Need to double charger network

[CoachTerry]

https://techcrunch.com/2023/06/09/tesla-supercharger-network-strain/

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[SlegMD]

Uh huh, yup. ? /agree but is also obvious.

 

[davelloydbrown]

Do you really think GM and Ford are going to sell that many EV's?

 

[scottf200]

The pace shown here is impressive!

https://supercharge.info/changes

https://techcrunch.com/2023/06/09/tesla-supercharger-network-strain/

Yellow: under construction
Blue: permitted

 

[CoachTerry]

They pace shown here is impressive!

https://supercharge.info/changes



Yellow: under construction
Blue: permitted

No politics; And- The US MUST streamline the permitting process for chargers, power infrastructure projects, and material mining.
Again, I realize well the Captain Obvious response! LOL!

 

[scottf200]

The US MUST streamline the permitting process for chargers

Most of this is local municipalities and utility company and not a Federal ("US") issue.
I've heard there are like 500 "utility companies" to deal with now in the USA.
Tesla must have an large staff to deal with all these interfaces ...
of course, you can bet their plans/permit "fill out" process probably includes a lot of repetitive features and layouts so they have automated and certainly categorized them into well-defined groups. ie. if a new site looks like several others they did they can tweak them and process them fast.

 

[firsttruck]

For Tesla expansion of Super Charger network, not enough money is not the issue.

Land owners, imsurance company for land-owner / mall / building, government permits (town/city, county, state), and electric utility connections are probably the limiting factors.

Maybe multiple steps, each with delays (some with public hearings) and some required to be consecutive ( not all processes can be done in parallel, a step need complete approval before next step can even start).

The electric utilities in many rural areas where many highways are more likely to be co-ops and these co-ops might not have enough excess engineering staff and electrical supplies to handle rapid expansions.

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U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) electric power sector survey data, almost 3,000 electric distribution companies—or utilities—were operating in the United States in 2017.
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=40913

.....
In the mid-1930s, only 10% of homes in the rural United States had electricity. The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 was a federal loan program that provided electricity to rural populations. Farmer cooperatives quickly started forming to bring electricity to communities not covered by IOUs or municipal utilities. Co-ops are still most prevalent in rural areas today.

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[ÆCIII]

Some places may be crowded at times, but others are like 20 percent or less used much of the time. It will take years and more EV market saturation to show all the real stress points, as we're still in the early stages right now.

The Tesla Supercharger Network has quadrupled its number of North American locations since the beginning of 2018, and is still growing at an impressive rapid pace:

https://supercharge.info/charts

While it's easy to sit back and say that a larger number is needed, I don't think anyone can fault Tesla's pace in growing it's Supercharger network. Elon apparently has to keep reminding many that manufacturing (at scale) is not easy, but Tesla is certainly doing their part.

- ÆCIII

 

[ldjessee]

The belief that Elon’s wealth is some pile of Scrudge McDuck money that he can throw at things is very common… but I think incorrect, as far as I know, the majority of his calculated wealth is based on the value of stock and private companies, not giant bank accounts…
And Elon’s money is not Tesla’s or SpaceX’s money.

He has put money into those companies, to keep them going, but not sure if that was done as loans, stock purchases, or what…

And Tesla being a public company means it is subject to a ridiculous amount of financial regulations…

 

[CoachTerry]

Musk sold a bunch of stock not too long ago to raise funds and pay taxes. https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/05/05/investing/elon-musk-tax-break-tesla-shares-sold/index.html

 

[wtibbit]

Do you really think GM and Ford are going to sell that many EV's?

It doesn't matter what I (or anyone else here) thinks. What matters are the EV sales plans that GM and Ford have.

Here is a peek at the Ford General Manager's current thoughts on the subject from recent interviews a couple of weeks apart:
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/27/ford-pushes-back-ev-target-warns-of-wider-losses.html
https://www.npr.org/2023/08/11/1193083777/ford-electric-vehicles-f150-lightning-jim-farley

So, current plan is to at 600,000 per year in 2024. That's "many".

Here is news about GMs EV plans:
https://electrek.co/2023/08/14/chevy-bolt-ev-euv-production-continue-longer/

Applying a little math to get a number for all GM ev models using data in that report, GM forecasts about 75,000 EVs in 2023. That's "not that many".

 

[Crissa]

I mean, they're wrong on that and all, but you also need to gauge who they're running against - who is the #2 who will win, and will they implement policies which will result in better conditions, housing, lifespans. Look at their records.

And we do need to make sure that the incentives are balanced. Wealth needs to go to the people who put in the hours that make companies successful, too.

I also look at the problem we've created in California where we've placed incentives that make it really difficult for businesses and people to move on when they need to change buildings or their owners need to retire. Or the opposite, in other states where they claw back medicaid from estates by liquidating homes that caretakers and families were living in.

It gets all messy. Which is why we don't talk about details here.

Anyhow, Tesla is doubling their network, and the federal money should help. We should interact with our representatives to make sure it's carried through.

-Crissa

 

[Zapharus]

Do you really think GM and Ford are going to sell that many EV's?

If they manage to ramp up production, to keep up with demand, then it’s an easy yes.

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