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The Battle of the Supercharger: Congestion in the face of increased Model 3 production

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Tesla Supercharger in Allentown, PA

The will they or won’t they argument about free Supercharging for life with Model 3 has been debated backward and forward. Fears have been accelerated since last week’s news of an ambitious goal to get 100,000-200,000 Model 3 vehicles on the road in 2017. Elon’s exact words at the unveil have been analyzed and rehashed time and time again. I won’t venture to assume I know what Tesla will decide, or even give my opinion on how they should price or restrict access. What I can say is that we need a strategy and we need it fast. I call it: etiquette education.

We needn’t mince words here. We’re all adults. We also needn’t take sides on the already exhaustive debate of whether or not it’s proper to charge locally just to save a few bucks. (Opponents argue it’s contrary to the point of chargers, while those for it stand on the ground that they paid for “free for life” access.) All we need to do is spell out good etiquette. I mean really spell it out.

Truth 1: Superchargers are intended to enable long distance travel.

Rule 1

Travel on the network as often as you like, anywhere your 4 wheels can take you.

 

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Truth 2: Superchargers are for charging, not parking.

Rule 2

Charge as much as you need, or even a bit more, then promptly move your vehicle. Do not park overnight, do not go on a shopping spree and absolutely do not use it as a premium parking space without even plugging in.

Oxnard Supercharger

Tesla Model X at the Oxnard, CA Supercharger via app check-in

Truth 3: Charge rates dramatically slow down after you’ve reached approximately 90% charge. You will thus occupy a stall for much longer than you did for any other 10% portion of your charge.

Rule 3

Do not charge beyond 90% at a Supercharger unless you absolutely need it to get to your next destination (including a buffer of course) or there are many other open stalls.

 

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Truth 4: Waiting in line to charge when you’re on a road trip can derail plans, exacerbate tiredness from traveling, and would all around suck.

Rule 4

If you are charging close to home (whether returning from a road trip or otherwise) and have enough to get there, stay with your car and immediately vacate if or when all of the stalls at that location are occupied.

Tejon Ranch Supercharger

Long queues known to form around the Tejon Ranch Supercharger

Truth 5: Someone out there either needs or wants to save a few bucks on electricity. Someone out there has no home charging solution available. Someone out there accidentally fried their home charger with a failed DIY attempt and can’t get it fixed until next week.

Rule 5

If intending to visit a local charger just for the sake of charging (eg: not returning from a trip), do so off peak. Do not go during known commuting hours, holidays or busier weekend hours. Plan to charge in the evening, mid-weekday or early morning hours. (Tesla should consider releasing peak charging times per SC location for this and trip planning purposes.) Also refer to rule 2. If you fall into the camp of visiting a local charger just for sake of charging, do not leave your vehicle unattended. Immediately vacate the charging space if or when all of the stalls at that location are occupied.

Truth 6: Tesla knows or can figure out who uses local Superchargers “rather aggressively.”

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Rule 6

You may receive a warning letter – with attached peak charging schedule for your local location – that you have been identified as using your local charger aggressively. The letter will remind you that the Supercharger network was intended to enable long distance travel, set Tesla apart from the rest of the industry and bring in sales which ultimately benefits us all and provides funds for additional chargers. (Okay, this one is speculation and wishful thinking on my part. But I think this paired with a rigorous educational program as spelled out above would go a long way.)

No, Model S and X owners don’t deserve some kind of priority and shouldn’t bellyache about the presumed onslaught of Model 3 drivers hogging up all the chargers. After all, a successful Tesla Motors is good for everyone. However even today, we all need a stern lecture on proper Supercharger etiquette and Tesla should feel no shame in very clearly spelling it out to us and the rest of the world. Education is the missing piece here, not some complicated pay-per-use or tiered charging access.

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Tesla investors will be shocked by Jim Cramer’s latest assessment

Jim Cramer is now speaking positively about Tesla, especially in terms of its Robotaxi performance and its perception as a company.

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Credit: CNBC Television/YouTube

Tesla investors will be shocked by analyst Jim Cramer’s latest assessment of the company.

When it comes to Tesla analysts, many of them are consistent. The bulls usually stay the bulls, and the bears usually stay the bears. The notable analysts on each side are Dan Ives and Adam Jonas for the bulls, and Gordon Johnson for the bears.

Jim Cramer is one analyst who does not necessarily fit this mold. Cramer, who hosts CNBC’s Mad Money, has switched his opinion on Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) many times.

He has been bullish, like he was when he said the stock was a “sleeping giant” two years ago, and he has been bearish, like he was when he said there was “nothing magnificent” about the company just a few months ago.

Now, he is back to being a bull.

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Cramer’s comments were related to two key points: how NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang describes Tesla after working closely with the Company through their transactions, and how it is not a car company, as well as the recent launch of the Robotaxi fleet.

Jensen Huang’s Tesla Narrative

Cramer says that the narrative on quarterly and annual deliveries is overblown, and those who continue to worry about Tesla’s performance on that metric are misled.

“It’s not a car company,” he said.

He went on to say that people like Huang speak highly of Tesla, and that should be enough to deter any true skepticism:

“I believe what Musk says cause Musk is working with Jensen and Jensen’s telling me what’s happening on the other side is pretty amazing.”

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Tesla self-driving development gets huge compliment from NVIDIA CEO

Robotaxi Launch

Many media outlets are being extremely negative regarding the early rollout of Tesla’s Robotaxi platform in Austin, Texas.

There have been a handful of small issues, but nothing significant. Cramer says that humans make mistakes in vehicles too, yet, when Tesla’s test phase of the Robotaxi does it, it’s front page news and needs to be magnified.

He said:

“Look, I mean, drivers make mistakes all the time. Why should we hold Tesla to a standard where there can be no mistakes?”

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It’s refreshing to hear Cramer speak logically about the Robotaxi fleet, as Tesla has taken every measure to ensure there are no mishaps. There are safety monitors in the passenger seat, and the area of travel is limited, confined to a small number of people.

Tesla is still improving and hopes to remove teleoperators and safety monitors slowly, as CEO Elon Musk said more freedom could be granted within one or two months.

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Tesla launches ultra-fast V4 Superchargers in China for the first time

Tesla has V4 Superchargers rolling out in China for the first time.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla already has nearly 12,000 Supercharger piles across mainland China. However, the company just initiated the rollout of the ultra-fast V4 Superchargers in China for the first time, bringing its quick-charging piles to the country for the first time since their launch last year.

The first batch of V4 Superchargers is now officially up and running in China, the company announced in a post on Chinese social media outlet Weibo today.

Tesla China teases arrival of V4 Superchargers in 2025

The company said in the post:

“The first batch of Tesla V4 Superchargers are online. Covering more service areas, high-speed charging is more convenient, and six-layer powerful protection such as rain and waterproof makes charging very safe. Simultaneously open to non-Tesla vehicles, and other brands of vehicles can also be charged. There are more than 70,000 Tesla Superchargers worldwide. The charging network layout covers 100% of the provincial capitals and municipalities in mainland China. More V4 Superchargers will be put into use across the country. Optimize the charging experience and improve energy replenishment efficiency. Tesla will accompany you to the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas with pure electricity!”

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The first V4 Superchargers Tesla installed in China are available in four cities across the country: Shanghai, Zhejiang, Gansu, and Chongqing.

Credit: Tesla China

Tesla has over 70,000 Superchargers worldwide. It is the most expansive and robust EV charging network in the world. It’s the main reason why so many companies have chosen to adopt Tesla’s charging connector in North America and Europe.

In China, some EVs can use Tesla Superchargers as well.

The V4 Supercharger is capable of charging vehicles at speeds of up to 325kW for vehicles in North America. This equates to over 1,000 miles per hour of charging.

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Elon Musk hints at when Tesla could reduce Safety Monitors from Robotaxi

Tesla could be reducing Safety Monitors from Robotaxi within ‘a month or two,’ CEO Elon Musk says.

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Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | X

Elon Musk hinted at when Tesla could begin reducing Safety Monitors from its Robotaxis. Safety Monitors are Tesla employees who sit in the front passenger seat during the driverless rides, and are there to ensure safety for occupants during the earliest rides.

Tesla launched its Robotaxi fleet in Austin last Sunday, and after eight days, videos and reviews from those who have ridden in the driverless vehicles have shown that the suite is safe, accurate, and well coordinated. However, there have been a few hiccups, but nothing that has put anyone’s safety in danger.

A vast majority — close to all of the rides — at least according to those who have ridden in the Robotaxi, have been performed without any real need for human intervention. We reported on what was the first intervention last week, as a Safety Monitor had to step in and stop the vehicle in a strange interaction with a UPS truck.

Watch the first true Tesla Robotaxi intervention by safety monitor

The Tesla and UPS delivery truck were going for the same street parking space, and the Tesla began to turn into it. The UPS driver parallel parked into the spot, which was much smaller than his truck. It seemed to be more of an instance of human error instead of the Robotaxi making the wrong move. This is something that the driverless cars will have to deal with because humans are aggressive and sometimes make moves they should not.

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The Safety Monitors have not been too active in the vehicles. After all, we’ve only seen that single instance of an intervention. There was also an issue with the sun, when the Tesla braked abnormally due to the glare, but this was an instance where the car handled the scenario and proceeded normally.

With the Robotaxi fleet operating impressively, some are wondering when Tesla will begin scaling back both the Safety Monitors and Teleoperators that it is using to ensure safety with these early rides.

CEO Elon Musk answered the inquiry by stating, “As soon as we feel it is safe to do so. Probably within a month or two.”

Musk’s response seems to confirm that there will be fewer Teleoperators and Safety Monitors in the coming months, but there will still be some within the fleet to ensure safety. Eventually, that number will get to zero.

Reaching a point where Tesla’s Robotaxi is driverless will be another significant milestone for the company and its path to fully autonomous ride-sharing.

Eventually, Tesla will roll out these capabilities to consumer-owned vehicles, offering them a path to generate revenue as their car operates autonomously and completes rides.

For now, Tesla is focusing on perfecting the area of Austin where it is currently offering driverless rides for just $4.20 to a small group of people.

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