how do i pick a charging station?

[Richard__G]

Dumb question.

So I use the Nav system for a trip, and it lists all the charging stations along the way. How do I have the car direct me to the one I want? Just tap on it?

Then, is there an option to resume the trip once charged?

TIA - Richard

 

[Stirfry]

If you put in your final destination the navigation should automatically route you there, not need to tap on anything. If the trip is long and requires multiple stops then those additional stops will appear on the route.

The computer will also let you know when you have received enough charge and can continue trip. The trip should continue once you have completed charging. You can also charge more at stops if you feel the need for more of a buffer, or would like to arrive at your destination with more in the battery.

Keep in mind though that the battery charges fastest at low states of charge. Once you get comfortable you will be able to run the charge lower and lower. My lowest so far is 3%, although I knew the route well haha.

At any point you can cancel the navigation and simply re-enter the destination and the computer will re-calculate.

 

[Cosmacelf]

If you put in your final destination the navigation should automatically route you there, not need to tap on anything. If the trip is long and requires multiple stops then those additional stops will appear on the route.

The computer will also let you know when you have received enough charge and can continue trip. The trip should continue once you have completed charging. You can also charge more at stops if you feel the need for more of a buffer, or would like to arrive at your destination with more in the battery.

Keep in mind though that the battery charges fastest at low states of charge. Once you get comfortable you will be able to run the charge lower and lower. My lowest so far is 3%, although I knew the route well haha.

At any point you can cancel the navigation and simply re-enter the destination and the computer will re-calculate.

Right. Also, For long trips, I often plan it out on ABetterRoutePlanner.com first, which allows me to pick and choose charging spots. I use that to time charging stops at places where I want to get lunch or dinner.

 

[Eric33432]

If you are using the nav system it will navigate you to the supercharger(s) it wants you to use. You can always tap on the lightning bolt to show all the other superchargers, and tap on another one if you want to change which one you go to.

When you first give the nav a destination, it will show all the charging stations, then it will begin the turn by turn instructions, and will take you to the first one that was on the list:

It can revise this depending on how much energy the car is using, etc. I have also had the nav suggest a different SC than was originally planned because the nav said it was very busy.

It is pretty smart.

 

[OxBrew]

I have to tap the map>lightning bolt>choose a different SC all the time. The food and coffee options are night and day at different stops on our normal trip to Seattle from Spokane.

Sometimes the nav will accept the new SC and adjust the rest of the trip, but more often it just adds the new stop with zero minutes, and keeps all the original SC stops. It really likes its own calculated route, gets really sticky about it.

So I cancel nav, set a new nav destination to the stop I want, and then re-navigate to my original destination once I start charging.

Clunky, but there's plenty of time to mess with it on the trip.

 

[Stirfry]

I have to tap the map>lightning bolt>choose a different SC all the time. The food and coffee options are night and day at different stops on our normal trip to Seattle from Spokane.

Sometimes the nav will accept the new SC and adjust the rest of the trip, but more often it just adds the new stop with zero minutes, and keeps all the original SC stops. It really likes its own calculated route, gets really sticky about it.

So I cancel nav, set a new nav destination to the stop I want, and then re-navigate to my original destination once I start charging.

Clunky, but there's plenty of time to mess with it on the trip.

Yeah, I definitely mess around the navigation during the trip. For some reason the navigation tries to send me to a slower supercharger (150kW vs 250kW) which is further out of the way and I have to override manually. I make this trip fairly often and can't seem to figure out why the computer chooses that route.

 

[jcanoe]

While it is true that V3 Superchargers can charge at 250kW charging rate this charging rate is only possible for ~5 minutes before the charging amperage, kW charging rate starts to taper down. In practical use a V2 Supercharger at 150kW maximum charging rate is almost as quick. Avoid the Urban Superchargers when on a road trip as these charge at a maximum of 72kW (unless you plan to stop for close to an hour for shopping or for a meal.)

 

[CapsEngineer]

While it is true that V3 Superchargers can charge at 250kW charging rate this charging rate is only possible for ~5 minutes before the charging amperage, kW charging rate starts to taper down. In practical use a V2 Supercharger at 150kW maximum charging rate is almost as quick.

If you go this route (V2 instead of V3 and no pun intended either), pay attention to what the nav tells you are the busy times because you may max out at half of the 150kW rate. I was burned by this a couple times when I first started traveling with my MY.

 

[jcanoe]

With the latest Tesla software release 2023.38.9, when using the Navigation system to navigate to the Supercharger, your Tesla vehicle now provides predicted wait times for using the Supercharger based on how many other Tesla vehicles are currently charging and now also on route to the same Supercharger.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Yeah, I definitely mess around the navigation during the trip. For some reason the navigation tries to send me to a slower supercharger (150kW vs 250kW) which is further out of the way and I have to override manually. I make this trip fairly often and can't seem to figure out why the computer chooses that route.

Maybe the algorithm is trying to smooth out site usage across the entire area? So, yes, screw the algorithm, do what you know is better!

 

[Stirfry]

Maybe the algorithm is trying to smooth out site usage across the entire area? So, yes, screw the algorithm, do what you know is better!

It's very odd, both chargers have minimal use when I am routing there (both usually at 50% or less capacity). The charger that I am being routed to (150 kW) takes me off the highway and 5 to 10 minutes into a city. The other one (which is the one I go to, 250 kW) is on the highway access road, so almost no time lost. My wife is given the same routing in her MY as well.

So weird.

 

[boulder.dude]

While it is true that V3 Superchargers can charge at 250kW charging rate this charging rate is only possible for ~5 minutes before the charging amperage, kW charging rate starts to taper down. In practical use a V2 Supercharger at 150kW maximum charging rate is almost as quick. Avoid the Urban Superchargers when on a road trip as these charge at a maximum of 72kW (unless you plan to stop for close to an hour for shopping or for a meal.)

Biggest benefit of v3 SCs is no risk that you’ll be charge splitting, which can be a killer on long trips with multiple charging stops!

 

[boulder.dude]

It can be worth cross-referencing Tesla nav with PlugShare reviews. E.g. there are some weirdly bad SCs (e.g. Denver airport where everybody is getting 40kW for some reason) that aren’t noted in the nav.

 

[Richard__G]

Right. Also, For long trips, I often plan it out on ABetterRoutePlanner.com first, which allows me to pick and choose charging spots. I use that to time charging stops at places where I want to get lunch or dinner.

I looked at ABetterRoutePlanner.com and I must not be using it correctly. It just drew a straight dashed line from my start to end points, not on any roads, and I couldn't bet it to display charging locations along the way, only those around my starting location.. I thought I perhaps had to subscribe, but when I tried to do so, it never allowed me to. Weird. Thanks though!

 

[Richard__G]

If you are using the nav system it will navigate you to the supercharger(s) it wants you to use. You can always tap on the lightning bolt to show all the other superchargers, and tap on another one if you want to change which one you go to.

When you first give the nav a destination, it will show all the charging stations, then it will begin the turn by turn instructions, and will take you to the first one that was on the list:

View attachment 994099
It can revise this depending on how much energy the car is using, etc. I have also had the nav suggest a different SC than was originally planned because the nav said it was very busy.

It is pretty smart.

It may be smart, but I'm not . So if a bunch of CSs are listed, how do I tell it to navigate me to a specific one?

 

[Eric33432]

I looked at ABetterRoutePlanner.com and I must not be using it correctly. It just drew a straight dashed line from my start to end points, not on any roads, and I couldn't bet it to display charging locations along the way, only those around my starting location.. I thought I perhaps had to subscribe, but when I tried to do so, it never allowed me to. Weird. Thanks though!

Once you put in where you want to go you get this:

You have to click on the blue round thing in the lower right hand for it to calculate the route. Then you get this:

Also click on the hamburger in the upper left and set up all your SOC stuff, etc.

 

[Eric33432]

It may be smart, but I'm not . So if a bunch of CSs are listed, how do I tell it to navigate me to a specific one?

It will list all the SCs along your route. In the screen shot I sent to you, it shows all of them on the map and on the left side it shows the first 4 and the expected time I will get to them. Is yours not like that?

 

[Richard__G]

It will list all the SCs along your route. In the screen shot I sent to you, it shows all of them on the map and on the left side it shows the first 4 and the expected time I will get to them. Is yours not like that?

It is, I'm just confused about how to say "ok, take me to THAT one"

 

[Richard__G]

Once you put in where you want to go you get this:

View attachment 994198

You have to click on the blue round thing in the lower right hand for it to calculate the route. Then you get this:

View attachment 994199


Also click on the hamburger in the upper left and set up all your SOC stuff, etc.

Aha! Got it. Turns out it is also very fussy about the browser used. It pooped out in Brave & Firefox, but I got it all working in Edge.

Thanks!!

 

[CapsEngineer]

It is, I'm just confused about how to say "ok, take me to THAT one"

Brandon Flasch has a pretty good video about how to do this.