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At least in the seattle area it doesn’t feel like the supercharger density is keeping up with sales of cars. AFAIK there have only been super chargers built aro

At least in the seattle area it doesn’t feel like the supercharger density is keeping up with sales of cars. AFAIK there have only been super chargers built around the periphery of the region in the last few years and many existing chargers are older lower power chargers. The east side (Bellevue, Redmond, etc), which has a HUGE EV following, with Teslas everywhere, has precisely zero super chargers. We happen to live near one of the few high power super chargers in the entire region. Three years ago there were always charge spots. Now there are often 6-10 cars waiting for a charger in a parking lot not designed for queuing. I see anger and rage regularly, and I would wager sooner or later there will be fights and maybe worse. The $1 fee feels fine to me, though. It’s a rare need to go to 100%, it’s not great for the batteries themselves, and that last 10% can be the majority of the charge time. I do wonder how they will handle cars like mine with free supercharging for the life of the car. We don’t even have a credit card registered with Tesla.

filoleg 3y ago
> The east side (Bellevue, Redmond, etc), which has a HUGE EV following, with Teslas everywhere, has precisely zero super chargers. What are you talking about? I literally used one yesterday in Bellevue downtown, iirc it was built at some point during the beginning of Covid. Just checked the supercharger map to confirm, and there are also superchargers in Issaquah and Bothell available.
- fnordpiglet 3y ago
  Oh I didn’t realize the Pay 2 Park location was a supercharger. It’s pretty low power (72Kw) and the label (Pay 2 Park) confused me thinking it was a destination charger. However bothell and issaquah are a good 20 min drive, and 8 72Kw stalls for the entire Kirkland, Redmond, Bellevue, Mercer, New Castle region is crazy. It’s not like there’s no lack of parking lots in these areas, and there’s absolutely a critical mass. I’d note Bothell and issaquah are also 72Kw chargers, Lynnwood and Northgate are the only north east seattle metro area 250 chargers. Edit: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/forums/northwest-supercharger-locations.372/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/forums/northwest-supercharge... Looks like quite a few new locations breaking ground including in Kirkland and Bellevue.
rs999gti 3y ago
> supercharger density is keeping up with sales of cars I thought most Tesla owners were rich enough to have charging at home?
- fnordpiglet 3y ago
  Well, considering it comes with a normal wall adapter, anyone with a home is rich enough I guess. But the key is when traveling it’s useful, and if you have a condo or apartment, you won’t have home charging. Some, like me, got a promotion for lifetime super charging - so I never charge at home, which saves me thousands of dollars a year. I would also note you can get used teslas, even higher end ones like model s, for $20k or less, which isn’t unaffordable. Because the batteries can last decades and the mechanics are so simple they effectively last forever it’s a pretty good care 10 or 15 years later.

filoleg 3y ago

> The east side (Bellevue, Redmond, etc), which has a HUGE EV following, with Teslas everywhere, has precisely zero super chargers. What are you talking about? I literally used one yesterday in Bellevue downtown, iirc it was built at some point during the beginning of Covid. Just checked the supercharger map to confirm, and there are also superchargers in Issaquah and Bothell available.

fnordpiglet 3y ago
Oh I didn’t realize the Pay 2 Park location was a supercharger. It’s pretty low power (72Kw) and the label (Pay 2 Park) confused me thinking it was a destination charger. However bothell and issaquah are a good 20 min drive, and 8 72Kw stalls for the entire Kirkland, Redmond, Bellevue, Mercer, New Castle region is crazy. It’s not like there’s no lack of parking lots in these areas, and there’s absolutely a critical mass. I’d note Bothell and issaquah are also 72Kw chargers, Lynnwood and Northgate are the only north east seattle metro area 250 chargers. Edit: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/forums/northwest-supercharger-locations.372/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/forums/northwest-supercharge... Looks like quite a few new locations breaking ground including in Kirkland and Bellevue.

rs999gti 3y ago

> supercharger density is keeping up with sales of cars I thought most Tesla owners were rich enough to have charging at home?

fnordpiglet 3y ago
Well, considering it comes with a normal wall adapter, anyone with a home is rich enough I guess. But the key is when traveling it’s useful, and if you have a condo or apartment, you won’t have home charging. Some, like me, got a promotion for lifetime super charging - so I never charge at home, which saves me thousands of dollars a year. I would also note you can get used teslas, even higher end ones like model s, for $20k or less, which isn’t unaffordable. Because the batteries can last decades and the mechanics are so simple they effectively last forever it’s a pretty good care 10 or 15 years later.