Supercharging letter from Tesla 8-13-2015

[smac]

And it's really that simple. That's the goal of the email to attempt to get adults who could afford a $70,000+ car to play nice in the same sandbox. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

Yes in a world of fluffy unicorns!

My view is this is just going to get worse. Used cars are bound to end up as taxis or bought by people that can't afford a $70k car justifying it via fuel savings.

I have never liked the whole concept TBH. It's an absolute classic mistake in retail food business, normally caught because there is no "lifetime" aspect to the deal, sooner or later the offer either finishes once you've gained reputation or the all you can eat price goes up. Why should this be any different?

Pair banned from all-you-can-eat restaurant for eating too much - Telegraph

It's not the first time a tech company thought they were geniuses for coming up with an unlimited unending offer either. Last time I can remember was O2 and their unlimited data plan. Sure they "bought" market share very quickly and at firs at all seemed good, then the hordes came and they paid the price in subsequent years. Fortunately for O2 the lifetime of an iPhone is much shorter than a Model S.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

I didn't say "you really bad people." They could simply be letting know the people they consider abusing the system and those who are heavy users and they can't tell one way or the other the intent of the network as they see it.

Obviously I was making a point, not quoting Tesla. The only source I know of to say anything about Tesla's intent is Elon - and he referred to "quite aggressive" local Superchargers:

Now, there are a few people who are, like, quite aggressively using it for local Supercharging, um, and we'll sort of send them just a reminder note

Something is amiss here compared to the mass-email now. It can be a mass-email mistake, of course - but given the fairly wide scale message change at Tesla at all levels when it comes to the Supercharging message, it leaves the question that other motivations and more change (and thus uncertainty) might be in the air than just avoiding "quite aggressive" local Supercharging.

 

[GlmnAlyAirCar]

void executeMessyEmailCampaign(text)
{

vector<Owner*> owners = db.loadOwnerList();​

for (int i = 0; i < owners.size(); ++i)
{
​

Owner *owner = owners;
if (isFrequentUserOfLocalSupercharger(owner))
{
​

owner->sendEmail(text);
​

}
​

}
​

}

​

​

bool isFrequentUserOfLocalSupercharger(Owner *owner)
{

return ((rand() % 2) == 0);​

}

LOL. I also can appreciate anyone who can write decent C++ code.

 

[Vgsllc1]

You can tag #localsupercharging and take picture while charging.

I felt left out so went ahead and charge at local superchargerlast night. I want the letter!

 

[smac]

LOL. I also can appreciate anyone who can write decent C++ code.

I was hoping for something more subtle. C++ with an out by one error / or pointer arithmetic problem (maybe that would have been to geeky for general audience though)

 

[Max*]

Teslas will soon self-park. A major feature of this will be that they will be able to move themselves in and out of the supercharger slots.

I expect you and lots of other people who started this rumor will be disappointed. Tesla advertised that it self-park (likely with you in the car), and pull your car from the garage to your door on private property.

Considering the current suite of hardware can't detect soft objects (pedestrians, animals, etc.) how do you expect the car to repark itself at a crowded supercharger when you're not around, and park in a properly designated spot?

Sometime in the distant future? Of course. Sometime soon? I strongly doubt it.

 

[NigelM]

Breathe people, breathe....

It's not a mass mailing, there's plenty, plenty folks out there that didn't receive it.

It is obviously an error, either syntax or selection criteria.

There are plenty of examples where Tesla hasn't done well at communicating (sorry to my friends who work there, but we know this stuff happens when you're trying to change the world) so we don't need to work up nefarious conspiracy theories when we see one more mis-step. Anyone who's been around for a while shouldn't feel offended, insulted or criminalized.

Let's all put on the big-boy pants, point out to Tesla they messed up (pretty sure they know that by now), and put down the pitchforks.

Peace.

 

[qwk]

That letter sounds like "we've sold you something that we didn't really think through and now we want to bluff you out of taking us up on our word".

Tesla's problems with "free supercharching for life" haven't even started yet. Just wait until used Model S get cheap enough to buy for the lads who like to ride around in big, elderly and pimped cars. Now you can buy a big car with supercar acceleration without the fuel costs that make such cars such an expensive hobby. It even comes with a drivetrain guarantee, eliminating another huge cost factor.
Be prepared for regular charging meetups of the local lads and their girls at your local supercharger.

Yes. I pointed this out long ago, and this is definately coming, and sooner than people think. The biggest problem Tesla has is that common foresight is non existent at the management level. The vast majority of their problems were/are easy to see and nip in the bud, but instead they let them continue so long that it finally blows up in their face.

 

[yobigd20]

My "intelligent navigation" directs me to locally supercharge twice daily sometimes more. If they want people to stop using local superchargers daily they need to fix their software first.

 

[yobigd20]

Breathe people,

...

Let's all put on the big-boy pants, point out to Tesla they messed up (pretty sure they know that by now), and put down the pitchforks.

Peace.

 

[TexasEV]

The reason why I have a car in the first place is so that I can go to places other than home. If home is where EVs have to be to charge then they kind of miss the point, don't they?

Do you really not understand? The superchargers are to get to places you want to go to, but that place shouldn't be your local supercharger. When EVs are home they should be charging rather than sitting there overnight doing nothing, assuming you live in a house where you can install a 240V outlet.

 

[Matias]

My "intelligent navigation" directs me to locally supercharge twice daily sometimes more. If they want people to stop using local superchargers daily they need to fix their software first.

LOL

 

[scaesare]

IMHO,
The community of Tesla owners will want to be reasonably responsible for the cost of daily charging or the weight of those that want to freeload will collapse the entire Supercharger Network; as it cannot handle the Supercharger volume and/or the cost of electricity. Yea, I know every Tesla sold is Supercharger enabled. The question is, what does Supercharger enabled give you rights to?
I anticipate if business, outdoor salesmen, Taxis' and for-profit users start lining up at the Superchargers and tagging their daily "Cost of Doing Business" onto the Supercharger network it will be doomed in short order with the anticipated future sales volume.

The cost of commuting to work is also part of the wage compensation and cannot be offloaded to the MS ownership and/or Supercharger network for no additional cost.
Just like Supercharging cannot be used wholesale to supplement business/commercial use of a MS.

Tesla Motors cannot and will not survive if its profits are syphoned off to subsidize other businesses by way of a "free for all" Supercharger network.

Every Tesla is tracked, every event is logged and recorded daily.
Every charging event (date/time/kWh and the location) is recorded so every Supercharge event for each and every MS is logged by Tesla.
Tesla has the records of Supercharger use and knows who is being naughty and nice.
Tesla logs and knows where and how many kWh are charged every time at any location!!

The Supercharger network is an enabler, for long distance personal use and provides an opportunity to drive a MS beyond the battery range for personal use, as a benefit of personal ownership; not for business or commercial use.
Personally, my home charging does not cost me anything because I installed solar and it is convenient to also not have to pay for Supercharging during personal trips, however if there was some nominal $.10-.12 kWh charge it would be worth it just for the speed and convenience of the Supercharger network.

If all this gets your goat, then maybe Tesla Motors and the MS is not the best choice.

Very well put.

 

[NOLA_Mike]

@nola_Mike I wonder where is your old P85+ (Vin 13226) lives these days? does it happen to live at a tesla store next to a SC?

That's an interesting question that I hadn't thought of. After I traded it in (in Houston) it was trucked back to California (I tracked it all the way to Costa Mesa) where it sat until I lost contact with it. Recently I had someone at Tesla look up the VIN and I'm guessing it is being used as a "loaner" in LA because it has about 2,000 miles more on it than when I traded it in and it is still owned by Tesla.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

What do you think of the speculation if Tesla's changes could be aimed at lowering overall Supercharging levels - not just controlling frequent local charging?

I get the sense that Tesla's message on Supercharging has a certain discouraging tone to it. They know they need it, they will continue to build it, but do you think they might worry about overall Supercharging levels, not just about daily local chargers?

Could they for example have a percentage point in mind they would like to reach on average per-car Supercharging?

 

[Matias]

Gas savings calculations in Finnish design studio presumes, that you do 30% of all charging in superchargers.

 

[mknox]

It's not a mass mailing, there's plenty, plenty folks out there that didn't receive it.

Not going back to look at everyone's profile information, but it seems to me that everyone, if not the large majority of folks who got the letter are in California. This is also where most reports of Supercharger congestion are coming from. Maybe we need a Poll by Region where these letters are going.

 

[vdiv]

Do you really not understand? The superchargers are to get to places you want to go to, but that place shouldn't be your local supercharger. When EVs are home they should be charging rather than sitting there overnight doing nothing, assuming you live in a house where you can install a 240V outlet.

Thought I did understand until people started jumping up and down with "charging etiquettes" and "needs" and all kinds of nebulous "rules" and "assumptions" of what one "should" and "should not do", often conflicting, that one has to follow in order to drive an EV.

Should I also wonder why some are so hesitant to get an EV and others are actually giving them up and going back to ICE?

 

[Soolim]

Both people have the capacity to change their situations. The person without a garage can just move, no? (Extreme: yes. But both people have the option of having the capability of charging at home). The person with a garage can install L2 charging.

Both should either be considered as OK (which they are, because it's free supercharging, not free supercharging only if you don't have a garage) or both should be not OK.

News on the Net: Tesla is partnering with parking facilities in Manhattan to provide paid charging to owners having difficulties with apartment charging. if successful this might be a step forward for some apartment/condo owners.

 

[Max*]

News on the Net: Tesla is partnering with parking facilities in Manhattan to provide paid charging to owners having difficulties with apartment charging. if successful this might be a step forward for some apartment/condo owners.

That is great news, and much better than hogging SpCs.