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New Tesla Buyers Will Have To Pay To Use Superchargers (theverge.com)

Tesla has updated its Supercharging Network of free fast-charging stations. Customers who purchase Teslas after January 1st, 2017, will be required to pay "a small fee to Supercharge." The fee itself "will be charged incrementally and cost less than the price of filling up a comparable gas car." The Verge reports: Current Tesla owners with Supercharger-equipped cars will be able to use the stations for free for the life of those vehicles, and a Tesla spokesperson tells The Verge that the free charging will transfer to successive owners. Customers who buy Teslas after that January 1st cutoff will be afforded 400 kWh of free Supercharging credits each year, good for about 1,000 miles, according to Tesla. The company says it will release more details about the change later this year, but added that "prices may fluctuate over time and vary regionally based on the cost of electricity." "Our Supercharger Network will never be a profit center," the company wrote in a blog post about the change. Tesla says that, by losing less money on providing free electricity at these stations, that the fees will subsidize the continued expansion of the Supercharger network. The Superchargers allow for a full charge in about 75 minutes or a half charge in about -- much faster than the standard Level 1 or Level 2 chargers found around the U.S. -- and Tesla has built 734 Supercharger stations (with nearly 5,000 chargers) since the network was started in 2012.

174 comments

  1. or a half charge in about -- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Keep up the good work editors

    1. Re:or a half charge in about -- by el+borak · · Score: 2

      Yeah, that's pretty sloppy. From the original article, the number dropped was "30".

      --
      An imperfect plan executed violently is far superior to a perfect plan. -- George Patton
  2. Woo hoo, 1,000 free miles! by JoeyRox · · Score: 3, Funny

    That should almost cover the miles back and forth to the dealership for the higher-than-industry average service issues and recalls.

    1. Re:Woo hoo, 1,000 free miles! by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Tesla doesn't have dealers.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:Woo hoo, 1,000 free miles! by bhcompy · · Score: 0

      Read between the lines, Lieutenant Literal. OP means a Tesla Service Center. I won't go into the details of why "dealership" and "service center" are joined in the American lexicon, but, rest assured, your pedantry doesn't serve any purpose.

    3. Re:Woo hoo, 1,000 free miles! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would you expect that the vehicle wouldn't be charged up at the repair shop while it's being worked on? While electricity isn't free, it's really cheap, and likely a _far_ smaller cost than the parts and/or labor.

      Given that Tesla runs its network of chargers at a loss, there's no reason to expect that they wouldn't consider a gratis battery top-up in exactly the same way ICE repair shops consider gratis coffee in the waiting room.

      In short, vote parent -1: Troll, please. :)

    4. Re:Woo hoo, 1,000 free miles! by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      Read between the falsehoods

      FTFY

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
  3. Parse Error: Expected \d+, got -- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The Superchargers allow for a full charge in about 75 minutes or a half charge in about 30 minutes

    FTFY

  4. Missing golden opportunity... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Build them by highways... with food/recreation/etc., places, since people have to stay there for $X time anyway, generate revenue/profit from other things folks will be doing while waiting for their cars to charge. FREE is a hard price to beat---and most folks wouldn't just sit for an hour---they'd want things to do---things they don't already mind paying for. So free charge gets them to show up...

    1. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 1

      They already are. Stores are popping up around them. Tesla built one here off the highway near 2 closed gas stations. There are now 2 restaurants within walking distance. Every time we stop there we see more and more Teslas. Another one I know of is near a grocery store, bus stop and restaurants. You could easily explore cities via public transit while your Tesla charges.

    2. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by dasgoober · · Score: 1

      So, even if your re-charge is free, you end up spending money on food or stuff to pass the time.

    3. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If they combine these stations with the usual highway fare, customers can charge their e-car and get gas too!

    4. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      within walking distance

      What a peculiar way of saying "next to it".

    5. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by Trogre · · Score: 1

      Can I charge my Leaf there, or is this massive vendor lock-in?

      --
      "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
    6. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by Overzeetop · · Score: 1

      Seriously - it's a total waste. If you didn't have to stop and charge, you could just go without eating. Or groceries. Food is just a waste of money. Soylent and gasoline is the real future.

      --
      Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
    7. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      And end up having to say no to the kids 100 times. no way.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    8. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      superchargers use higher current that leaf is not designed for, your leaf would burn if you attached it ... you could probably use "normal" tesla stations, but, i am sure free offer is only for tesla owners

    9. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Men used to marry their girl children off young.

    10. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by Trongy · · Score: 3, Informative

      You can't currently charge a Nissan Leaf at a Tesla supercharger. The Nissan leaf uses the japanese CHAdeMO charging standard for DC fast charging. Teslas can also use CHAdeMO chargers with an adaptor. Teslas don't charge as fast on a CHAdeMO charger.

      Elon Musk has spoken about opening up the Tesla charging stations to other models of EV in the future once a billing mechanism was in place. This was the motivation behind his release of Tesla patents so that other manufacturers can use them at no cost. He wants to other car makers to build Tesla charger compatibility into their cars. As yet there are no signs of any other manufacturer doing this. Japanese manufacturers have put a lot of investment in CHAdeMO over many years.

      Musk could also convert his charging stations to support multiple charging standards. At the moment there seems to be an impasse when it comes to charging compatibiltiy.

    11. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by bored · · Score: 1

      When I'm on a long road trip, I don't usually want to stop for more than the time it takes to fill my tank. Hanging around some highway intersection/rest area isn't really high on my list of fun. I usually want to get to my destination as soon as possible.

      Frequently that means, starting the pump, running inside for a bio break, and to pick up more caffeine or some terrible food to go. Frequently, I can get in/out in ~5 minutes.

      Of course I'm apparently strange and drive 12+ hour legs on my road trips (welcome to the midwest US), so spending an hour filling up, can easy move a 12 hour trip into the 15 hour range..I can easily see this moving a two day trip into three.

    12. Re: Missing golden opportunity... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hello blog clots.

    13. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your comment that Teslas don't charge as fast on CHAdeMO could be misinterpreted - Teslas charge as fast as the CHAdeMO charger allows but existing CHAdeMO "fast" chargers are only half as powerful as Tesla Superchargers which are 135 kW vs 63 kW for CHAdeMO. Maybe the CHAdeMO should be called medium speed chargers.

    14. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by Trogre · · Score: 1

      Good to know, thanks.

      --
      "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
    15. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      The problem is that there is already a lot more non-Tesla infrastructure installed and manufacturers aren't just going to add a third charging system to their cars (they already have one rapid DC and one slower AC option).

      In Japan and the UK the CHAdeMO standard is most common, especially Japan. Not sure about the US, but I think Nissan installed quite a few there too. In the rest of Europe they seem to prefer CCS. Then you have Tesla's standard.

      Many chargers are already dual or even triple head, offering CHAdeMO, CSS and sometimes 22kW three-phase AC. It turns out that the added cost of the connectors and comms protocols is not that much compared to the rest of the unit which is basically a variable AC/DC converter, so I think the most likely outcome in future is that chargers support multiple systems rather than all cars have the same system.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    16. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by Pentium100 · · Score: 1

      If you didn't have to stop and charge, you could just go without eating.

      If you didn't have to stop and charge, you could just eat at your destination, presumably cheaper. Or eat less and be not as fat (at least for some people).

      I actually target this at myself. If it took 30 minutes (or more) to fill up the gas tank in my car, I would eat some fast food (or whatever the gas station offers) since I have nothing better to do while waiting. OTOH, since it takes me only a few minutes to fill the tank (with me standing near the car holding the hose), buying food at a gas station becomes an additional delay in my trip (fill the tank, eat, continue to drive the car), since I do not eat while driving. So I do not buy it unless I am really hungry.

    17. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      massive vendor lock-in?

      Bro, this is Slashdot. Vendor lock-in is a GOOD thing when Google, Tesla, or any Android vendor do it, and an unmitigated abhorrent disaster when Apple, Microsoft, or Oracle does it.

      Get with the times. That vendor lock-in preventing you from charging your Leaf is for your own good. Just sell your Leaf and buy a Tesla, for christ's sake.

    18. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by torkus · · Score: 1

      So you're the exception (12+ hour non-stop trips) to the exception (with a vehicle that can drive 12 hours without a refuel) to the exception (takes frequent long trips that this is a major concer) to the exception (can own/afford a tesla).

      Also, a 75 min recharge is not 3 hours (15-12).

      Oh, and who says it has to be a highway intersection? You don't need smelly gas pumps and awkward structures for all the fire suppression and storing 10,000 gallons of highly flammable liquid. You can put them in a park just as well as a parking lot.

      --
      You can get rich if you own a politician, but you have to be rich to buy one in the first place.
    19. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They could always partner with Apple and build charging dongles....

    20. Re:Missing golden opportunity... by bored · · Score: 1

      I'm not saying I go that far on a single tank. I can only go about 380 miles on a tank.

      So, my calculation for the tesla is based on the idea that instead of stopping ~2 times for hour.

      Hence a trip that I can do in a single day becomes multiple days.

  5. That's how it always works by fustakrakich · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The first one is always free...

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  6. So they change the model 3 preorder conditions? by NotInHere · · Score: 1, Informative

    I'm not even sure whether this is legal. Or probably it is, because tesla lawyers have made it part of the preorder conditions.

    1. Re:So they change the model 3 preorder conditions? by j2.718ff · · Score: 1

      I'm not even sure whether this is legal. Or probably it is, because tesla lawyers have made it part of the preorder conditions.

      Nobody has preordered a model 3 yet. A preorder would require an existing product, or at least a list of available specs. So far, people have merely reserved a place in line to make a preorder.

    2. Re:So they change the model 3 preorder conditions? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      I'm pretty certain the model 3 was never going to have free supercharger access.

      In fact, a quick search shows that I wasn't remembering wrong:
      https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/234896-no-free-lunch-tesla-model-3-owners-will-pay-for-supercharger-access

    3. Re:So they change the model 3 preorder conditions? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Informative

      No, they said that the Model 3 would have the capability to supercharge but not that it would have free supercharging. The hardware to support it is there, just like most other EVs have some kind of rapid charging capability, but there was never a promise of free electricity.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    4. Re:So they change the model 3 preorder conditions? by EvilSS · · Score: 1

      I'm not even sure whether this is legal. Or probably it is, because tesla lawyers have made it part of the preorder conditions.

      You are not sure if it's legal to not change the preorder terms and conditions (since the model 3 was always going to have to pay for supercharger access, and existing order for other models are not affected)? I'm pretty sure that's perfectly legal thing to do actually.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    5. Re:So they change the model 3 preorder conditions? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except Tesla never said the Model 3 would include free supercharging and no one has paid anything for the Model 3 that they can't get back with a click of a button.

    6. Re:So they change the model 3 preorder conditions? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not even sure whether this is legal. Or probably it is, because tesla lawyers have made it part of the preorder conditions.

      I was wondering when /. would "lift this article" from other sources, and a poor job at that (ever heard of "copy & paste?"), and post it here so we could all listen to the whiny crybabies scream about being "butt hurt" by this change?

      Geez!! The same whiny crybabies scream about places that don't offer free Wi-Fi for them to "mooch".....

    7. Re:So they change the model 3 preorder conditions? by AK+Marc · · Score: 1

      They had explicitly announced that future purchases will (eventually) not include lifetime supercharger access. Somehow, living up to a published announcement is fraud, at least to the Tesla haters.

  7. Better cost a LOT less by rfengr · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It had better cost a hell of a lot less than filling up a comparable gas car.

    1. Re:Better cost a LOT less by HBI · · Score: 1

      Well, should be a pretty straightforward calculation of what 300 miles of juice cost in kwh by your local electric price. Where I live, it would be a little less than $10. So, therefore, Tesla can be competitive to a $25 tank of gas.

      --
      HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
    2. Re:Better cost a LOT less by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      It had better cost a hell of a lot less than filling up a comparable gas car.

      Why? You're acting as if it was the only source of energy instead of just a convenience option. The percentage of Tesla owners who actually use superchargers is actually quite small so it won't make a real difference even if it does cost as much as filling up a normal car.

    3. Re:Better cost a LOT less by rfengr · · Score: 1

      For a long road trip, it is the only source of energy. At least that was the point of the supercharger; put them along interstates between large cities. Than again, I don't even own an electric car. I suppose though that if the supercharger is the only thing between you and running out of juice, you'll pay through the whazoo. Electricity for cars is supposed to be cheap, nowhere near comparable to a gas fill-up.

    4. Re:Better cost a LOT less by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      For a long road trip, it is the only source of energy.

      No it's not. The first 240-310 miles will probably be done with power from a home charge. That's likely to be a high percentage of most long trips.

    5. Re:Better cost a LOT less by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wonderful, that's roughly $1.60 less than what I'd pay for 300 miles worth of gas for my 6 year old Tacoma.

    6. Re:Better cost a LOT less by guruevi · · Score: 1

      So you pay ~$12 for 20 gallons of fuel ($0.60/gallon)? Where the hell do you live, gas is at least 3 times as expensive.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    7. Re:Better cost a LOT less by Kjella · · Score: 1

      It had better cost a hell of a lot less than filling up a comparable gas car.

      Because...? These superchargers are the most expensive and worst way to charge a battery, they're necessary to cover long distances reasonably quickly but 145 kW power circuitry does not come cheap. Both for their own costs and warranty of battery Tesla wants these superchargers to be the last resort when you've used up all other possibilities of source and destination charging. The location of the first superchargers were quite clearly picked to be really out of the way so most people didn't just go there for free electricity, it made sense passing through but not to visit for a free charge. By switching to this model they avoid the locals using it to charge all year long and can start building them closer to population centers. It's easier to find power supply and it helps people who for some reason forgot to charge or the charger was defective or whatever. Today you might wait a really long time if you've put yourself in a bad spot, in the future you'll just need enough juice to limp to the charger not entirely unlike ICE cars.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    8. Re:Better cost a LOT less by geekmux · · Score: 1

      Wonderful, that's roughly $1.60 less than what I'd pay for 300 miles worth of gas for my 6 year old Tacoma.

      That is what you find today. Let us know how you feel when you're back to paying $3.50+/gallon. You know, as they choose to raise the rates because the election is over. Or because the sky was blue on a Tuesday.

      In the meantime, look at the average electric cost per kWh across a decade or three to see why non-volatile pricing can easily create considerable benefit.

    9. Re:Better cost a LOT less by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Two decades ago my electricity bill was 1/8th what it is right now. Gas was 1/2 what it is now.

      Are you suggesting that I should stick to gas, because it goes up in price a lot slower?

    10. Re:Better cost a LOT less by FrankSchwab · · Score: 1

      Using an off-peak electic rate of $0.044 / kWh, it'll cost me about $2.64 to get roughly 215 miles of range. If I were to use the nationwide average rate of $0.12 / kWh, it'll cost me about $7.20.

      Driving my 32 MPG Honda Civic will take about 6.72 gallons of gas to go 215 mile. At current, historically low, gas prices (say, $2.25), that's at least $15.

      It's safe to say that electric vehicles are already obscenely cheaper than driving an economy car - anywhere from 1/2 to 1/5 the fuel cost per mile.

      --
      And the worms ate into his brain.
    11. Re: Better cost a LOT less by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Average gas prices in the US was just over a dollar a gallon on 1996. Today it is just under 3 dollars.

      Average electric price was 8 cents a kilowatt-hour. Today it is 12 cents.

      If you're paying eight times higher in your bill, that seems to be a usage issue, not a billing one.

    12. Re:Better cost a LOT less by Hadlock · · Score: 1

      Premium gas that goes in to my girlfriend's german car costs $3.50 a gallon in San Francisco right now. Slightly more actually. Just filled up Saturday for about $46 in a ~12 gallon tank. About $3.80/gal.
       
      We pay about 20c per kw/h here residential. If you can get the price of electricity to under $3.00 per electric-equivalent gallon that's very compelling for city dwellers.

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
    13. Re:Better cost a LOT less by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      For a long road trip, it is the only source of energy.

      No it's not. Take a solar panel. Plug it into a normal outlet. Ask the hotel for a normal charging point. Feed it with a diesel generator. There are MANY sources of energy.

      Doing interstate roadtrips is also not the primary purpose nor the main design critera for a Tesla even further reinforcing that the superchargers are nothing more than a convenience, which can be easily seen by the number of countries happily selling the things without even having a supercharger.

    14. Re: Better cost a LOT less by ruir · · Score: 1

      This comment is spot on. Many people do not realize that they pay 3 to 8 times the average price of electricity if they let on all the time their A/C and/or water heating units.

    15. Re: Better cost a LOT less by geekmux · · Score: 2

      This comment is spot on. Many people do not realize that they pay 3 to 8 times the average price of electricity if they let on all the time their A/C and/or water heating units.

      Many people are also being rather ignorant about modern designs and efficiency, and not replacing that 20-year old A/C unit in favor of a high-SEER model that consumes half as much.

      It's amazing what you find when you start digging through the breaker box with a meter to find the problems associated with high electric bills.

    16. Re: Better cost a LOT less by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Take a solar panel? Lol at you fucking leftist, hipster, morons.

    17. Re: Better cost a LOT less by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >If you're paying eight times higher in your bill, that seems to be a usage issue, not a billing one

      No, just a government problem:

      Skip to page 7: http://www.sustainableprosperity.ca/sites/default/files/publications/files/What%20is%20Happening%20to%20Ontario%20Electricity%20Prices%20March%207%202012_FINAL.pdf

      3.5 cents per kwh in the 80s, without the additional distribution costs and debt retirement charges that are added to your bill today.

      Today's price:

      http://www.ontarioenergyboard.ca/OEB/Consumers/Electricity/Electricity+Prices

      18 cents per kwh. Plus additional new fees (which didn't exist in 1990) that bump that up to 21 - 25 cents per kwh. Over 6x the price.

      You should count yourself very lucky to have such cheap electricity.

      And 1984 gas prices:

      http://globalnews.ca/news/1604493/shell-brings-back-1984-gas-prices-to-celebrate-anniversary/

      39.9 cents per litre. Today's price that I drove by: 98.9 cents. Over 2x the price. Even at the highest I ever saw in my area (1.30 cents per litre) it's still just over 3x the price per litre.

    18. Re:Better cost a LOT less by torkus · · Score: 1

      Use 25mpg (2015 average for new cars) and $2.21/gallon (today's national average) for gas gives you 9c/mile for fueling a gas car.

      Tesla Model S goes ~35kWh/100mile or 350Wh/mile and use 12c/kWh (national average) gives you get 4c/mile for an EV.

      So you're looking at about half the fueling costs using some rough numbers. Plenty of variables of course ... but i'm intentionally ignoring the outliers and focusing on the average.

      Plus there's a number of garages and parking options that offer free recharging.

      --
      You can get rich if you own a politician, but you have to be rich to buy one in the first place.
    19. Re: Better cost a LOT less by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, just a government problem:

      TWO Decades ago.

      I might let you fudge the data to the early 1990s or so, but you're going for three decades.

      Bit much. But even ignoring, that your problems seem to be local, rather than national or structural.

      If you want to address that, you can, but again, I point to the California example above, it can often be misleading who is to blame. Everybody was freaking out over how the TERRIBLE government of California had not let a new power plant be built in years, wringing their hands over the pollution controls, and lambasting Sacremento.

      It wasn't.

      Then, a few months later, we find that it was a problem happening in Houston, at the headquarters of a company called Enron.

      Maybe your problem is really in some corporate boardrooms.

    20. Re:Better cost a LOT less by rfengr · · Score: 1

      Oh BS. The whole selling point of the Tesla is the +200 mile range. I live in Kansas City. The next big city west is Denver at 540 miles, which is 9 hours. The next city east is St. Louis at 240 miles, a 4 hour trip. Am I going to plug into a 120V, 15A outlet for +24 hrs in central KS. No, I will use a supercharger. Despite what people say in this thread, the superchargers are for road trips. Look at the f'in map; they are long interstates.

    21. Re:Better cost a LOT less by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      The whole selling point of the Tesla is the +200 mile range.

      Which it can achieve on a single charge.
      Which also is a selling point in the countries where Teslas are sold but no super chargers are available.

      It really isn't that hard to understand. If you regularly drive interstate then don't buy it. Really simple. I mean do you buy a small compact Smart car for your offroading? Do you buy a Dodge Ram3500 for a small commute to a tiny European town where the streets are just barely over 2m wide and not one way?

      Telsa is a car that is sold on it's own, it stands on it's own, the supercharger is a convenience feature for those people who can't get it through their heads that cars have always been special purpose and just because it's now electric they start shaking at the thought of not being able to do absolutely everything with it.

    22. Re:Better cost a LOT less by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      starting price of a Honda Civic (from their website): 16,390. Lets just take a few option and let it cost 20,000.

      starting price of a Tesla Model S (from their website): 66,000.

      Price difference is 46,000. Gas prices are historically low and you pay 15 for 215 miles. Just imagine the price will triple 50$ for 215 miles.
      66,000/50*215 = 283,800 miles you have to drive before the Tesla Model S will break even with the Honda Civic. And I've upped the prices for the Honda (more than triple your gas price).

  8. Pull the other one. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    "Our Supercharger Network will never be a profit center,"

    WAAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

    That's up there with:

    Don't worry, I'll pull out.
    Once this toll road is paid off, it will be free for all to use.
    Your Social Security number will never be used for any other purpose.
    Linux will never have binary logging.

    1. Re:Pull the other one. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Once this toll road is paid off, it will be free for all to use.

      Beltway 8. What a scam. And now 99...

    2. Re:Pull the other one. by JediJorgie · · Score: 2

      We do not know for sure, but my guess is that if never will be a profit center. They will charge just enough for it to pay for itself.

    3. Re:Pull the other one. by BasilBrush · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You don't understand Musk. He's already made the big fortune that gives him everything me might desire for the rest of his life. Many billionaire's can't turn that off though, and keep seeking to make more and more money. Not Musk. Musk is motivated by changing the world. That's why he's doing Tesla and Space X and the rest.

      He's already given away his patent rights on all technology in the superchargers, free for any competitor. That is not the action of a man with a plan to make money from superchargers.

    4. Re:Pull the other one. by Waccoon · · Score: 1

      Good for him, and I appreciate what he does.

      But, I'm not naive, and I still think a person with his responsibility deserves to be under a magnifying glass.

    5. Re:Pull the other one. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is not the action of a man with a plan to make money from superchargers

      nope, but he's all-in with something bigger than what is essentially a 'gas station' for a very small number of automobiles..... solar and batteries

    6. Re: Pull the other one. by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      Given I'm in my 50s, it's not me that doesn't understand the world because of inexperience. It's the stupid AC. He can't even guess someone's approximate age.

    7. Re:Pull the other one. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Musk is motivated by changing the world. That's why he's doing Tesla and Space X and the rest.

      Tesla really is the new Apple. It has the same kind of deluded fanboyism.

    8. Re:Pull the other one. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ha ha ha , please stop it hurts.

      If you believe that I have a bridge you might like!!!!.

    9. Re:Pull the other one. by Major+Blud · · Score: 1

      and keep seeking to make more and more money. Not Musk.

      Soooo....that's why the superchargers cost money now?

      --
      If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
    10. Re:Pull the other one. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It will cost to use them because you are receiving energy/building out infrastructure, but the technology to build them or the matching systems in the cars are FREE of royalties (ie, zero cost patent usage). Apples and oranges. That's like complaining you have to pay for your fries at the local McDonalds. See, stupid comparison :P

    11. Re: Pull the other one. by randallman · · Score: 1

      AC,

      There's no way you can know Musk's history and NOT come to the same conclusion as the BasilBrush. The story of SpaceX's beginning is insane, consisting of Russians, rockets, bags of money, and balls of steel. Your easy dismissal reeks of ignorance. I'll get off your lawn now.

    12. Re:Pull the other one. by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      A proportion of the power from superchargers comes from the grid. That's not free. Nor is the ground the supercharger is built on free. Nor are the superchargers themselves free.

      Covering costs in order that they can build yet more superchargers is not the same thing as making a profit.

  9. not that big of a deal by j2.718ff · · Score: 1

    If things go well for Tesla, there are going to be more and more Tesla cars on the road. For the early adopters, the idea of free charging stations was a great bonus point to offset any complaints about range. Naturally, it costs Tesla money to build and maintain these, and of course, the power isn't free. As long as they charge reasonable prices, I'm fine with this. If I owned an electric car, the vast majority of my charging would be done at home, so even if a recharge at a Tesla station cost as much as a tank of gas, I'd still be paying a lot less to power a Tesla than I would to fuel a gasoline car throughout its life.

    1. Re:not that big of a deal by steveg · · Score: 1

      For the most part, the power is free. You did notice how much Tesla has sunk into solar development? And batteries? I'm sure the fee is intended to offset building new ones and maintaining the old ones, but each station is supposed to charge its own batteries via the sun and then recharge you car from the batteries.

      --
      Ignorance killed the cat. Curiosity was framed.
  10. What? by Trogre · · Score: 1

    The fee itself "will be charged incrementally and cost less than the price of filling up a comparable gas car."

    I should bloody well hope so!

    In other news, the fees for charging a cell phone will cost less than the price of filling the coal tender behind a stem engine.

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  11. Re:Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 5, Informative

    Why do people keep buying these unsafe cars from a manufacturer who can't be trusted?

    it might have something to do with... i dunno, facts: Tesla’s Model S Sedan Named Safest Car In The History Of Cars

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  12. Good business by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "First hit is free."

  13. Re:Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Safest grenade in the history of grenades is still pretty deadly.

    Trolling to troll, like the OP, I ?think ?

  14. Re:Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by OverlordQ · · Score: 1

    Safe, but unreliable

    --
    Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
  15. Nissan Leaf by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Since I have purchased a Leaf, I have charged away from home twice. Once at the dealership, and once at the local power company when my wife forgot to plug in at night. Both charges were free.

    Avoiding gas stations where pan-handlers ask for money to put gas into their non-existent cars...PRICELESS!

    1. Re:Nissan Leaf by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Protip: Say 'I don't have any money for you, but I've got a tip for you...Get a job you parasite!'

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    2. Re:Nissan Leaf by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1) PROTIP: If that's a problem for you, try not filling up in the ghetto.

      Is that what you call downtown Salt Lake City? I wasn't sure - so many of the homeless look like hipsters, sometimes it's hard to tell them apart. They even have elaborate, artsy backstories when they ask for money.

  16. Not unexpected and barely even newsworthy by Dega704 · · Score: 2

    It should have been obvious that free supercharger use would never be more than a perk for early adopters. It would never be economically sustainable for mass market when the Model 3 is out, and most people will do the vast majority of charging in their garage overnight. Anyone who gets worked up over this obviously has a preexisting anti-Tesla bias.

    1. Re:Not unexpected and barely even newsworthy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What is newsworthy is the free 400kWh a year. As a Model 3 reservation holder, I had no thought that I would get any free use at a supercharger and was completely fine with that. 400kWh a year will almost cover a long road trip for me to Florida or soon to be Texas for a SpaceX launch each year.

    2. Re:Not unexpected and barely even newsworthy by torkus · · Score: 1

      You make two related but contradictory points.

      If most people will charge at home, why does the Model 3 make free supercharging immediately so unsustainable?

      Most people WILL charge at home (or work, or other commonly visited area) the large majority of the time. Superchargers are just for long trips unless one happens to be convenient and you have some time to kill.

      I'm guessing there's another tipping point down the road where they superchargers will become free* one again. *possibly subsidized as part of a shopping center or maintenance contract or something else. Basically a 'if you're part of x or doing y, we give you this for free.' Think of it as validating parking at the mall when you buy something. It's just not ubiquitous enough...yet.

      --
      You can get rich if you own a politician, but you have to be rich to buy one in the first place.
  17. "...based on the cost of electricity..." by tlambert · · Score: 1

    "...based on the cost of electricity..."

    Someone really needs to tell Elon Musk about solar cells... he could offer it for free again.

    1. Re:"...based on the cost of electricity..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, because everyone knows solar cells are free and install themselves, so it wouldn't cost anything for Tesla to set them up all over the country.

    2. Re:"...based on the cost of electricity..." by Raenex · · Score: 1

      It's not free to buy, install, and maintain the solar cells and the charging station around it. It's not free when it hasn't been raining all week and the system needs to rely on grid power.

    3. Re:"...based on the cost of electricity..." by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      Not all superchargers have solar cell arrays, and even those that do only get a proportion of their power from them. Apart from anything else, there's not much solar power available at night.

    4. Re:"...based on the cost of electricity..." by tlambert · · Score: 1

      Not all superchargers have solar cell arrays, and even those that do only get a proportion of their power from them.

      Perhaps they are locked into a contract with Solar City, and they can't get their solar cells upgraded to the higher output solar cell for the next 20 years because of the contract, even though those cells are available today.

      Apart from anything else, there's not much solar power available at night.

      Someone needs to tell Elon Musk about "powerwall" batteries...

    5. Re:"...based on the cost of electricity..." by tlambert · · Score: 1

      It's not free to buy, install, and maintain the solar cells and the charging station around it.

      No, it's not; that's pretty much a fixed one-time cost for most of what you are talking about, and the rest can be amortized over time into the cost of the vehicles.

      It's not free when it hasn't been raining all week and the system needs to rely on grid power.

      I think you mean "when it's been raining" (solar cells do not operate on rain as fuel).

      According to Solar City, with net metering, which is the law in most states (except Nevada, where it was recently discontinued), you can use the grid as a battery, and pay back your "debt" over time, by having sufficient generating capacity to handle net output exceeding net demand, including rain days.

    6. Re:"...based on the cost of electricity..." by Raenex · · Score: 1

      No, it's not; that's pretty much a fixed one-time cost for most of what you are talking about, and the rest can be amortized over time into the cost of the vehicles.

      A cost is a cost, including maintenance which is not "one-time", and neither is rent or taxes on the property if they bought it outright. They even have employees at some stations. It's not "free", and while Tesla could absorb the cost and spread it out over the cost of their vehicles, what's so bad about people actually paying for what they use?

      having sufficient generating capacity to handle net output exceeding net demand, including rain days

      Which really depends on just how much energy that can generate with solar at their stations versus how much they use. My understanding, after a brief search, is that solar isn't a very big component of the stations, and there's probably an economic reason for that.

  18. Re: Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When insulting someone, it is generally best to not misspell words.

  19. Re: Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    *you're

  20. So.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why again is the important news?

  21. Nothing new... by amxcoder · · Score: 1

    While this is new news for Tesla perhaps, it's nothing new or surprising in the scheme of trying to get people to go all electric before it makes economic sense for everyone.

    Just look what the states carpool lanes did, first they offered the carpool lanes up for use to ULEV ICE vehicles, to incentivise buying hybrids and similar cars, then a couple years later, removed that "perk" from the deal. Then they allow full EV cars to use the HOV lanes, and soon it will be taken away (just watch...).

    When full EV cars started getting pushed hard, with the Leaf and Tesla, companies (at least in Silicon Valley and Bay Area), were quick to convert the best parking spots closest to the building and right next to the handicap spots to EV charging stations, (mostly free of charge). Malls and other public parking spots started doing the same, to make it more attractive to buy EV vehicles even though they make little sense to much of population (economically speaking). Then most of the free chargers got turned into pay chargers (they still have primo parking locations though).

    Now Tesla announces that the free SuperChargers are going to cost money... big surprise, as it follows the same pattern that been done for years now by state governments and local businesses with agendas to push.

    I'm sure people will still act surprised when Roof Solar and EV purchases stop getting government subsidies to help prop them up to falsely compete in the market when it can't otherwise compete with existing technologies due to performance or price.

    1. Re:Nothing new... by speedplane · · Score: 1

      When full EV cars started getting pushed hard, with the Leaf and Tesla, companies (at least in Silicon Valley and Bay Area), were quick to convert the best parking spots closest to the building and right next to the handicap spots to EV charging stations, (mostly free of charge). Malls and other public parking spots started doing the same, to make it more attractive to buy EV vehicles ...

      I would guess that another reason they get the best parking spots is because they are eye catching. People coming in and out of a mall stop to check out the electric vehicles. It's marketing.

      --
      Fast Federal Court and I.T.C. updates
  22. In App Purchases by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In App Purchases

  23. Re:A serious blow to Tesla for average consumers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here's my source regarding the 30 minutes for 10-15 miles: https://consumerist.com/2016/11/07/no-more-free-ride-tesla-will-charge-for-supercharging-on-new-cars/

    I really wish BeauHD wouldn't selectively omit the important parts of articles to push his green agenda. It's becoming almost laughable in a sad way.

  24. And just like that, my business model is ruined. by bistromath007 · · Score: 1

    https://igg.me/at/ore/

    Well, not really. It's only got until the end of the month anyway, and nobody ever put a dime in it. If it DID work, I could still get the thing in time for it to work. But nobody cared. :/

    Also, indiegogo isn't even working right now, so that's great.

  25. *steam* engine by Trogre · · Score: 1

    Ahem... "steam engine".

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  26. 170 miles range from just 30 minutes, you meant by Overzeetop · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    I'm sure you didn't mean to improperly imply that the omission of the 30 minute charge omitted in the Summary would only give you 10-15 miles. Of course not, that would be pushing your coal-fired, grab-em-by-the-pussy, heat the oceans until all the coral and polar bears die, alt-right agenda - which I'm sure you didn't intend. So, just in case you were concerned, here is the quote from the article you ;linked regarding the 30 minute super charging partial fill up:

    "170 miles of driving range from just 30 minutes of Supercharging"

    --
    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
    1. Re:170 miles range from just 30 minutes, you meant by smooth+wombat · · Score: 1

      30 minutes to go 170 miles you say? Amazing. It took me about 2 minutes to "recharge" so I can go 220 miles. Of course I only had to partially "recharge" so if I had spent longer, say 5 minutes, I could go >400 miles.

      --
      We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
    2. Re:170 miles range from just 30 minutes, you meant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So?

      And an aeroplane only takes a few minutes to "Recharge" long enough to fly thousands of km - but that doesn't mean that your car is worthless.

    3. Re:170 miles range from just 30 minutes, you meant by geekmux · · Score: 3, Insightful

      30 minutes to go 170 miles you say? Amazing. It took me about 2 minutes to "recharge" so I can go 220 miles. Of course I only had to partially "recharge" so if I had spent longer, say 5 minutes, I could go >400 miles.

      Spent longer to go over 400 miles you say? Speaking of spending, it's amazing what benefit you get when you pay far more for it.

    4. Re:170 miles range from just 30 minutes, you meant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      30 minutes for 10-15 miles "which is what the "regular" chargers average out to." Read the fucking post you insensitive eco-hippie clod!

    5. Re:170 miles range from just 30 minutes, you meant by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      30 minutes to go 170 miles you say? Amazing. It took me about 2 minutes to "recharge" so I can go 220 miles. Of course I only had to partially "recharge" so if I had spent longer, say 5 minutes, I could go >400 miles.

      Spent longer to go over 400 miles you say? Speaking of spending, it's amazing what benefit you get when you pay far more for it.

      Are you implying you can't 'spend' time doing something? Because you can.

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    6. Re:170 miles range from just 30 minutes, you meant by Joce640k · · Score: 1

      30 minutes to go 170 miles you say? Amazing. It took me about 2 minutes to "recharge" so I can go 220 miles.

      Do you have your own charging station at home or did you have to waste 30 minutes driving to a special place to do that? (and how much charge did that use?)

      --
      No sig today...
    7. Re:170 miles range from just 30 minutes, you meant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also if you had a full tank of gas every time you left the house, how often would you go to the gas station. So every 2 mins and the drive over and stopping at the gas station adds up.

    8. Re:170 miles range from just 30 minutes, you meant by randallman · · Score: 1

      I spent 5 minutes charging my BEV to go 1500 miles. 5 seconds to plug it in at night and 5 seconds to unplug it in the morning. In my own house.

  27. 50 more gallons of gas that Ford offers by Overzeetop · · Score: 1

    on it's new trucks for service. Or Chevy, or GMC, or Honda, or Nissan. Because none of them cover a single cent. And, of course, when you have a problem with a traditional vehicle manufacturer, they go out of their way to deny any problem with their car, charge you an arm and a leg to fix the problems they won't, and don't ever provide a fix unless there's a lawsuit pending.

    That's why your own Consumer Reports ranks it the "Most Satifying Car to Drive" http://www.consumerreports.org...

    Maybe if the oil-bound manufacturers learned a little about customer service, they wouldn't be holding onto the anchor end of the customer satisfaction survey.

    --
    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
    1. Re:50 more gallons of gas that Ford offers by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      LOL. You still cite CR like it means something.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    2. Re:50 more gallons of gas that Ford offers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It might not mean much, but what are the alternatives?
      Random comments from the internet or press releases from different interest groups?

    3. Re:50 more gallons of gas that Ford offers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They may have called it "The Most Satisfying Car to Drive", but they've also this year listed Tesla as 25/29 on their list of car brands based on reliability, just barely edging above the spots held by Fiat-Chrysler.

      http://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability/car-brands-reliability-how-they-stack-up/

  28. Electric cars won't take off by p51d007 · · Score: 1

    Until the price of gas stays at 4-10 dollars per gallon, for a long time, and/or until you can "fill them up" in 2-3 minutes, as you can with a gasoline vehicle, and/or the range can be extended for 300-400 miles per cycle, and/or the price comes down to a comparable gasoline vehicle.

    1. Re:Electric cars won't take off by x0ra · · Score: 1

      If the price of gas stays at 4-10$ per gallon for a long time, we will have a hell more problems that our means of personal transportation...

    2. Re:Electric cars won't take off by guruevi · · Score: 1

      In what part of the world do you drive 400 miles (~6-8 hours) without stopping for AT LEAST a 30m break? It's even illegal for commercial drivers to drive that long without a 30 minute break.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    3. Re:Electric cars won't take off by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      He's talking about the frequency and long time of charging, it's a PITA. A gasoline car doesn't have those issues, an electric car limits where you can go, how far you can go. The recent 300+ mile range of one of Tesla's models is big imrpovement, but turn the heater on in winter and *poof* 100 miles go away.

    4. Re:Electric cars won't take off by bloodhawk · · Score: 1

      I regularly do that, I live in Australia. Last week it was actually closer to 12 hours with the only break a refuel and 5 min leg stretch. When you grow up where the daily commute can be a couple of hours drive then 6-8 hours is not even challenging.

    5. Re:Electric cars won't take off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In what part of the world do you drive 400 miles (~6-8 hours) without stopping for AT LEAST a 30m break?

      The real world and the fantasy world of electric car morons.

    6. Re:Electric cars won't take off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I live in Australia too. Please let me know when you are next going to be on the road, you're a danger to yourself and others.

    7. Re:Electric cars won't take off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must be a moron to commute a couple of hours a day.

    8. Re:Electric cars won't take off by Strider- · · Score: 1

      Oh, so fuel prices reach what they are elsewhere in the world? most recent price I saw for regular here in Vancouver was $1.19 CAD/L, which works out to $3.40 USD/gallon, though that's a significant improvement over what it was a while back when it sat at $1.50 for quite a while.

      Face it, the US has artificially low fuel prices, you guys are just starting to join the rest of the world. The world won't end, the sun will still rise and set, and the bitching will continue.

      --
      ...si hoc legere nimium eruditionis habes...
    9. Re:Electric cars won't take off by Uberbah · · Score: 1

      Until the price of gas stays at 4-10 dollars per gallon, for a long time, and/or until you can "fill them up" in 2-3 minutes, as you can with a gasoline vehicle, and/or the range can be extended for 300-400 miles per cycle, and/or the price comes down to a comparable gasoline vehicle.

      Oh, you mean the "electric cars must be all things to all people, because reasons" canard. No one says a Prius is pointless because it can't tow 12,000 lbs, and no one says a one ton pickup is pointless because it doesn't have a 15 passenger capacity.

      If electric cars don't meet your needs....then don't freaking buy one. Doesn't mean they wont be plenty useful for other people.

    10. Re:Electric cars won't take off by FrankSchwab · · Score: 1

      Let's talk about average people, not corner cases.

      I drive a 70 mile commute every day. A couple of times a year I'd like to visit my family in SoCal from Phoenix. Half a dozen times a year, my son goes camping with the Boy Scouts.

      So, for roughly 260 days a year, I get in my car in the morning with a full tank of electrons. I do my commute, get home and plug in. I won't visit a gas station the whole time. And I'll save about $120 / month using electricity instead of gas, even though gas is at historically cheap inflation-adjusted prices and I drive a 32 mpg gas car.

      Roughly 6 times a year, I'll probably need a different vehicle to go camping, because the Boy Scouts like to camp a long way from Phoenix for some reason, and there's likely to be no superchargers on the route. That's a drawback.

      Twice a year, I'll stop in Quartzsite (conveniently and purely coincidentally halfway between Phoenix and SoCal). It'll take an hour to charge, and my family and I will eat and pee. Then we'll drive into SoCal, and plug in to a probably 120 Volt outlet at my mother's place.

      People will quickly figure out that, even driving an economy car using really cheap gas, electric cars are significantly cheaper to operate. Once neighbors and friends have electric cars and love them, most people will realize that they seldom have a need to travel more than 200 miles on backroads. If they're going to travel on highways, an appropriate choice of electric cars will mean that they get delayed (an hour on a 5 hour trip) but that's not such a big deal.

      My prediction is that 10 years from now, the vast majority of new cars will be electric despite the minimal drawbacks we see today; the day-to-day utility will completely overshadow the relatively minor inconveniences.

      I can't wait for my Model 3 to be ready...

      --
      And the worms ate into his brain.
    11. Re:Electric cars won't take off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When you live in the country their is no choice retard. some people in Australia have driveways that are a 100 kilometres long.

    12. Re:Electric cars won't take off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      sounds like you would be far more risk on the road, experienced drivers that are used to long distance hauls tend to be far safer drivers. It is those that are not used to it that are the danger on the road.

    13. Re:Electric cars won't take off by x0ra · · Score: 1

      The world won't end, the sun will still rise and set, but economic output will most likely heavily slow down.

    14. Re:Electric cars won't take off by nosfucious · · Score: 2

      Those that have 100km driveways number in the small hundreds. EV are probably not for them. A small 2 or 4 seater plane is.

      What proportion of the population live within 100km of Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne CBD? Around 80% of the population. Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world.

      EV makes most sense for those within 100km of a reasonable population centre, with a commute of ca 100km or less. And that is a helluva lots of people. For everyone else there is dead-dinosaur based fuel.

      I don't have a car at the moment, but do have a ebike and a petrol guzzling noisy hog for the weekends. However, I am looking very seriously at a Tesla model S. Having driven the currently models more than once, I think it would fit the bil nicely. Even if it cost a few dollars to "fill the tank".

      --
      Q:I was listening to a CD in Grip and it sounded horrible! What's up? A:Perhaps you are listening to country music
  29. They should add the fees to the car finance amount by future+assassin · · Score: 1

    for those that do monthly payments.

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  30. Chargers cost money to make & maintain-THE DEA by Neuronwelder · · Score: 1

    In exchange to quick charge your car for your cash, the deal will be to build more charging stations! Think about it. More locations, nationwide, smaller batteries=faster car! Also..(You're probably going to hate me for this, but I'm still going out on a limb) Maybe we could include in the charging fee, a road use tax to SHUT UP the griping about people who say battery powered cars are free-loaders since the cars don't pay gasoline taxes. I personally feel that it would remove a big blockade that impedes MORE electric cars.. Yay!!

  31. Re:Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Ksevio · · Score: 1

    But some people want a grenade so want the safest one.

  32. Re:Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nice opinion there, how much did you charge for it? I'm making a study of shilling comment whores, your input would be...as worthless as the rest of your posts, actually.

  33. Re:A serious blow to Tesla for average consumers by beelsebob · · Score: 4, Informative

    Most people are - given that most people sleep for 8 hours a night, and don't use their car for significantly longer than that.

    Further to that - in locations where EVs are taking off, it's pretty normal for work car parks to have a bunch of chargers (there's another 8 hours of the car sat around with no one in it), along with a bunch of shops/restaurants.

    Owning an EV, I may be biased, but my experience so far is that I spend far *less* time messing about putting go-juice of one kind or another in my car, because I plug it in, go to work, come back, and have a full charge.

  34. Re: 170 miles range from just 30 minutes, you mean by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But can your car recharge at home or do you have to visit special recharge stations?

  35. Re: And just like that, my business model is ruine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wtf was that serious? How does a weirdo with no job/family afford a Tesla X, anyway

  36. Ponzi scheme by manu0601 · · Score: 1, Interesting

    The new buyers pay for the previous ones. That looks a bit like a Ponzi scheme.

    1. Re: Ponzi scheme by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And the later hybrid owners had to pay for the original adopters who got HOV exemptions. It must be a Ponzi scheme!!1!

    2. Re:Ponzi scheme by Uberbah · · Score: 0

      Are the first Tesla owners becoming millionaires at the expense of newcomers? If not, it looks like you're throwing around some Big Word you've heard without actually knowing what it means.

    3. Re:Ponzi scheme by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      New owners are also getting the latest features like fully autonomous capable hardware

    4. Re:Ponzi scheme by AmiMoJo · · Score: 0

      Every business model looks like a Ponzi scheme to people who don't understand what a Ponzi scheme is.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    5. Re:Ponzi scheme by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Except there was an explicit $2500 built into the cost of every existing Tesla sold to pay for the supercharger infrastructure (you paid it when you bought your car), so no, it's not a Ponzi scheme....

  37. Re:Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Grenades are a necessary evil. That's why a wingman has to jump on one at the bar so your bro can go home with the hotty.

  38. Re:Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's a little premature for a four year old car, wouldn't you say? Do they get a Peace Prize next, for not being a Ford?

  39. Primary purpose is limit "local charging" by misnohmer · · Score: 4, Informative

    Superchargers are meant for long distance travel, not for everyday charging. Most Tesla owners wake up every morning to a car full or electrons charged at home overnight, ready to roll ~220+ miles. Unfortunately some people, mostly in CA, decided they are willing to wait 30min to an hour every day just to get their $1-$5 worth of free electricity. That in turn caused congestion and people who were traveling long distances were annoyed having to wait, delaying their travels. I am speculating that the original thought was that people spending $70K+ on a car would not value their time at $4/hr or less (much less if they have to add another hour to drive to the nearest supercharger) but that turned out to be incorrect for small percentage of people. As Model 3 is priced at much lower price-point ($35K) and it's expected to sell a lot more units, so Tesla figured this problem will get worse. Charging a nominal fee to charging makes it not worth for someone who has a charger at home to drive to a supercharger to charge $2 worth of electricity. Only people who actually need them will use them.

    PS> All the "old owners" have paid a $2,000 fee for the lifetime access to superchargers. It used to be an optional fee, but quickly was included with every car sold. A great majority of those owners will never get $2,000 worth of charging (e.g. coast-to-coast round trip will get you about $200 of free electricity). Not including this $2,000 in the price of the car will allow Tesla to keep the model 3 car price lower.

    1. Re:Primary purpose is limit "local charging" by Solandri · · Score: 2

      Unfortunately some people, mostly in CA, decided they are willing to wait 30min to an hour every day just to get their $1-$5 worth of free electricity. That in turn caused congestion and people who were traveling long distances were annoyed having to wait, delaying their travels.

      Actually, this is a problem that will need to be solved before EVs will become a viable replacement for long-range travel. 5000 chargers over 734 stations is 6.8 per station. At a half hour to an hour a charge, that's a maximum throughput of 6.8 - 13.6 cars per hour. Compare to a small gas station with just 4 pumps (2 hoses per pump). At 5 min per fillup (it's closer to 3 min, but let's pretend everyone walks in and waits in line to pay with a credit card), that's a max throughput of 96 cars per hour. If you replaced all ICE vehicles with EVs, you basically need 14 supercharger stations for every small 4-pump gas station (the shorter half hour charge only gives half range, so needs to be done twice as often). Now think of the number of gas stations located along major freeways.

      It's tempting to blame the problem on the people tying up the supercharge stations for a free charge, but they're only highlighting a problem which will become the norm in the future as longer-range EVs become more commonplace. Current EV owners just haven't really felt it yet because there are so few of them relative to the number of supercharger stations. Either these charging stations will need to become massive (able to handle 100 cars simultaneously), or some radical new quick-charge method needs to be developed (e.g. battery swaps).

    2. Re:Primary purpose is limit "local charging" by ruir · · Score: 1

      Thanks for introducing some sense here. It is only a pity having to read all the nonsense to find your comment.

    3. Re: Primary purpose is limit "local charging" by misnohmer · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Your comparison to gas stations is missing the point that only long distance travellers are charging. Everyone else charges at home. Think how many less gas stations you'd need if everyone had an automatic gas fill at home and only went to the gas station if they were driving more than 200miles in a day, or traveling. Even when visiting family far away, usually there is an outlet one can use - once EV's are more common, they will have chargers at family too.

    4. Re:Primary purpose is limit "local charging" by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      The other reason people use chargers when they don't really need to is for free, convenient parking. It's especially bad with destination chargers (like at shopping centres and supermarkets) because the chargers are often in the spaces near to the venue, so that the cabling doesn't have to run too far from the main grid tie.

      --
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      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  40. Re:Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Golden_Rider · · Score: 2

    ... according to US tests. In European tests, the Tesla Model S is just a standard car. Here are the Euro NCAP best cars of each class: http://www.euroncap.com/de/bew...

    For comparison, here are the numbers for the Model S: http://www.euroncap.com/de/res... and here are the numbers for e.g. a Volvo XC90. http://www.euroncap.com/de/res...

    Just look at the numbers, e.g. "safety equipment" Volvo 100% to Tesla 71% or "adult passenger safery" Volvo 97% to Tesla 82%. "Safest car in the history of cars" my ass.

  41. See Greentards Electricity aint FREE! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah. We see you stealing electricity with your extension cords. "oh electricity is free". Well. Your beloved messiah Tesla is tired of paying for your free ride even though it sells cars for them.

    I'm not just going to start unplugging your cords from now on. I'm going to cut them. How many power cords per mile do you get now Greentards?

  42. Re: Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In Europe you can use your pretty little tests that show pretty numbers, but here in the US we trust NHTSA. And they consider Tesla to be the safest car.

  43. Re: Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

    Double whoosh

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  44. Re: Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Joce640k · · Score: 1

    Whoosh.

    --
    No sig today...
  45. Re:A serious blow to Tesla for average consumers by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    This. EVs are taking off all over Europe despite the incredibly free superchargers around. Most people don't use a supercharger.

  46. I bet... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...your fun at party's

  47. When panhandlers ask for something... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...I hand them the want ads.

  48. Re:Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bzzz, thanks for playing, please try again. Model X has had some reliability issues, but it is the minority of Tesla's on the road today. Model S has blown away every other manufacturer in reliability/safety.

  49. A Supercharged Tesla? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh...ermm carry on

  50. Re:A serious blow to Tesla for average consumers by zoober · · Score: 1

    I am a Tesla owner.. I suspect that a large part of the motivation for charging is to have Tesla drivers of the future self limit on hitting the charging stations near their home to get a free charge. I can tell you that many of the stations in different towns are clogged by people that live 3 miles away..

  51. Re:Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Eloking · · Score: 1

    Why do people keep buying these unsafe cars from a manufacturer who can't be trusted?

    it might have something to do with... i dunno, facts: Tesla’s Model S Sedan Named Safest Car In The History Of Cars

    Even if I do agree that the AC OP is a troll, you should use source a little more recent than 2013 to draw those conclusion. There's a lot of event that happened for the model S since 2013.

    --
    Elok
  52. No, just a business by phorm · · Score: 1

    Companies often operate close to the line or even in the red until a product becomes successful and/or strong manufacturing lines can be established. Getting past the early/startup stages is *hard* because you have to build everything (either infrastructure, or business relationships) from scratch while at the same time getting a product out and visible to the public. You need to build a strong following to the product at the same time you're building your chains. That's really hard, and why entrenched interests in markets such as automobiles etc tend to outweigh any newcomers.

  53. Re:Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Dare+nMc · · Score: 1

    It is a good response to OP, but crash worthyness isn't exactly the only measure of safety.

    Tesla Model S stock braking distance is 174 feet from 60.
    The P85D with upgraded brakes and rims is a respectable 118 feet. That 174 feet is worse than most all pickup trucks. Where as most of the cars that accelerate as fast as the Tesla stop from 60 in under 100 feet.

    A car that out accelerates a corvette, but stops like a pickup is not the safest car in history.

    Other 60 to 0 times:
    Minivans:
    2015 Kia Sedona: 118 ft
    2015 Toyota Sienna: 121 ft
    2014 Chrysler T&C: 126 ft
    2015 Honda Odyssey: 126 ft
    Sedans & Hatchbacks:
    2014 Honda Civic: 118 ft
    2012 Kia Rio: 119 ft
    2013 Honda Accord: 117 ft
    2014 Mazda 6: 121ft
    2013 Toyota Camry: 120 ft
    2014 BMW i3 eDrive: 108 ft
    2015 Honda Fit: 127 ft
    Pickups:
    2013 Ford F-150: 132 ft
    2013 GMC Sierra 1500: 137 ft
    2013 Chevy Silverado: 138 ft
    2013 Ram 1500: 142 ft
    2013 Nissan Titan: 144 ft
    2013 Toyota Tundra: 150 ft
    Sports Cars:
    2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Carbon: 93 ft
    2008 Ferrari 430 Scuderia: 93 ft
    2012 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Centennial: 94 ft
    2012 Lexus LFA: 94 ft
    2010 Porsche 911 GT3: 94 ft
    2010 Ferrari 16m Scuderia Spyder: 96 ft
    2009 Audi R8 5.2: 96 ft
    2008 Audi R8: 96 ft
    2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: 97 ft
    2008 Dodge Viper ACR: 97 ft
    2003 Dodge Viper SRT10: 97 ft
    2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS: 98 ft
    2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV: 98 ft
    2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: 98 ft
    2008 Porsche 911 GT2: 98 ft
    2011 Nissan GT-R: 99 ft
    2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: 99 ft
    2010 Ferrari 458 Italia: 99 ft
    2010 Porsche 911 Turbo: 99 ft
    2009 Porsche Boxster S: 99 ft
    2007 Porsche 911 GT3: 99 ft

  54. Re:Typical Elon Musk bait and switch by Dare+nMc · · Score: 1

    sorry, I was wrong the Tesla the 60 to 0 is 121 feet, (174feet was from 70 for the P85). So it does stop better than a pickup, but not as good as a Kia.

  55. amazing how many will jump all over Tesla by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    Seriously, it amazes me how many trolls here are here to go against anything Musk owns.
    The fact is, that with our tesla, we charge at home for local driving, and when going up into the mountains, THEN we use the SC..
    This is what was meant to be. And truthfully, most ppl do not travel more than 1000 miles / year in which they need the SCs.
    Finally, if you believe that you are entitled, you can buy a used Tesla which is grandfathered in, OR, you can go to GM, Ford, BMW, Audi, etc and ask them for the free energy with their cars.

    --
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  56. Re: And just like that, my business model is ruine by bistromath007 · · Score: 1

    That would be the point of the crowdfunding campaign.