Tesla’s prefab Superchargers are solving a rarely-addressed problem

TruckElectric

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Tesla Cybertruck Tesla’s prefab Superchargers are solving a rarely-addressed problem simon-alvarez-avatar-80x80

BySimon Alvarez
Posted on May 3, 2021

Inasmuch as Tesla has a vast network of Superchargers that are capable of charging its vehicles’ batteries quickly and conveniently, long-distance travel could still be challenging at times. For example, things become a bit aggravating when drivers end up having to use small Supercharger V2 stations during a long trip, and some stalls end up being offline.

As mentioned by Snazzy Labs owner and host Quinn Nelson, this was the case with the Beaver, Utah Supercharger, which was a popular stop for drivers traveling from Salt Lake to St. George or Las Vegas. The Supercharger was reportedly notorious for having only four stalls, some of which were often broken. The stalls were V2 Superchargers too, so their 150 KW output was typically split between two chargers.



The Beaver, Utah Supercharger was often used by Tesla owners, and with the company’s rapidly-growing fleet of vehicles, it needed an upgrade, and fast. Fortunately, Tesla has come up with a novel solution that allowed it to ramp its Supercharger installations at a rate that’s never been seen before.

Using prefabricated Superchargers that are already built into a large concrete block, Tesla was able to expand its Beaver, Utah location rapidly. As noted by Nelson, Tesla managed to expand the Beaver Supercharger to a whopping 32 stalls in but a few days thanks to its prefab strategy. The new stalls are V3 Superchargers too, so they could all provide an output of 250 kW without charge splitting.

This is a notable upgrade for the Beaver Supercharger. Now with 32 stalls, and with numerous V3 stations, the Supercharger would be able to cater to large numbers of Teslas every day without any issue. This would most definitely be appreciated by the EV community, especially since the Salt Lake to St. George/Vegas route is quite popular.

As per information reportedly relayed by a Tesla installer last month, the Beaver site is the first location that hosted a prefabricated Supercharger setup. The idea is actually pretty simple, with the company setting up the Superchargers and their electronics on large concrete slabs before they are placed in their respective locations. This allows installations to be quicker and more uniform.

Tesla is expected to produce and deliver significantly more vehicles in 2021 than last year. Considering that Superchargers form the backbone of a Tesla’s long-trip capabilities, the installations of prefab charging stations will likely be ramped to a significant degree in the near future.


SOURCE: TESLARATI
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TruckElectric

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Ehninger1212

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I love prefab.
 

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I HATE clickbait headlines. I try to never click on them.

Why does the headline seem to make this out to be something that only Tesla and/or EVs experience?

I have driven stretches of highways in the US that have warnings about how many miles to the next gas station... and that gas station was without power...

Did not matter that it had hundreds of gallons of gas in the ground, no electricity for the pumps and POS system, no gas was sold.

Yeah, they found a way to improve their process and a way to speed up installation.
 

Crissa

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One time I was driving home from Oregon during a winter storm. It hit us on the southern coast of Oregon, but the road was fine.

But 101 failed in 'Devil's Slide' in the Russian River valley, blocking our path, so we stayed in Eureka for the night. The next day another storm was rolling in so we took 299 east. A slide blocked the highway about twenty cars in front of us so we took 3 up into the Trinities... And then down into Red Bluff. Which just got hit by the storm as we got there, and all the gas stations were out of power. Luckily, we had enough to make it to Cornel and then home, where we finally going out from its leading edge on I-680, which had flooded lanes.

A very, very long day indeed.

-Crissa
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