Tesla Passive Supercharger Opportunity

JeffKeryk

JeffKeryk

Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
28,275
Location
Los Gatos, CA
Tesla has started selling and installing their Superchargers (97% uptime) to businesses; the businesses get the charging revenue. Tesla will monitor them for uptime and service. Completely hands off to business...

The business location shows up in the Tesla screen.

EV owners have more charging availability; businesses get more customers and the revenue. Perhaps customers spend a little more time in store?

Wanna set up your own Tesla diner?
 
Combine an old fashioned drive in where every spot has a charger.

drivein.webp
 
Superchargers seem to charge 3 - 4 times the residential rate for electricity. The extra charge pays for capital costs, upkeep and profit They always seem to be online so they're either very reliable or Tesla spends a lot on service.

I hardly ever see even half the charging sites occupied (I've never had to wait to charge anywhere) so I'd have to wonder how viable a business owning a Supercharger would be. It might be different if you had a business adjacent to the Supercharger where you might attract some cross-over business. Any sensible person will charge at home except when traveling long distances so the cross-over business would have to be for travelers who have about 15 minutes to spare (so think bathrooms, coffee and take away sandwiches). You pay to use bathrooms in Europe and we wouldn't be opposed to paying a small charge (maybe $1) to use a well maintained bathroom.

There is some variability in pricing but we don't pay much attention to rates unless there is a big difference (which there is in some communities).

One concern would be that current installations are better than older installations and the (shared) 150 and even 250 kW chargers now seem dated with 325 kW chargers coming on line. When we're on the road we aim to charge at the fastest (ie highest output) charger in any community.
 
Elon didn't spend as much effort in the supercharging network ever since it is opened to more than just Tesla. He got bored and moved on to self driving, AI, robots etc.

Freeing up the investment and let someone else do the work, while helping him sell cars, good idea I guess? I think it makes sense for company parking lot and large establishment, not as a money maker but rather a way to attract people to park there?

ecotourist said:
I hardly ever see even half the charging sites occupied (I've never had to wait to charge anywhere) so I'd have to wonder how viable a business owning a Supercharger would be. It might be different if you had a business adjacent to the Supercharger where you might attract some cross-over business. Any sensible person will charge at home except when traveling long distances so the cross-over business would have to be for travelers who have about 15 minutes to spare (so think bathrooms, coffee and take away sandwiches). You pay to use bathrooms in Europe and we wouldn't be opposed to paying a small charge (maybe $1) to use a well maintained bathroom.
Click to expand...

I live next to a Target with around 10 chargers, they are in the middle of a residential neighborhood full of new apartments and town houses. Those 10 chargers are literally full from 8am to 11pm.
 
ecotourist said:
Superchargers seem to charge 3 - 4 times the residential rate for electricity. The extra charge pays for capital costs, upkeep and profit They always seem to be online so they're either very reliable or Tesla spends a lot on service.

I hardly ever see even half the charging sites occupied (I've never had to wait to charge anywhere) so I'd have to wonder how viable a business owning a Supercharger would be. It might be different if you had a business adjacent to the Supercharger where you might attract some cross-over business. Any sensible person will charge at home except when traveling long distances so the cross-over business would have to be for travelers who have about 15 minutes to spare (so think bathrooms, coffee and take away sandwiches). You pay to use bathrooms in Europe and we wouldn't be opposed to paying a small charge (maybe $1) to use a well maintained bathroom.

There is some variability in pricing but we don't pay much attention to rates unless there is a big difference (which there is in some communities).

One concern would be that current installations are better than older installations and the (shared) 150 and even 250 kW chargers now seem dated with 325 kW chargers coming on line. When we're on the road we aim to charge at the fastest (ie highest output) charger in any community.
Click to expand...
3-4x? It’s literally the same price as my residential power to go to the Supercharger. Maybe even cheaper?
 
JeffKeryk said:
Tesla has started selling and installing their Superchargers (97% uptime) to businesses; the businesses get the charging revenue. Tesla will monitor them for uptime and service. Completely hands off to business...

The business location shows up in the Tesla screen.

EV owners have more charging availability; businesses get more customers and the revenue. Perhaps customers spend a little more time in store?

Wanna set up your own Tesla diner?
Click to expand...
These had better be 800-1000kw charging stations. What's the cost and return on investment time? What's the service costs from Tesla?
 
Probably a better idea than what they used to do. A couple years ago Tesla started selling their Supercharger equipment, but not installing or running it (I think). Almost no one bought them.

Here’s one of the few locations - in Europe.

Tesla equipment maxes out around 500v, so I’m sure most people passed, since the industry standard has been 900v - 1,000v for many years.

IMG_8417.webp
 
dogememe said:
3-4x? It’s literally the same price as my residential power to go to the Supercharger. Maybe even cheaper?
Click to expand...
We pay between 7 and 11 cents/kWhr for residential electricity. Typical Supercharger rates in BC are 32, 34, 36 and even 42 cents/kWhr. A nearby Supercharger charges 34 cents so we avoided that last one.

They're charging 3 - 4 times our residential rate.
 
JeffKeryk said:
Tesla has started selling and installing their Superchargers (97% uptime) to businesses; the businesses get the charging revenue. Tesla will monitor them for uptime and service. Completely hands off to business...

The business location shows up in the Tesla screen.

EV owners have more charging availability; businesses get more customers and the revenue. Perhaps customers spend a little more time in store?

Wanna set up your own Tesla diner?
Click to expand...

This is what many have been waiting for.

This seems to be a change from the prior strategy of selling it to you - but running it and siphoning the money from it.

There are so many commercially available chargers now they likely saw a sales drop while competitors picked up their pace.
 
97prizm said:
These had better be 800-1000kw charging stations. What's the cost and return on investment time? What's the service costs from Tesla?
Click to expand...
Tesla maintains the Superchargers. The benefit to the business is attracting customers and having them spend more time in the store.
How much revenue the business gets depends on lotsa things.

Of course Supercharger availability around here is a bonus, but we are an EV mecca for numerous reasons.
 
UncleDave said:
This is what many have been waiting for.

This seems to be a change from the prior strategy of selling it to you - but running it and siphoning the money from it.

There are so many commercially available chargers now they likely saw a sales drop while competitors picked up their pace.
Click to expand...
Yep. Historically Tesla placed Superchargers strategically off freeways while the Walmarts around here served the apartment dwellers and locals.

Oh yeah, and then there's hospitals and such. Lotsa charging stations.
When we first got the '18 Model 3, wifey and I drove around and discovered all the charging options. I realized, "This is really doable..."
And that was Dec 2018. Now it can make sense to own an EV for apartment dwellers, with charging at work, shopping centers, etc, especially as compared to gasoline costs.

Now we gotta do something about insurance...
 
ecotourist said:
We pay between 7 and 11 cents/kWhr for residential electricity. Typical Supercharger rates in BC are 32, 34, 36 and even 42 cents/kWhr. A nearby Supercharger charges 34 cents so we avoided that last one.

They're charging 3 - 4 times our residential rate.
Click to expand...
Same for me. The cost of convenience is how I see it. I don't use Superchargers often, but I love them when I need them.
 
Torrid said:
Same for me. The cost of convenience is how I see it. I don't use Superchargers often, but I love them when I need them.
Click to expand...
We just spent around $300 on Superchargers on a very long drive (about 4,000 km). I was happy to pay it.

BC rates are much better than in Alberta and Saskatchewan, but I suppose the rates reflect the cost of electricity and the usage rates in the 3 provinces.
 
JeffKeryk said:
When your battery is low, 10 to 15 minutes on a Supercharger is pretty darn good. Just enough time to stretch your legs, get a cup of coffee and hit the road again.
Click to expand...
BYD already has 1000kw charging stations on the ground. Inside EV's tested a BYD Han L and added 250 miles/ 400km in five minutes. Not sure what a 5% to full looks like. Wasn't Tesla supposed to have 1000kw charging by now?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
  • Locked
Tesla haters don't like to hear this !
2 3
Replies
55
Views
10K
nthach
9
Tesla (TSLA) pays $6 million to settle Solar Roof class action lawsuit
2 3
Replies
58
Views
3K
JHZR2
Back
Top Bottom