Charging stations.

[Cybertruckee]

Won’t Tesla semis be in a similar boat? Maybe places where semis can charge will be available to CTs with trailers.

This makes the most sense both for practicality and infrastructure investment.

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[CyberGus]

This is like the station in Lebanon both in that it has the orthogonal terminal and that one can access the stalls from the rear either of which would make trailer charging feasible though in one case you'd have the trailer hanging out into the traffic lane or in the other covering several parking spots behind the terminals. Neither, I would think, ideal for charging with a trailer in tow.

Now if I come to a station with an or multiple orthogonal terminals I'll always take one even if all the other stalls are empty. Why? I'ts easier to pull in sloppily and back out sloppily than to back in precisely. And the more pertinent question: why not? I generally don't leave the car while it is charging and if anyone came along who needed that terminal (someone with a trailer) I would certainly yield it to him tout suite.

Forget “summon”, we need FSD to have a “back into charging spot” feature.

 

[SwampNut]

I've seen photos of stations with a couple of pull-through spots in CA and AZ. Not common however. At one station I use on the drive from AZ to CA there are several spots where I could park with my existing 20' trailer and a truck, kind of sticking out where I shouldn't, but also not blocking things in any meaningful way. I don't have a good pic, but they are past that silver car in the background.

Here's a CA station with lots of pull through (Baker I think, and also yes, that's a Rivian back there).

The SCs outside of the Phoenix metro are all pretty wide open. The one near us on 17 and 101 would be a BITCH to get a trailer to at all. It's in a shopping center.

 

[SwampNut]

Added thoughts: Trailers with a weight distribution setup are a pain to connect and disconnect. BUT...trailers without that are really easy. I use a WD system now because my Gladiator is sprung softly so it sags a lot due to tongue weight. But the CT will not just have stiffer suspension, it's adjustable. So I expect I would not need the WD at all. Which means that I can unhook in under 90 seconds, and reconnect/re-inspect in under three minutes. So...who cares. The wife will be stocking ice or whatever during that time.

 

[Ogre]

Added thoughts: Trailers with a weight distribution setup are a pain to connect and disconnect. BUT...trailers without that are really easy. I use a WD system now because my Gladiator is sprung softly so it sags a lot due to tongue weight. But the CT will not just have stiffer suspension, it's adjustable. So I expect I would not need the WD at all. Which means that I can unhook in under 90 seconds, and reconnect/re-inspect in under three minutes. So...who cares. The wife will be stocking ice or whatever during that time.

I wonder if you could raise your suspension to max, then drop the tongue jack undo the chain and release the ball, then lower the suspension to drop out of the hitch tongue. Then reverse the process to re-attach.

 

[SwampNut]

I wonder if you could raise your suspension to max, then drop the tongue jack undo the chain and release the ball, then lower the suspension to drop out of the hitch tongue. Then reverse the process to re-attach.

Huh, great point. My trailer has an electric tongue jack, so it's not a big deal either way. For those without one, that could really help.

 

[Ogre]

The one near us on 17 and 101 would be a BITCH to get a trailer to at all. It's in a shopping center.

This is pretty common. In fact, most of the supercharger stations I've been to are in shopping centers, often towards the back of the lot. Many/ most existing stations are no trailer friendly at all.

 

[Ogre]

Forget “summon”, we need FSD to have a “back into charging spot” feature.

What we really need is a "Drop me off at the Cafe, go charge yourself, then pick me up in 30 minutes" feature. Then... it would be a lot easier to drop $10k on FSD.

 

[VolklKatana]

IMO, and I admittedly have nothing to back this up...but I think the trailering system will be so advanced that it wont be much of an inconvenience to remove the trailer, charge, and then re-trailer. Tesla's are some, if not the most advanced cars out there. There is no reason to think they wouldnt make this aspect the best in class as well.

 

[CyberGus]

What we really need is a "Drop me off at the Cafe, go charge yourself, then pick me up in 30 minutes" feature. Then... it would be a lot easier to drop $10k on FSD.

And this is why we need to move to wireless charging...unless Elon is going to have a robot concierge at all the SC stations?

"Go Charge Yourself" sounds like a bumper sticker

 

[SwampNut]

IMO, and I admittedly have nothing to back this up...but I think the trailering system will be so advanced that it wont be much of an inconvenience to remove the trailer, charge, and then re-trailer. Tesla's are some, if not the most advanced cars out there. There is no reason to think they wouldnt make this aspect the best in class as well.

There is no reason to think that they would re-invent trailering system and make every existing trailer incompatible. I don't think you're all that familiar with trailers? They already are very easy to disconnect and reconnect except for WD systems.

 

[Ogre]

And this is why we need to move to wireless charging...unless Elon is going to have a robot concierge at all the SC stations?

"Go Charge Yourself" sounds like a bumper sticker

I don't care if it's wireless, a robot snake, or a giant outlet my car backs a pair of mega-prongs into. It needs to be as fast as the current setup or faster though.

 

[Ginger]

I hope this has not been asked already. I speed read through and didn't see anything mentioning this. I was totally ready to buy a Mach-E. Put my money down on TWO orders, just in case. Then I started hearing about the poor service from Ford and multiple problems that Ford is unwilling to repair. What worried me the most is the dealer's lack of knowledge about the car. I decided to go with a company that has lots of experience with EVs. Anyway, my question is this; I purchased and had a ChargePoint Flex installed in my garage. Should I change it out for the tesla charger? One of the Tesla dealers in Santa Monica said I will be able to use this ChargePoint Flex, but will it provide everything I will need for the CT?

 

[SwampNut]

You should wait until you actually get a vehicle before doing anything.

 

[Crissa]

One of the Tesla dealers in Santa Monica said I will be able to use this ChargePoint Flex, but will it provide everything I will need for the CT?

Tesla is compatible with the J1772 standard. There's nothing that a Destination charger particularly does now (for home use) the Flex does not.

-Crissa

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