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Tesla has consistently said the Supercharger Network is open for any manufacturer to adapt. " "Tesla is aware of these problems. CEO Elon Musk first floated th

by xedeon 7y ago

Tesla has consistently said the Supercharger Network is open for any manufacturer to adapt. " "Tesla is aware of these problems. CEO Elon Musk first floated the idea of sharing its Supercharger network in 2015, but with only a few hundred Superchargers operating at the time, the proposals did not gain any momentum." "Tesla’s chief technology officer JB Straubel has strongly suggested that plans are now underway. He said to Electrek: ‘For things like Supercharger, we are actively talking to other carmakers and we are trying to figure out a structure to work with them.’" From: https://autovistagroup.com/news-and-insights/tesla-points-opening-its-supercharger-network-other-carmakers https://autovistagroup.com/news-and-insights/tesla-points-op... But instead of doing that, other manufacturers designed much inferior alternatives that are a UI/Customer experience nightmare to use. Tesla Supercharger: 1. You pull up. 2. get out of the car. 3. Plug-in the cable and charge. It's that simple and intuitive. You get billed from your Tesla account. Because the transaction is tied to your VIN. Other EV/High Speed charging: 1. You pull up. 2. Get out of the car. 3. Figure out how to use the menu. 4. Grab your wallet to either pay via card or RFID. 5. Pay and cross your finger it works. 5. Finally you can charge.

Spivak 7y ago
I feel like you're painting the second option as bad when it's exactly the same flow as buying gas. Nothing about paying for electricity needs an account and more than buying gas does. I agree that Tesla's system is pretty slick but the alternative isn't bad.
- jsight 7y ago
  When your stops are 15-20 minutes instead of 5, every small reduction is even more critical.
- NickM 7y ago
  In theory yeah it shouldn't be that bad. In practice there are many different third-party charge providers, and they all have their own RFID cards you have to order in advance after setting up accounts and adding payment methods and whatnot. Or if you don't have the special RFID card that matches the station you want to charge at, you might be able to download an app and set up an account on your phone, but a lot of charging station apps are buggy and hard to use. Many of these third-party charging stations are also unreliable, or only have one or two plugs which may be occupied when you show up. In practice the whole third-party charging ecosystem is just a mess and the Supercharger network has none of these problems.
  - Spivak 7y ago
    Holy hell the future is awful. How did these companies manage to mess up "swipe your credit card for electricity?"
- bradly 7y ago
  The alternative is worse. It doesn't really matter if it is the same as ICE. Every time I use my credit card at my local gas station it asks me if I'd like add my phone number to receive text ads. Every time. Telsa is not going to let that happen. People are paying for a premium for electric cars still and that premium should come with something better than the alternative. Telsa has delivered on that. The concern is that traditional car companies aren't. Telsa made the decision early to own the process from beginning to end. Just as Steve wanted with Apple when he came back. They do not want to be dependent on a third party for their customer's experience with their products and their dedication has shown through the lifetime ownership of their vehicles.
  - xedeon 7y ago
    Not only that, thieves are very crafty nowadays with skimmers even with card that have EMV chips. I remember being paranoid everytime I would gas up and check the pump because I have been skimmed once. All of that is eliminated on Superchargers. Another benefit I forgot to mention: "The company also doesn’t take advantage of the extra travels during states of emergency and it generally offers free Supercharging in the affected areas." https://cleantechnica.com/2018/11/12/tesla-opens-up-free-supercharging-for-customers-in-areas-affected-by-california-wildfires/ https://cleantechnica.com/2018/11/12/tesla-opens-up-free-sup... Imagine getting free gas during a calamity to get safely to your destination.
gowld 7y ago
"The difficulty of submitting payment for fuel" isn't something that customers have been too concerned about in the century-long history of gas stations.
- xedeon 7y ago
  Whenever a customer experience a new paradigm that makes sense, the old habit seems so outdated and inconvenient. Just imagine yourself not having to go to a gas station to fuel for a year, because you can charge at home every night. You wouldn't want to go back.
- Already__Taken 7y ago
  This from the country where you still pay in the station some fixed amount before you then go fill up? Do some states still ban you filling your own car? People never used to have difficulty phoning each other too.

by xedeon 7y ago

Spivak 7y ago

I feel like you're painting the second option as bad when it's exactly the same flow as buying gas. Nothing about paying for electricity needs an account and more than buying gas does. I agree that Tesla's system is pretty slick but the alternative isn't bad.

jsight 7y ago
When your stops are 15-20 minutes instead of 5, every small reduction is even more critical.
NickM 7y ago
In theory yeah it shouldn't be that bad. In practice there are many different third-party charge providers, and they all have their own RFID cards you have to order in advance after setting up accounts and adding payment methods and whatnot. Or if you don't have the special RFID card that matches the station you want to charge at, you might be able to download an app and set up an account on your phone, but a lot of charging station apps are buggy and hard to use. Many of these third-party charging stations are also unreliable, or only have one or two plugs which may be occupied when you show up. In practice the whole third-party charging ecosystem is just a mess and the Supercharger network has none of these problems.
- Spivak 7y ago
  Holy hell the future is awful. How did these companies manage to mess up "swipe your credit card for electricity?"
bradly 7y ago
The alternative is worse. It doesn't really matter if it is the same as ICE. Every time I use my credit card at my local gas station it asks me if I'd like add my phone number to receive text ads. Every time. Telsa is not going to let that happen. People are paying for a premium for electric cars still and that premium should come with something better than the alternative. Telsa has delivered on that. The concern is that traditional car companies aren't. Telsa made the decision early to own the process from beginning to end. Just as Steve wanted with Apple when he came back. They do not want to be dependent on a third party for their customer's experience with their products and their dedication has shown through the lifetime ownership of their vehicles.
- xedeon 7y ago
  Not only that, thieves are very crafty nowadays with skimmers even with card that have EMV chips. I remember being paranoid everytime I would gas up and check the pump because I have been skimmed once. All of that is eliminated on Superchargers. Another benefit I forgot to mention: "The company also doesn’t take advantage of the extra travels during states of emergency and it generally offers free Supercharging in the affected areas." https://cleantechnica.com/2018/11/12/tesla-opens-up-free-supercharging-for-customers-in-areas-affected-by-california-wildfires/ https://cleantechnica.com/2018/11/12/tesla-opens-up-free-sup... Imagine getting free gas during a calamity to get safely to your destination.

gowld 7y ago

"The difficulty of submitting payment for fuel" isn't something that customers have been too concerned about in the century-long history of gas stations.

xedeon 7y ago
Whenever a customer experience a new paradigm that makes sense, the old habit seems so outdated and inconvenient. Just imagine yourself not having to go to a gas station to fuel for a year, because you can charge at home every night. You wouldn't want to go back.
Already__Taken 7y ago
This from the country where you still pay in the station some fixed amount before you then go fill up? Do some states still ban you filling your own car? People never used to have difficulty phoning each other too.