I have found one stall (at Savannah GA) that has been quirky twice that I have used it, and interrupted charging because of a poor connection. I just moved the connector a bit and charging resumed. I did not even bother to move to a different stall. Of course i have only used six Superchargers thus far so I am a novice.
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MartinAustin
Active Member
The only bad experiences I've had with Superchargers are thus:
1) the very first time I used a Supercharger (in Waco) and wasn't experienced enough to know it was properly plugged in... I wanted to watch the dashboard of course to see what happens, but someone came up to me pretty much as soon as I got out of the car, and started talking about electric car stuff (you know how it is). He prattled on about this and that for over 20 minutes before I glanced into the car and noticed that I hadn't plugged it in properly!!! Once I pushed it in properly, the charging started. (and he continued prattling on)
2) I took a buddy on a road trip around Texas, and at Huntsville, we pulled up and I asked him to plug in the Supercharger cable, so we could do the Facebook post w/ photo etc.. It appeared to not be working properly, was saying "contact Tesla service" etc.. This was a Tesla demo whose fun factor was about to fall sharply off a cliff!!! But - when I pulled the cable out and plugged it back in, it started charging just fine. Doh!
Moral of the story is... learn how to plug it in properly and make sure you do it right!
Never had a problem with power delivery, they've always worked as claimed, even at 3am (Columbus and San Marcos).
1) the very first time I used a Supercharger (in Waco) and wasn't experienced enough to know it was properly plugged in... I wanted to watch the dashboard of course to see what happens, but someone came up to me pretty much as soon as I got out of the car, and started talking about electric car stuff (you know how it is). He prattled on about this and that for over 20 minutes before I glanced into the car and noticed that I hadn't plugged it in properly!!! Once I pushed it in properly, the charging started. (and he continued prattling on)
2) I took a buddy on a road trip around Texas, and at Huntsville, we pulled up and I asked him to plug in the Supercharger cable, so we could do the Facebook post w/ photo etc.. It appeared to not be working properly, was saying "contact Tesla service" etc.. This was a Tesla demo whose fun factor was about to fall sharply off a cliff!!! But - when I pulled the cable out and plugged it back in, it started charging just fine. Doh!
Moral of the story is... learn how to plug it in properly and make sure you do it right!
Never had a problem with power delivery, they've always worked as claimed, even at 3am (Columbus and San Marcos).
Tesla was very smart in their Supercharger design. Most DC fast chargers consist of a fragile/complex/heavy plug and a massive single charging unit. Multiple single points of failure. Superchargers on the other hand don't have these faults. Even the smallest SC stations have 4 pedestals. Since a charging "unit" powers two pedestals, you can have a whole unit down and worst case half the pedestals are down (usually less as most locations have 6+ pedestals). The charging units themselves have a stack of 10 chargers inside. If a charger goes out, the system itself could in theory still run, just with 10% less capacity. The only thing that could drop the unit is if the central controller went out, but since it's not interacted with by humans (no interface to break) and doesn't operate high voltages directly (less stress on components) it should be reliable. The only single point of failure for a whole Supercharger location is the main power transformer and power grid. Those transformers are built to run 24/7 and rarely go out. And as discussed, there's only been one power grid issue with all the locations in the past few years.
Superchargers are by far the most reliable part of a a road trip. I'm more worried about road closures, weather, accidents, or even destination charging. :biggrin:
Superchargers are by far the most reliable part of a a road trip. I'm more worried about road closures, weather, accidents, or even destination charging. :biggrin:
mrElbe
Active Member
I find that the Supercharger connectors are a bear to insert. And you got to make sure that they are all the way in. On the other hand, my home HPWC plug goes in very easy. Anyway, no charging problems all the way to Custer SD and back.
On my first trip when there were only 6 superchargers all in California I called Tesla to make sure the ones I needed were operating. Now I do not bother--they are reliable. Superchargers are the gold standard of the charging world. If another manufacturer decides to build their own network, they will find it very difficult to match the reliability of Tesla's superchargers.
The failure I experienced in April 2015 was limited to 2 of the 6 stalls. 3A & 3B were down, and the Tesla tech was working in the chargers cabinet. I took a picture when the door was opened, but he requested I delete it. The door was open, and he was working on a connector on the top most charger. It was noted that both PG&E power and the supercharger hardware itself had been problematic.
With the busy I-5 corridor, the 6 stalls are overworked, and I sat for 4.5 hours before I could continue on my way. I wish they'd put a SC in at the Kettleman City exit on I-5....Ton's of food choices and you don't have to cross I-5 to get to them.
Almost 8 months and 28,300 miles, ( 1 drivetrain, and 1 seatbelt replaced) and most charging at the following SC's, in no particular order:
Fremont, CA
Roseville Galleria, CA
Folsom Premium Outlets, CA
Rocklin Service Center and SC, CA
Truckee, CA
Corning, CA
Vacaville, CA
Petaluma, CA
Manteca, CA
Harris Ranch, CA
Lebec, CA
Mojave, CA
Barstow, CA
Primm, NV
Las Vegas, NV
Ranch Cucuamonga, CA
Cabazon, CA
Indio, CA
Gilroy, CA
Atascadero, CA
Buellton, CA
Oxnard, CA
San Juan Capistrano, CA
(BTW, it's a shame that the entire Hwy 99 corridor from Sacramento to Bakersfield (near Lebec) doesn't have any SC's which limits the Yosemite access, and the foothills.
Scotty
With the busy I-5 corridor, the 6 stalls are overworked, and I sat for 4.5 hours before I could continue on my way. I wish they'd put a SC in at the Kettleman City exit on I-5....Ton's of food choices and you don't have to cross I-5 to get to them.
Almost 8 months and 28,300 miles, ( 1 drivetrain, and 1 seatbelt replaced) and most charging at the following SC's, in no particular order:
Fremont, CA
Roseville Galleria, CA
Folsom Premium Outlets, CA
Rocklin Service Center and SC, CA
Truckee, CA
Corning, CA
Vacaville, CA
Petaluma, CA
Manteca, CA
Harris Ranch, CA
Lebec, CA
Mojave, CA
Barstow, CA
Primm, NV
Las Vegas, NV
Ranch Cucuamonga, CA
Cabazon, CA
Indio, CA
Gilroy, CA
Atascadero, CA
Buellton, CA
Oxnard, CA
San Juan Capistrano, CA
(BTW, it's a shame that the entire Hwy 99 corridor from Sacramento to Bakersfield (near Lebec) doesn't have any SC's which limits the Yosemite access, and the foothills.
Scotty
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paulkva
part of the supercharge.info dev team
Another data point...
I've driven my Model S ~21K miles in about 21 months. I've supercharged 40+ times at 15 different locations (mainly DC/Pittsburgh, DC/Philly, and DC/NJ trips) and had essentially zero problems with charging.
The only time that came close to being a problem for me was in Port St Lucie FL last summer, when only 2 of the 8 stalls were operational. I tried the first 2, and after the second failure I called the supercharger hotline. The rep who answered was able to tell me exactly which stalls were working (saving me from any more trial/error/frustration), and I presume he dispatched someone to fix it because everything seemed fine on my return trip. Nobody else was charging there at the time (or trying to do so). Total "cost"/"inconvenience" to me: a couple extra minutes on the phone with Tesla before I could start charging.
I've also never had to wait for a supercharger due to congestion or ICEing. I expect one of these days I'll have to wait at Newark DE, unless/until they expand it. Otherwise, my understanding is most supercharger congestion/waiting happens in CA.
If you'd like more data on people who have supercharged a lot, check out this wiki page: Superchargers Visited - Tesla Motors Club - Enthusiasts & Owners Forum
...and the corresponding forum thread: Most Superchargers Visited
Having said all of that, don't necessarily dismiss all long-distance travel that has less than 100% supercharger coverage. While it definitely takes more careful planning and could be riskier, (non-super)charging at or near your destination can extend your reach substantially.
I've driven my Model S ~21K miles in about 21 months. I've supercharged 40+ times at 15 different locations (mainly DC/Pittsburgh, DC/Philly, and DC/NJ trips) and had essentially zero problems with charging.
The only time that came close to being a problem for me was in Port St Lucie FL last summer, when only 2 of the 8 stalls were operational. I tried the first 2, and after the second failure I called the supercharger hotline. The rep who answered was able to tell me exactly which stalls were working (saving me from any more trial/error/frustration), and I presume he dispatched someone to fix it because everything seemed fine on my return trip. Nobody else was charging there at the time (or trying to do so). Total "cost"/"inconvenience" to me: a couple extra minutes on the phone with Tesla before I could start charging.
I've also never had to wait for a supercharger due to congestion or ICEing. I expect one of these days I'll have to wait at Newark DE, unless/until they expand it. Otherwise, my understanding is most supercharger congestion/waiting happens in CA.
If you'd like more data on people who have supercharged a lot, check out this wiki page: Superchargers Visited - Tesla Motors Club - Enthusiasts & Owners Forum
...and the corresponding forum thread: Most Superchargers Visited
Having said all of that, don't necessarily dismiss all long-distance travel that has less than 100% supercharger coverage. While it definitely takes more careful planning and could be riskier, (non-super)charging at or near your destination can extend your reach substantially.
Used six Superchargers over the weekend (most of them twice). Never a problem, and most of the time there was at least one other Tesla charging and they didn't have any problems either. (OK, KS, IA)
A good question, since reliability of other types of fast chargers (chademo or ccs) for other EV brands isn't that good.
I'm often asked by new owners if they should call Tesla and check for downtime before they go on a trip. I answer that I honestly wouldn't bother. Not even when I depended on a charge or two to drive from Oslo to reach a flight at some airport in Sweden. In my experience Tesla's superchargers seems to just work.
I have experienced a problem with downtime only once: Four out of six charging stalls at Sundebru/Brokelandsheia were out. I called Tesla, and at the callcenter they didn't know about the problem. Queue at the remaining two stalls, and my charge took twice as long as usual due to the other working stall was used simultaneously.
However, I've heard people complain about 1-2 hour queues at the (temporary) superchargers in France. Probably due to slower charging speeds and fewer stalls in France than elsewhere.
In the unlikely event of a supercharger failure, I'd recommend installing dual chargers (in Europe) in order to be able to charge at 22kW, always having the type2 charging cable in the car, investing in the chademo adapter and get some charging cards for the countries you're driving through. Two hours on a chademo fast charger at around 40kW is better than waiting 24 hours for a 240V 13A 3kW slow charge.
I'm often asked by new owners if they should call Tesla and check for downtime before they go on a trip. I answer that I honestly wouldn't bother. Not even when I depended on a charge or two to drive from Oslo to reach a flight at some airport in Sweden. In my experience Tesla's superchargers seems to just work.
I have experienced a problem with downtime only once: Four out of six charging stalls at Sundebru/Brokelandsheia were out. I called Tesla, and at the callcenter they didn't know about the problem. Queue at the remaining two stalls, and my charge took twice as long as usual due to the other working stall was used simultaneously.
However, I've heard people complain about 1-2 hour queues at the (temporary) superchargers in France. Probably due to slower charging speeds and fewer stalls in France than elsewhere.
In the unlikely event of a supercharger failure, I'd recommend installing dual chargers (in Europe) in order to be able to charge at 22kW, always having the type2 charging cable in the car, investing in the chademo adapter and get some charging cards for the countries you're driving through. Two hours on a chademo fast charger at around 40kW is better than waiting 24 hours for a 240V 13A 3kW slow charge.
So far I've had no major problems. I've run into a case where one stall out of 8 may be slow or not charge, but then i just moved to another. About 40k Model S miles in and no supercharger related headaches.
For completeness, however, I'll note that Tesla I recall did have an incident where a supercharger on a popular route in California last year was down for some time (half a day?) due to a utility issue if I recall correctly. In response Tesla had flat bed trucks waiting at the supercharger to take owners to the next station, free of charge, if they desired. While not the best situation, especially if you had a full car of people, I think it's the best they could have done under the circumstances, and they did. So, kudos.
For completeness, however, I'll note that Tesla I recall did have an incident where a supercharger on a popular route in California last year was down for some time (half a day?) due to a utility issue if I recall correctly. In response Tesla had flat bed trucks waiting at the supercharger to take owners to the next station, free of charge, if they desired. While not the best situation, especially if you had a full car of people, I think it's the best they could have done under the circumstances, and they did. So, kudos.
thecloud
As rhythm raced inside, the ship came alive
That incident was at Harris Ranch, and they did bring in a portable diesel generator to keep the superchargers going until the utility issue got resolved.
I've also had no problems with superchargers. So far, my experience with Gilroy, Harris Ranch, and Tejon Ranch has been a case of good timing: typically less than half of the chargers were in use when I arrived, and all were in use by the time I finished charging. But then I moved and freed up that spot, and usually someone else was leaving at the same time, so I don't imagine it would be long to wait for a stall even at busy locations like these. The only time I had any concern at all was when I had a planned trip over the same weekend that the Hawthorne superchargers were being taken offline for expansion. I took a chance and went there anyway, and there were temporary supercharger pods set up outside the fenced-off construction area, no worries at all.
I hesitated as to whether I should post here because I love the supercharger network and really do not want to add to any negativity or fear of use of the system. But I thought it would be prudent to let people know my experience. For background, I have traveled from the mid-west to the west coast twice and have visited close to 70 different superchargers. With the exception of one time with San Juan Capistrano, CA I have never had to wait for an open stall. The only problem I ever had was at Springfield, IL where all stalls were experiencing charging issues. Only a trickle was coming out of each one. I conversed with Tesla Roadside Assistance who had me move my car to almost every stall where they monitored in live time what was happening. They confirmed that there was not a problem with my car. At least two other vehicles also attempted to charge and could not. To be fair, this site was only operational for a couple of weeks so I will lay blame that it was just growing pains. I spoke with Tesla the next morning and they confirmed that it was down for the Sunday evening I showed up and through the night but that they had it operating again in the early morning. Tesla Roadside Assistance was very helpful. Luckily, I had enough charge to make it to St. Louis where they set me up with a hotel's HPWC (the St. Louis supercharger was not built at that time). I did try to get them to compensate me a free night's hotel room but they did not. I was a little surprised at that. I think my experience was a fluke and can be blamed on problems at a new site. I still have great confidence in using the network and have just made an 1,100 mile journey without a second thought about its reliability. I will also add that when I was contacted by Tesla in the morning they checked every supercharger on my journey to the west coast to confirm with me that all supercharger locations were operational. They even gave me a short list of which stalls were experiences problems or had low charging rates so that I could avoid them.
I've supercharged about 16-18 times or so, and only had one issue at Glenn Allen, VA shortly after it opened. One charger was down, thus affecting it's pair of pedestals. I moved to a different charger, and all was fine... called in the malfunctioning unit to Tesla.
I've as of yet never had to wait at a supercharger.
I've as of yet never had to wait at a supercharger.
As Supercharger Stations age I've had problems at Santee SC where 6
Vehicles were waiting for ONE working stall in a rainstorm. In the last two weeks 1 of 5 stalls was operating at Macedonia Ohio. Went back yesterday and still hadn't been fixed. It looks like periodic maintenance on these stations is nill
Vehicles were waiting for ONE working stall in a rainstorm. In the last two weeks 1 of 5 stalls was operating at Macedonia Ohio. Went back yesterday and still hadn't been fixed. It looks like periodic maintenance on these stations is nill
terrywhite
Member
It's been about three years since SCs were available near me. Since then I've used about forty unique SCs for around 40K miles of travel. There were three times when I had to switch to a different stall because the stall wasn't working. No times that had low power. This is about the same as the number of times the auto-stop didn't work at a gas station for previous cars. Reliability of SCs isn't really something I think about.
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