What Tesla Doesn't Tell You About Supercharging 

The Tesla Owner jackets are killing me.

One thing I like with your videos is that you don't spend minutes "begging" for support, like coffee, t-shirts, hats, etc etc. And most importantly hardly ever wining and wining. Always on the topic and a good balance! Well done.... And all the best.

When charging, it should show on the screen in plain english, “YOU’RE SHARING A CHARGE WITH STALL X AND WILL ONLY REACH X KW/h” until the other stall frees up, simple code

Tesla already reduces the "max charge limit" to 80% when the supercharger is in demand ... it would be nice if they also explained "your charging rate is limited by ... " (cold / sharing / battery age / battery charge level)

As a future Tesla owner this was very helpful

I will be doing my first long road trip in my new Model 3 in a couple of weeks. These tips are very helpful. Thanks fellas.

Thanks for the time and effort it took to make this video!

What wonderful west coast coverage there must be when you can decide "which supercharger" you want to visit...

Great video with a lot of useful information! One thing I would add is that the map icon info showing the number of cars charging at a supercharger is sometimes inaccurate.

Thanks for comparing ABRP to the Tesla trip planner. Didn't realize there was such a difference.

Super useful. I did not know this. I'm taking delivery on Thursday so this is very good to know.

Drove from New Jersey to Disney World in November with my Model 3 Performance. At first I let the Tesla GPS set my charging stops but after the first stop I realized I had over 20% battery when I arrived and could have easily made the next one along I-95. So after that I manually picked each one until I found the one with the closest to 10% charge when arriving. That worked better for me. Oh, and if you have to stop at the Savannah Georgia station, it is at the airport. Just navigate to it inside the parking garage. When leaving go to the far left toll booth with your parking ticket. They will not charge you for being there.

Another thing I take into consideration is the number of chargers at a given supercharger location. I have found that it is not uncommon for one and sometimes 2 of the chargers to be down. If there are a larger number of stations available at a given location, you have a better chance of being able to immediately charge.

Happy with my Tesla too, but...those jackets though.... 😂😂

Two additional notes for urban drivers. First, as you said, the urban chargers max out at 72kW, so will charge more slowly, although I use this to my benefit, as regular chargers don't give me enough time for a meal :-) Second, urban chargers are often located in the parking garages in malls, and there are often parking fees -- for example the one at the Prudential parking garage in Boston costs $12 minimum, plus charging costs; this is not well reflected in any of the tools offered by Tesla or A Better Route Planner.

We noticed at Tejon Superchargers this Thanksgiving that 2-3 chargers were available, intermittently. When we arrived there was a line through the parking lot (a problem during the heavy traffic on Thanksgiving). The intermittent 2-3 chargers was due to cars constantly pulling out and the number of chargers.

GREATTTTTT info gentleman. I just got a model 3 and I enjoy it. Thank you for the good knowledge.

When traveling, especially to new destination, I always to try to put an extra 10-15% in the battery just in case you run into that could cause an increase in power usage or change of route. it's always good to know if there are other chargers you can go to if needed.

Excellent explanation! Excited that there is a V3 going in at Mackinaw City in Michigan!

This was very helpful. Thanks guys.

A little trick for people coming to a slightly more northern region (like Quebec). If you arrive in winter at a Supercherger terminal, first choose a terminal that has just been released at a free terminal. Thus, if the terminal has just been released, it is still hot, so will transmit the maximum power faster than a terminal that must itself warm up before it can deliver its power.

Ok does anyone remember in school when 3 kids used to turn on the faucet simultaneously and as soon as one let go the other 2 saw an increase of water stream? That's pairing in the modern Tesla supercharging era...

More superchargers are needed ASAP. having done two road trip additional chargers and locations are absolutely essential to make travelling less stressful. When a supercharger is down ...stress..range anxiety.. options can be extremely limited

Loved this video! I did not know about a Better Route Planner and just downloaded it to plan a trip from Indianapolis to San Jose. The Tesla app gets you to your destination but without any charge. Good to know about the "pairing" at charging stations. And no, I like to have a bit more than 10% when I arrive for charging. Thanks for the vidoe!

Colorado needs more Super Chargers they are all so far from each other and Lone tree is always full. I saw in Denver West they are building a 18 stall.

A recap for veteran owners but still great information for all the new owners out there - about 360,000+ worldwide in 2019! Disclaimer - I am/we are LONG TSLA!

What a huge pain for a road trip. Too many hoops to jump through. I've seen road trips that have added six and seven hours to a trip. Living in a cold climate in rural U.S. like I do the technology is not there yet. It only works for people in large metropolitan areas who do Limited driving. I. Not against EV's, they just need to advance, and come down in price to make them feasible.

I just took delivery yesterday!! Taking my family on a road trip to visit the in-laws in Omaha Nebraska from Colorado. Which Nebraskan superchargers do you enjoy the most? Recommendations on what to do at the chargers?

Thank you for this! Dont know where I'd he without your tips! I get my model 3 in Feb 😁

Also, not all Supercharger Staions are the same, here in San Diego there's one where if people have to wait and they're new here they're not aware that a queue starts at the East end while the other end is a bottleneck for traffic.

I find the stall availability can be quite stale (of course it changes quickly). Also, you omitted showing folks where they can see the “1A/1B” markings on the stall. It’s a bit subtle.

If Tesla ever does an Apple-like app store, both Waze and A Better Route Planner using the car maps will be huge bestsellers.

This was very usefull, thank you

As always great content guys

Great video guys thanks

you guys do a good job

Good information. Thanks.

As someone noted in an earlier post, I have been at a SuperCharger and it says there are 6 out of 8 stations in use, that is rarely the case. I think that the number of red marks for the number of outlets in use is updated couple times an hour. Pulled into one that said 6 out of 8 in use, and there was one other car. Probably was 6 earlier, but they weren't there when I was. Also, it has shown 0 being used, I showed up, plugged in and 15 minutes later, still shows up as 0.

Sharing of power from same source it reduces the load imbalances and harmonics in the power system

the jackets remind me of the 80"s "members only" jackets LOL!

I love your videos! I've seen ya around Colorado before, and I cannot wait to own a Tesla!

Sure wish the superchargers had a red light when they are broken. It sucks watching people waste time over and over while I charge in an adjacent stall

Thank you.

Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. Namaste and Thank You for All your efforts to support this Great Cause 🙏🏻 😊 🌈 ✌ 🌷 ☮️ ❤️

Good tips guys, thanks. Question: If I pull into a stall and I’m the only one using one of the two chargers on that pair and I get the full 150, what happens if someone pulls in and hooks up to the other one? Will mine drop down from the 150? If so, about how much will I lose? Thanks Greg

Tesla can actually update the map software to give you the option to select the state of charge limit for each station or apply the limit to all, like 80%.

Just picked up my Tesla model S! 🎉

On the V3 Superchargers, is there a reason why the 250-kW rate may be short-term? Rather than continuous throughout battery charging. Thanks!

** Correction ** Raven Model S/X can charge up to 200 kW maximum on V3 superchargers! All older Model S/X are limited to ~150 kW maximum. :)

You need a CCS adapter for US. So you can charge at Electrify America. Model 3 peaks at 200 kW.... Would be perfect for Holiday Season

One advantage of having more battery available is power for unexpected issues such as a traffic jam, terrible weather, a flat tire or some combination of those. Having just enough power causes a ton of stress that can be prevented with anothrr 15 mins or so in remote locations. I've owned my own trucking company and designed my own auxiliary power unit (gas generator). I have saved my own ass about 10 times by having extra gasoline available for the issues i just mentioned in extreme heat and cold. My new July/Aug 2023 MY (7 seat) I'll apply that same idea.

I appreciate these informative videos you guys put up. Although I don’t have a Tesla yet I will soon and these videos extremely are helpful, keep it up!

Very informative

My P85+ had an optional second on-board charger so it was capable of 59 mile range per hour of charge in my 80A garage HPWC. Not sure if that would make any difference at one of the new SC.

Can Supercharger miles be used for merchandise or parts?

Good video. 1. Does the Tesla nav take into account ambient temperature or time of year when calculating range? 2. Preparing for my first trip. Per your recommendation, I now have an ABRP account but can’t figure out how to tie that in to my Tesla account. Should I and if so, how? 3. Can ABRP get any personal or credit card info in my Tesla account? Thanks.

On the topic of charging, since the Model 3 uses CCS in Europe, why didn't Tesla update the cars to use CCS instead of Chademo. Our area has few Superchargers, but there are multiple CCS chargers. I hope Tesla is planning to send an update soon that allows CCS charging.

I charge to 95 percent before long trip then use Tesla Navigation system. I improvise from there based on battery soc when arriving at supercharger. If Tesla navigation has me stopping at a supercharger with high soc I use the system to reroute to another super charger along the way. Ideally I like to stop between 5-10 percent soc.

Raven X can charge to 200kW btw. I've tried with my mom's Raven X compared to my pre-raven S which is capped at around 160kW on a V3 station.

Great info. Thanks Erik and David. You do a great job with the videos. Getting rid of the ice machines this month for 2 model 3s. One lr and one p. Taking delivery of the first one on Wednesday. Can’t wait!

Attention off-grid folks: :Tesla advises to keep your car plugged in when not in use )ie when you get home from work). But like me, what if you do NOT have a 110 service, I live off-grid in a house I built myself, There are separate and redundant systems for each area: living room kitchen, bathroom etc. I bought my long range model 3 on June 2, 2021 in Portland OR and charged it 100% in Bend Oregon. (356 miles) I live 135 miles east in Christmas Valley and arrived with 219 miles. Over the course of the next three days I drove less than 8 miles a day but every morning I showed a loss of an additional 20 miles. Tesla explained that one can never shut the Tesla off as there are numerous component that require power. I got a bit nervous as I only had 150 miles of range left and the nearest Supercharger was in Klamath Falls Oregon 130 miles west. I made it with 12 miles of range remaining. So range is an elusive number. It depends on your use of the air conditioner and how often you make it go super fast. Prior to purchasing my model 3 I asked all over the internet how I could use the sun to charge at home. (True, I could have gone a mile or so to a neighbor to charge overnight but elected not to.) So here is my solution: I bought 8 one hundred watt solar panels i wired in parallel to make 24 volts and then in series (four 24 volts) which cost about $800 with the cables and clamps. An MPPT charge controller accepting 12 or 24 volts which cost $279, two 12 volt deep cycle batteries costing $280 and a 10,000 watt modified sine wave inverter costing $229. Cables and fuses cost another $134, For a grand total of $1801. This inverter provides 220 volts and charges 28 miles per hour.Anyone living off grid with no access to 110 might find my solution will work for them. In short you may not need to visit a supercharger that often.

Thanks

Are you not able to set a max charge (i.e. 80%) and have the app (or a different app) calculate the charging stations to account for that? I don't own one yet, still researching, so I'm just curious how that works. I've seen some videos where the Tesla app showed an odd route plan.

Press and hold the button on the charge handle to release it.

Is there anyway to adjust when the car wants a charge? For example is it possible to set the car to want a charge when it is less than 30%? Like an ICE car displaying the low fuel light when it has like 3-50 miles left in the tank.

Just learning about ev's. Do you start loosing functionality when your battery gets low? Is there a reserve cell in case your battery dies or do you need a tow? Are the prices the same at these superchargers? Roughly how long does it take to charge? Are you actually saving money verses gasoline especially when you add value to your time? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to learn.

Cool vid! The abstract Ocean code doesn't work btw.. says "expired" .. any other codes?

A very helpful and engaging video. Thanks. However it struck me that of all the places to film myself - a gas station would be very low down on the list (just saying). I guess we all need a 21st century mindset.

They have V3 chargers on most the interstates now in Arizona such as 10 and 40 But last i knew of they were still installing. So if you are in, or passing through, Arizona you may be able to use the V3 or V2. Tesla X and 3 Owner here

Enjoyed your video, but it is unfortunate that charging stations work only for certain brands of EVs. Is it possible to buy an adapter to let me charge a Chevy Bolt EV at a Tesla charging station?

With A Better Route Planner do you need to buy a CHAdeMO adaptor? Does it plan for stops that are non-Tesla chargers?

Seeing the active number of stalls are actually heavily delayed I think it’s about 20 mins off U was there when it said it was 6 of 8 and no one was s there. I kept monitoring it while I was charging and it was roughly 20 mins off from what it showed available vs people

What is the route planner your recommended ?

How are the chargers paired? Back to back or side by side? Are the chargers identified in a way that shows they are paired, A1 and A2?

If you're driving into a headwind and it's a 0° out with the heaters going you will get half the mileage it says, and all that glass makes a great thermal conduction for that heat to leave the cabin. I love Tesla but it is what it is

The "nearest supercharger" function in the app doesn't work well. On road trips it seems like it's always lagging behind, showing ones I've already passed rather than the nearest ones ahead of me. The on-screen maps seem to be the only place where I can look ahead and see how many stalls are available. I'd also like to be able to use the app to look in any area (not just close to me) as I'm planning my trip, for example, I know I'm going to passing through the Thousand Oaks to Atascadero area around 2 PM tomorrow so at 2 PM the day before I'd like to be able to see which superchargers are least busy at that time of day. The only way I know to do that is to use the on-screen map in the car. If anyone knows a better way please tell me.

WIsh more Tesla owners would check-in and give feedback on Plugshare. Plugshare can give you up to date status of Superchargers and any issues with them.

Hi, first commend here but I always watch your videos, does that 3rd party website take in considerations uphills and downhills? I went to lake tahoe last summer and I almost run out of battery because I was going uphill most of the time and the tesla screen miscalculated my final destination estimate, regards and looking forward for your reply

Looking in 2020 to buy a Model 3, i'm lucky enough to have a small bed & breakfast directly opposite my house, like 20 metres from my yard....they have a Tesla Supercharger HAHAHAHA awesome!

What if my credit card is maxed out or doesn't work for some other reason, can I pay cash when recharging my Tesla? Can I put money on my Tesla account through some other means such as at a Bank or Albertson's grocery store? What if something goes wrong at the charging station, is there a re-charging station attendant who can help me get re-charged? Does Tesla pay for a tow truck to a Tesla dealer like the gasoline fueled automobile companies (Ford, Chevrolet, etc. )?

If you runout of charge is there a way to charge/jump in an emergency?

I live in nh and in Tilton nh there’s a v3 charger I. Was getting over 700 miles an hour.

Thanks for the great info... but why do you have ur seatbelt on.

Great video, but one thing not mentioned: What are the economics of using a supercharger vs charging at home?

My question is can you supercharge at 40 percent to 70 percent or should you drain your battery to 20 below first ?

And what I find interesting about these supercharging station for Tesla is that basically you have to stay there to charge the car. It will not let you take off for some reason and that's why I say that if you're going to charge the car stay there with the car so that when it's done charging then you can take off! And that's helped Tesla's self-driving cars are going to do. The same way the regular touch with will have to do basically fully charged!

I mean the info is available. I googled , RU-vidd everything about my model 3. So I knew it all even before I bought the car.

Some very good info here. I do want to ask you if you know first about the Norway law suits now Dec 2021;Tesla lost for lowering charing rates to 90 Kw - they said they were doing it to preserve battery life - is that happening in the USA now? You also mentioned the issue with splitting charger capacity; don't a lot of these chargers get reserved? Can you choose which one you get or is that done by the systems?

Someone mentioned camp mode to reduce energy being used while charging and you are inside the car. Anyone heard of that? New M3 owner 😍

Share with Tesla your 'INTENT' from your road trip plan to use specific supercharger at the estimated time of arrival. Information from other users, combined, would give more accurate availability estimate at the time when you actually arrive vs. availability in the present moment?

what happens if you run out of battery? Can a tow truck give you a jump?

I have seen anyone explain why the battery needs to be preconditioned when you are on a trip - doesn't driving keep it warm and if not why doesn't the BMS keep it at optimal temp. and therefore optimal range??

Where can i get one of those jackets?

The Raven S/X’s max out at 200Kw charging speed

Wish they’d release a queuing and problem option that links to all nearby Teslas enroute to that Supercharger. Example: 2/10 available* (*Stall 2A and 4B reported problem) Queue Active: 2 vehicles in queue, average wait 12 minutes

what about if you are in a store and charging completes but can't make it to the car in time to move; can you keep increasing the range so it starts charging again so it does not charge idle fees? what is best method or trick for this?

Don’t think we have A Better RoutePlanner yet here in Australia. You cannot afford to skip Superchargers here in an SR+ as they are about 200kms apart. Also the number of chargers in use on the App is totally bogus here. Some always say 4 of 6 available but when you arrive there is nobody there.

just so i understand, if you go to paired supercharger and you're the first one there, your charging speed won't be reduced if car #2 shows up?

My guess why Tesla is so hesitantly installing V3 Superchargers is that they have an even more powerful "V4" in the works, so it actually would then make sense to wait till these are in production.

where do you guys get those cool Tesla Owners jackets?