Tesla has made a number of modifications to its Supercharger community, together with including longer cables, to make the expertise smoother as extra non-Tesla EVs be part of the community and complicate issues.
In North America, Tesla has been opening up the Supercharger community to electrical autos from different automakers for the higher a part of the 12 months.
Issues have been shifting slowly, and there are a couple of causes for that.
First off, Elon Musk fired Tesla’s total charging workforce earlier this 12 months, and the corporate needed to rebuild it, together with hiring again some staff. That has slowed issues down.
However Tesla additionally has to take issues a bit slower as a result of non-Tesla EVs utilizing the Supercharger community complicate issues.
We beforehand reported that the very fact many cost ports are positioned at totally different places on the autos than on Tesla autos, that are already on the again of the driving force’s facet.
It forces these EV drivers to park in a manner that blocks one other charging stall when plugging in at a Supercharger.
Longer cables at Supercharger stations are anticipated to repair that, however Tesla has been sluggish to deploy its new V4 stations, that are geared up with for much longer cables.
Tesla has now launched an replace on the state of affairs and the way it’s addressing the state of affairs:
- Making stall availability extra correct than ever – The most recent Tesla software program replace improves the accuracy of stall availability estimates. We will detect when one other EV, with a cost port positioned someplace apart from the rear left or entrance proper, is plugged right into a short-cable Supercharger stall. This replace ensures no extra overpromising of stall availability, so you’ll be able to journey with confidence. We’ll repeatedly refine this algorithm to be as correct as doable, together with precise web site mapping and sooner refreshing of stall availability.
- Growing variety of lengthy cables – Longer cables imply that V4 posts can serve all port places. Within the subsequent 18 months we could have extra lengthy cable than quick cable Superchargers.
- Modifying our websites to keep away from blocked areas – We’ve modified over 1,500 websites in order that drivers by no means have to make use of greater than 2 charging areas to cost, growing stall availability for all.
- Encouraging the most effective cost port places – Since opening up the Supercharger community in Europe in 2021, we’ve inspired automotive producers to transition cost port places to rear left or entrance proper. This supplies seamless compatibility with 30k+ short-cable Superchargers accessible to different EVs globally.
These are all nice updates.
It’s irritating to see on Tesla’s navigation that there are stalls accessible on the Supercharger station you will simply to search out out that the knowledge shouldn’t be correct. In some instances, that may be as a result of there’s certainly a stall the place nobody is plugged in, however you’ll be able to’t park there as a result of a non-Tesla EV is obstructing it, which is OK as per Tesla’s integration of non-Tesla EVs.
It appears like now Tesla is utilizing the info it will get when a non-Tesla EV plugs right into a Supercharger to determine whether or not it have to be blocking the subsequent stall. If that’s the case, that Supercharger shall be marked as non-available.
It in all probability ought to have been achieved from the beginning, however I’m blissful to see it taking place now.
Tesla has additionally disclosed that it’s designing and redesigning stations in order that it wouldn’t occur within the first place.
With Supercharger V4 having longer cables, Tesla now expects to have extra longer than shorter cables inside the subsequent 12 months and a half.
Lastly, Tesla additionally says that it has been encouraging different automakers to position their cost port on the location.
Electrek’s Take
I hope the latter level proves profitable as a result of I feel it’s a no brainer. The cost port must be behind the driving force’s facet.
Some automakers have additionally been utilizing twin ports, most frequently with just one DC fast-charging one, on the driving force’s facet, and one other stage 2 cost port on the suitable facet, which is smart, particularly for road charging in cities.
Nice updates from Tesla Charging.
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