4 ms·

A typical time constant for a supercharger stop is 15 minutes.

by shifter 11y ago

lotharbot 11y ago
according to https://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger https://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger a 30-minute charge will give the vehicle (specifically the model S; they don't have stats up for the 3 yet) 170 miles of range. A 15-minute charge would be a little more than half of that, but not much. Stopping for 15 minutes every ~80 miles would be a moderate inconvenience.
- Gibbon1 11y ago
  I have this rule for timing out how long trips take. Unless it's just me, for every pee and gas stop add 20-30 minutes. If it is just me then it's about 5-10 minutes. I have no idea why the disparity. But it's consistent. Stops for food are at least 1 hour. If you can stop for food and charge the car at the same time a 200 mile range wouldn't be an issue for most people. All this leads up to; when you see significant numbers of electric cars on the road you'll see roadside businesses start to cater to them. That model isn't bad, customer parks, plugs in the car and goes in for snax and coffee. 20 minutes later the smart phone dings saying the car is good go. That's different than having stand around a gas station for 20 minutes.
  - lotharbot 11y ago
    my road trips involve about a 10-12 minute stop every 250-300 miles, and a longer meal stop of about 35-40 minutes if we go over 700 miles for the day. That's with my wife and our six-year-old son. I've traveled with lots of friends who are the same way, and a few people who make much longer stops like the ones you describe. Who is more representative of "most people"? I have no idea. But I wouldn't want to stop for 15 minutes every 80 miles, or 30 minutes every 170 miles.
    - mikeash 11y ago
      I'm impressed that you can go four hours between stops with a wife and kid in the car. I think most people will find the stops to be more than they're used to, but not onerous. You'll probably hit 4-5 chargers in a day of driving. If you can time it right, two of those will coincide with meal breaks, so you're looking at 2-3 where you hit the bathroom, grab a snack, and maybe have to wait a bit on the car. If you make big trips once or twice a year then it can easily be a net win over a gas car. The gas car wins on long trips, but requires ~15 minutes/month at gas stations even when you're just local. In my year of Tesla ownership, I'd say I've lost about two hours total waiting for a charge, and gained about that much not going to gas stations.
      - lotharbot 11y ago
        > "it can easily be a net win over a gas car" oh, I agree. I just don't see it as a win over a plug-in hybrid with a gas generator, yet. In ~6 months of ownership of a Volt, I've been to the gas station about 4 times (all on a trip to/from another state) at 5-10 minutes per stop, and have never lost time waiting for a charge. The supercharger network is a nice step, and combined with electric vehicles with a 200+ mile range, we're a step closer to electric vehicles becoming the norm. But there are still obstacles to be overcome -- still some inconveniences that are better solved by other technologies.
        mikeash 11y ago
        That does sound like a pretty good compromise. I wanted a plug-in hybrid for a long time, but never found one that was good enough for what I wanted, and finally ended up with the Tesla instead. I don't think it's inherent to the technology (although the gas engine takes up some space), but everything on the market was just too small, especially in terms of cargo. Apparently the Volt has a whole 10ft^3 of trunk space? I think it's just because everybody besides Tesla is still aiming for the compact, economical, Prius-like market.
        kalleboo 11y ago
  - r00fus 11y ago
    I see so much of this in France... The "aire" stops are super awesome and many have restaurants... If they had super chargers in addition to the gas stations it'd be a lot like what you're describing.
mikeash 11y ago
You might have one that short from time to time, but typical is 20-30 minutes in my experience.
- shifter 10y ago
  Interesting, on a trip from the Bay Area to Tahoe, it's about 15 minutes each. I stand corrected :-)

A typical time constant for a supercharger stop is 15 minutes.

by shifter 11y ago

A typical time constant for a supercharger stop is 15 minutes.

according to https://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger https://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger a 30-minute charge will give the vehicle (specifically the model S; they don't have stats up for the 3 yet) 170 miles of range. A 15-minute charge would be a little more than half of that, but not much. Stopping for 15 minutes every ~80 miles would be a moderate inconvenience.

Gibbon1 11y ago
I have this rule for timing out how long trips take. Unless it's just me, for every pee and gas stop add 20-30 minutes. If it is just me then it's about 5-10 minutes. I have no idea why the disparity. But it's consistent. Stops for food are at least 1 hour. If you can stop for food and charge the car at the same time a 200 mile range wouldn't be an issue for most people. All this leads up to; when you see significant numbers of electric cars on the road you'll see roadside businesses start to cater to them. That model isn't bad, customer parks, plugs in the car and goes in for snax and coffee. 20 minutes later the smart phone dings saying the car is good go. That's different than having stand around a gas station for 20 minutes.
- lotharbot 11y ago
  my road trips involve about a 10-12 minute stop every 250-300 miles, and a longer meal stop of about 35-40 minutes if we go over 700 miles for the day. That's with my wife and our six-year-old son. I've traveled with lots of friends who are the same way, and a few people who make much longer stops like the ones you describe. Who is more representative of "most people"? I have no idea. But I wouldn't want to stop for 15 minutes every 80 miles, or 30 minutes every 170 miles.
  - mikeash 11y ago
    I'm impressed that you can go four hours between stops with a wife and kid in the car. I think most people will find the stops to be more than they're used to, but not onerous. You'll probably hit 4-5 chargers in a day of driving. If you can time it right, two of those will coincide with meal breaks, so you're looking at 2-3 where you hit the bathroom, grab a snack, and maybe have to wait a bit on the car. If you make big trips once or twice a year then it can easily be a net win over a gas car. The gas car wins on long trips, but requires ~15 minutes/month at gas stations even when you're just local. In my year of Tesla ownership, I'd say I've lost about two hours total waiting for a charge, and gained about that much not going to gas stations.
    - lotharbot 11y ago
      > "it can easily be a net win over a gas car" oh, I agree. I just don't see it as a win over a plug-in hybrid with a gas generator, yet. In ~6 months of ownership of a Volt, I've been to the gas station about 4 times (all on a trip to/from another state) at 5-10 minutes per stop, and have never lost time waiting for a charge. The supercharger network is a nice step, and combined with electric vehicles with a 200+ mile range, we're a step closer to electric vehicles becoming the norm. But there are still obstacles to be overcome -- still some inconveniences that are better solved by other technologies.
      - mikeash 11y ago
        That does sound like a pretty good compromise. I wanted a plug-in hybrid for a long time, but never found one that was good enough for what I wanted, and finally ended up with the Tesla instead. I don't think it's inherent to the technology (although the gas engine takes up some space), but everything on the market was just too small, especially in terms of cargo. Apparently the Volt has a whole 10ft^3 of trunk space? I think it's just because everybody besides Tesla is still aiming for the compact, economical, Prius-like market.
        kalleboo 11y ago
- r00fus 11y ago
  I see so much of this in France... The "aire" stops are super awesome and many have restaurants... If they had super chargers in addition to the gas stations it'd be a lot like what you're describing.

mikeash 11y ago

You might have one that short from time to time, but typical is 20-30 minutes in my experience.

shifter 10y ago
Interesting, on a trip from the Bay Area to Tahoe, it's about 15 minutes each. I stand corrected :-)