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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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Elon Musk

Tesla Board Chair discusses what is being done to protect CEO Elon Musk

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Credit: xAI

Tesla Board Chair Robyn Denholm met with Bloomberg this morning to discuss a variety of topics, but perhaps one of the most interesting was her comments on what is being done to protect company CEO Elon Musk.

After the assassination of right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk this week, there have been concerns about Musk’s safety, as well as that of other high-profile business leaders and political figures.

Earlier this week, Musk said himself that his security detail would be increased significantly following Kirk’s death, a move that many investors and fans of the company had requested because of political violence.

Elon Musk assures Tesla investors he will enhance his security detail

“Definitely need to enhance security,” Musk said. Tesla spent $3.3 million on Musk’s security in 2024 and January and February 2025. For reference, Meta spent over $27 million on Mark Zuckerberg’s security last year, which is higher than any other tech CEO.

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During Denholm’s appearance on Bloomberg TV earlier today, she stated that the company has been focused on Musk’s security detail for “many years,” especially considering he is one of the richest people on Earth and holds an incredible amount of influence.

“It is something that we take very seriously; he takes it very seriously as well. So, again, from a board perspective, it is something we’ve discussed at length,” Denholm said.

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Denholm added that she believes “there is not anyone in a boardroom that is not touched by what has happened with Charlie Kirk.”

Although Musk’s political involvement has toned down significantly in the past, he still has enemies, especially based on groups that oppose him and the company specifically. Based on this week’s events, it feels that increased security is a necessary expense Tesla must account for.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla bear turns bullish for two reasons as stock continues boost

“I think from a trading perspective, it looks very interesting,” Nathan said, citing numerous signs of strength, such as holding its 200-day moving average and holding against its resistance level.

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Credit: Tesla Manufacturing

A Tesla bear is changing his tune, turning bullish for two reasons as the company’s stock has continued to get a boost over the past month.

Dan Nathan, a notorious skeptic of Tesla shares, said he is changing his tune, at least in the short term, on the company’s stock because of “technicals and sentiment,” believing the company is on track for a strong Q3, but also an investment story that will slowly veer away from its automotive business.

“I think from a trading perspective, it looks very interesting,” Nathan said, citing numerous signs of strength, such as holding its 200-day moving average and holding against its resistance level.

He also said he believes a rally for the stock could continue as it heads into the end of the quarter, especially as the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit is coming to an end at the end of the month.

With that being said, he believes the consensus for Q3 deliveries is “probably low,” as he believes Wall Street is likely underestimating what Tesla will bring to the table on October 1 or 2 when it reports numbers for the quarter.

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Tesla shares are already up over five percent today, with gains exceeding nine percent over the past five trading days, and more than fourteen percent in the past month.

While some analysts are looking at the performance of other Mag 7 stocks, movement on rates from the Federal Reserve, and other broader market factors as reasoning for Tesla’s strong performance, it appears some movement could be related to the company’s recent developments instead.

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Over the past week, Tesla has made some strides in its Robotaxi program, including a new license to test the platform in the State of Nevada, which we reported on.

Tesla lands regulatory green light for Robotaxi testing in new state

Additionally, the company is riding the tails of the end of the EV tax credit, as inventory, both new and used, is running extremely low, generally speaking. Many markets do not have any vehicles to purchase as of right now, making delivery by September 30 extremely difficult.

However, there has been some adjustments to the guidelines by the IRS, which can be read here:

Tesla set to win big after IRS adjusts EV tax credit rules

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Tesla is trading at around $389 at 10:56 a.m. on the East Coast.

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Tesla lands regulatory green light for Robotaxi testing in new state

This will be the third state in total where Tesla is operating Robotaxi, following Austin and California.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has landed a regulatory green light to test its Robotaxi platform in a new state, less than three months after the ride-hailing service launched in Texas.

Tesla first launched its driverless Robotaxi suite in Austin, Texas, back on June 22. Initially offering rides to a small group of people, Tesla kept things limited, but this was not to be the mentality for very long.

It continued to expand the rider population, the service area, and the vehicle fleet in Austin.

The company also launched rides in the Bay Area, but it does use a person in the driver’s seat to maintain safety. In Austin, the “Safety Monitor” is present in the passenger’s seat during local rides, and in the driver’s seat for routes that involve highway driving.

Tesla is currently testing the Robotaxi platform in other states. We reported that it was testing in Tempe, Arizona, as validation vehicles are traveling around the city in preparation for Robotaxi.

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Tesla looks to make a big splash with Robotaxi in a new market

Tesla is also hoping to launch in Florida and New York, as job postings have shown the company’s intention to operate there.

However, it appears it will launch in Nevada before those states, as the company submitted its application to obtain a Testing Registry certification on September 3. It was processed by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles Office of Business Licensing on September 10.

It will then need to self-certify for operations, essentially meaning they will need to comply with various state requirements.

This will be the third state in total where Tesla is operating Robotaxi, following Austin and California.

CEO Elon Musk has stated that he believes Robotaxi will be available to at least half of the U.S. population by the end of the year. Geographically, Tesla will need to make incredible strides over the final four months of the year to achieve this.

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