by Lawrence Chanin, Founder of Florida Tesla Motors Club
BACKGROUND
What is a Tesla?
Tesla is a California-based automobile manufacturer that exclusively
makes zero emission, battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Currently it is producing the Model S which
is a luxury sports sedan that seats five adults and, and with optional
rear-facing seats, two addition children.
Lately the Model S has been shaking up the auto industry by receiving
numerous awards including the prestigious Motor Trend Car of the Year Award, beating
all cars, not just electric vehicles. It also has received Consumer Reports
highest score ever for any car. The
Model S has very large batteries and, depending on the size the owner purchases,
it can travel between 208 - 265 miles on a charge based on EPA testing.
How do you usually charge a Model S?
Like most BEVs the Model S does most of its charging at home
overnight. Based on typical driver daily
commutes it usually only needs to be topped off overnight like your cell phone
and rarely needs a full charge. While it can charge from a normal 110v outlet,
in most instances this is not practical since for the larger battery it could
take as much as 66 hours. Most owners
install a high capacity 240 volt outlet in their garage similar to an electric
dryer outlet. This operates at 40 amps
and can fully charge the car in about 8 hours.
For those who need faster charging a device called a High Power Wall
Connector can be installed. It also operates at 240 volts and 80 amps and will
fully charge the car in about 4 hours.
Because of its large battery, the Model S needs a lot of power
to charge in a reasonable amount of time.
Unfortunately the vast majority of public charging stations have a
capacity that is lower than the owner’s home charging source and only charges
at 30 amps. As a result public chargers
are frequently not practical for Model S owners to use when traveling long
distances beyond their range. The
notable exception is when they are installed at hotels where the owner can conveniently charge overnight.
The charging discussed above is done with alternating current
(AC). The car has one or two on-board
chargers that take the AC electricity from these outlets or connectors and
converts it to direct current (DC) that the battery needs.
What is a Tesla Supercharger?
A Tesla Supercharger
is an industrial device that bypasses the Model S’s on-board AC chargers and
feeds very large amounts of DC directly into the Model S battery at high voltage. This can be as high as 255 amps at 380
volts. What this means is that a Model S can
obtain around 150 miles of range in as little as 20 minutes.
What is a Supercharger Station?
A Supercharger Station is a collection of Superchargers that
are being strategically built near major highways across the country at host
locations. Supercharger stations are
located near amenities like roadside diners, cafes, and shopping centers. A
Model S owner can stop for a quick meal, a restroom break and have their Model
S charged when they’re done. They are
placed to allow owners to drive from station to station with minimal stops.
Ultimately the network of stations is being built to permit travel across the
country. Tesla states that by 2015 98% of the US
population and parts of Canada will be covered by the network.
It is Tesla’s objective, where ever possible, is to add
canopies over the charging parking spaces, and to install photovoltaic arrays
on the canopies. Tesla plans to eventually install more solar
electric capacity than the fleet of Model Ss are consuming and to therefore produce
a net positive flow of energy to the grid.
What does it cost to charge at a Supercharger
Station?
There is no cost to charge at a Supercharger Station, for the
life of the Model S even if it is sold to another owner. So for road trips Model S owners are driving for free,
forever, and eventually on sunlight.
SUPERCHARGERS IN FLORIDA
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up of Model Ss at Supercharger Station at Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers. Photo credit: Alexis Meyer |
So with that background, it should be obvious that the
arrival of a Supercharger stations in Florida is a very big deal for Model S
owners, but also to anyone who is concerned about the environment.
It’s also a big deal for the local economy. Joann Faiella, the Mayor of Port Saint Lucie
said she read the positive press about the Model S and the Supercharging
stations and had the vision to see that encouraging charging infrastructure in
her town would be good for local businesses.
So she reached out to Tesla to build the first Superchargers in the
state and they did. For the ribbon
cutting ceremony two dozen Teslas charged up for free. Afterwards the crowd of Tesla owners with
their family and friends enjoyed the restaurants conveniently located
nearby. This is not a one-time
event. From now on individual Model S
owners will converge on Port Saint Lucie as they travel up and down I-95 to top
off their batteries and enjoy the local amenities.
The day after the Port Saint Lucie opening, a Supercharger station at the Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers had its ribbon cutting ceremony. Both locations have charging stations to permit 8 Model Ss to charge simultaneously.
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up of Model Ss at Supercharger Station at Port Saint Lucie Town Center. Photo credit: Lawrence Chanin |
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| Kevin
Kessekert, Tesla Director, Supercharger Deployment listens to Mayor Joann
Feaiella address the crowd at the Port Saint Lucie Supercharger ribbon cutting ceremony. Photo credit: Lawrence Chanin |
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| The
Supercharger’s heavy electrical cable is about as thick as a gasoline hose.
Photo credit: Lawrence Chanin |
