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This is why it is so important for stations to support sharing power between stalls via shared cabinets. Lowering the cost per stall makes it much easier to ins
by _ea1k 3y ago
This is why it is so important for stations to support sharing power between stalls via shared cabinets. Lowering the cost per stall makes it much easier to install additional posts to limit the impact of that problem.
IIRC, Tesla is currently installing ~2,400 stalls per year in the US. It could be higher now as the rate tends to trend up over time.
Of course, lots of third parties are ramping up now too (Pilot, Flying J, Circle-K, and the non-EA/Wal-Mart branded sites).
- rpmisms 3y agoTesla already does this.
- _ea1k 3y agoI know, and it has been a significant advantage for them. Others have been using a similar approach recently too (EA "balanced" chargers, Kempower, newer Chargepoint setups, and quite a few others).
- throwaway894345 3y agoWouldn't it make more sense for manufacturers to ... put the charge port in the same spot?
- ascorbic 3y agoOr make the cables a bit longer, like all the other chargers do.
- stbenjam 3y agoFront center (like the LEAF) or passenger side makes most sense to me (for street parking), but it's just a free-for-all right now.
- vel0city 3y agoPutting it in the front means its more likely to take damage. No thanks. Putting it on the passenger side means I need to walk around the car nearly every time even though I pretty much never street park the car. No thanks.
- somehnguy 3y agoIdea: put 2 on the car, opposite each other. Provides redundancy in the event one is damaged & increases usability by not being fussy about the specific parking situation.
- gambiting 3y agoYeah but we both know it will cost more than $0 so it's impossible to implement :-P
- theluketaylor 3y agoPorsche Taycan has optional AC charge ports on both sides. DC charging is single side.
- gambiting 3y agoBut it also means it's on the correct side for buyers in right hand drive countries.
- _ea1k 3y agoYes, and I believe Tesla proposed that >5 years ago. The industry chose to make it a free for all instead.
- m463 3y agothey could just leave the superchargers as they are - and the industry would fix the cars (to the benefit of all society going forward).
- throwaway894345 3y agoI agree, and I have to think that's what will happen. Other EVs in North America have already consolidated around the Tesla charging standard, and it would be a really frustrating customer experience if customers are unable to charge because there are no charging stations with two adjacent free spots (and even then, I think most people won't want to feel like the jerk who is taking up two free spots) or else an open spot on the end.
- sib 3y agoI mean, after 120+ years that's still not the case for gas filler ports, so I don't hold out hope...
- bombcar 3y agoGas filler ports is actually an advantage being a free-for-all, because it means that roughly half are on one side, and half the other, which fits pumps quite nicely. The problem is when 80% or more are on one side (like Teslas are all on the same side now) and the rest are not.
- bluGill 3y agoMaybe, maybe not. I expect to see trailers come with range extender batteries (very useful for RVs where those batteries can also provide power for whatever you do when there) this means ports on the back, but those will not be accessible when towing so you want one in front too... The important thing to take away from this is we are still figuring out details and so should not lockin yet.
- throwaway894345 3y agoHonestly I think that RVs are kind of a worst-case for batter power, and range extender trailers are unlikely because EVs get progressively less efficient as the battery capacity increases (increasing battery capacity increases the weight). When you're starting with something as heavy as an electric RV, attaching even more weight seems unlikely to pay off. (Now I'm curious if the relationship between range and battery capacity is merely sublinear or if it actually peaks at some point i.e. there is a maximum theoretical range beyond which increasing battery capacity reduces range)
- m463 3y agoDoes the toilet paper go over the top or under the bottom? Does the gas port go on the side opposite the exhaust? diesel trucks figured it out - you can pump from either side (or both).
- MBCook 3y agoOr you could just make the cable a little longer, like they did with the V4s.
- m463 3y agoI kind of wonder if that will lead to all kinds of issues, like tangled cables and cables that get run over.
- MBCook 3y agoThe version four chargers aren’t much longer based on what I can tell from the pictures I’ve seen. And really I think that’s probably enough. It’s not like anyone’s putting the charge port in the middle of the roof. The cables at Electrify America and some other places are often much longer and it doesn’t seem to be a big issue. The only issues I’ve seen with the cables themselves are some form of sabotage like someone cutting them off or breaking the connector.
- _ea1k 3y agoAgreed. The cables don't have to be _that_ much longer. Although I do think they are going to need a little bit of a redesign of the v4 cabinet. I'm hearing that the holster design isn't working all that well in real world use.