FredTMC
Model S VIN #4925
I think it's plausible that if the dedicated utility transformer is having a problem it will knock out just the superchargers. The transformer is a single point of failure for the supercharger.
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I think it's plausible that if the dedicated utility transformer is having a problem it will knock out just the superchargers. The transformer is a single point of failure for the supercharger.
Not so sure how accurate that is ... I was at a SC in the past 6 months where a "pair" was down. I called TM to alert them and they thanked me, citing that had I not let them know, they would never have known UNTIL one of us reported it.
I'm not 100% sure exactly how the superchargers report back to Tesla. Anyone have any solid info on this? I've made some guesses, but most likely is that they have no data connection of their own.
My assumption has been that they simply report via the car's 3G connection while a car is plugged in. The supercharger itself does have a data link with the car, so, if there was something that needed to get sent to or from the cabinet with Tesla I'm sure it could send it over that band during charging.
But if you think about it, the dashboard at Hawthorne just knows usage and which stalls are in use. This information is easily just sent from the cars when they're using the charger, and updated when they leave. It is entirely possible the supercharger itself has no data link to Tesla directly or indirectly through the car. The car itself is able to report back enough info for what we've seen about this dashboard at Hawthorne. If that is the case, there is no way Tesla can know if there is an outage.
From the communications monitoring/hacking thread, the first thing the car does once it establishes digital communication with the supercharger is pass the supercharger the car's VIN. The only reason I can see for it to do that is so Tesla can authenticate that it's an authorized user - and that can only work if the Superchargers are linked to Tesla in real time themselves.
Walter
Not necessarily true. The supercharger could just be logging that data, for one. It could also still be piggybacking it's data connection on that link, encrypted or otherwise.
There is no reason to jump to the conclusion that the superchargers are "linked to Tesla in real time themselves" just because the car sends its VIN over the digital link. That's quite a leap, not that it wouldn't make sense if it were true. On its own it just is not proof they have a link themselves.
We have little other information about this digital comm, but we know it continues the entire time the car is charging and the data has not been entirely deciphered.
Agreed. But if the supercharger isn't communicating with Tesla, why is it logging the information? Unless a technician is going to physically remove the data at some later date, it seems like the supercharger must have communications ability whether it is talking in real time or not.
Since Tesla has real time information and the Supercharger almost certainly has communications connections, it seems more likely to me that the supercharger is sending its own status than that they are interpreting the status of the superchargers from the data being fed by the cars (which is possible - just an order of magnitude more challenging.)
You're right; this isn't proof. But it does make the link highly likely in my opinion.
Walter
Stop dreaming and get back to reality! That kind of stuff is way to advanced to even dream about!
It potentially could be if the car does not have 3G service, it could utilize another connected vehicle's 3G to check the VIN. Could be that it keeps an updated "allowed" VIN list. Could be a bunch of things.
Don't get me wrong, I'm guess it probably has a link.... but I see nothing that can irrefutably prove it yet.
Never noticed that. Not 100% sure it is a cell antenna, but it would make some sense I guess.
Found this pic on the interwebs: null-5.jpg Photo by TonyWilliams | Photobucket
I remember there was some sort of cellular monitoring module on the one of the cabinets at Barstow, with the Solar City logo on it. This was a while back, before Barstow was expanded. Here, found the pic. You can see two boxes on the gray cabinet, one with an antenna.
All the Chargers were out. I don't know about the surrounding area. Tesla said it was a PGE issue but who knows. The issue has been ongoing for 2 days and at one point 2 chargers were functioning but very slowly. He said she said thing. I'm still not sure if they are all up and running at full power anyone been there today?
Knowing a Supercharger is down helps me only so much on a trip. For the most part there are no alternatives. Yes I can go to a L2 charger and wait 6 hours? I'm not saying a realtime warning system isn't good, it just doesn't offer a solution to the actual problem. The solution is to have many more Superchargers so that it doesn't cause people to be stranded when one fails.
I've heard multiple times as well that the superchargers have a data link to to mothership, with a cellular connection typically mentioned.
What's more, the large LCD displays at the design center have stats on the entire network, including power used by site in the last 24 hrs as well as stalls in use with only a 10 minute latency.
To gather that type of data with that granularity implies some real/near-time monitoring...
What's more, the large LCD displays at the design center have stats on the entire network, including power used by site in the last 24 hrs as well as stalls in use with only a 10 minute latency.
To gather that type of data with that granularity implies some real/near-time monitoring...
More superchargers closer together will inevitably happen as Tesla matures unless something changes radically; Tesla is continuing to build Superchargers faster than cars (well, faster than the average real time car usage? however you want to describe it.) Right now they're focussing those new superchargers mostly on expanding the grid, bringing greater overall utility when everything is working, but as they reach their targets there, I'm sure they'll be adding redundancy in heavily travelled areas as well.
An efficient means of notifying and routing cars around dead sites is needed, as well; telling you that a site is down when you get there still won't help if you have 5 miles left, even if there was an alternate site 50 miles back or 50 miles ahead you could have charged at. Once the network is at a point where skipping some sites along your trip is normal, adding some automated scheduling will be a cheaper way of increasing throughput than adding more chargers to the sites or adding more sites is.
Walter
The cellular intenna is on the opposite side of the vented white cabinet, pictured in the foreground. The small black box on the front of the upper corner of the door.
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Bugeater
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You're not comparing apples to apples.
I'm old enough to remember the gas shortages in the '70s. When a gas station ran out of gas, the nearby stations ran out soon too! Lots of cars got stranded. I never heard of a station giving free tows.
It is easy for a single point of failure to cause a highly localized outage. Sure hope Tesla has solar and batteries in all the SCs before the next major grid outage like in the west in the '90s.
That was half a day or more in most of the western US and Canada. Not much gas was pumped during that time either!
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