And it has been at least since 2016 when I first discovered Tesla and bought my first Model S. Subsequently sold both my Porsche and Mercedes and will never go back to ICE.
A Friend of mine has a Model 3 and a Mach E, they love them both. But on their recent road trip (that that did multiple times with the model 3 without any issues) they took the Mach E and had a terrible charging experience, whether speed issues, app issues, availability or broken…
My parents leased a GM EV. They spent 3 hours trying to find a working charger for the first time. They went to a tesla charging station and were amazed they said you just pulled up back in, plugged in, and walked away in less than a min.
@elonmusk Absolutely agree, Gail! The Tesla Supercharger network is perfect ☄️ honestly, it’s what gave me the confidence to switch to an EV in the first place. I love how I can just use the Trip Planner, and it maps out all the stops for me, down to how long I need to charge.…
Thanks to Tesla Charging team rural areas are staying charged
Yea I agree. I’ve been a part of the Tesla owner community for about 4 years now and I’ve watched how dense many locales within the US has become with Superchargers. On a recent road trip through the states there’s an abundance of Superchargers, even throughout rural areas… I’m…
Supercharging so good, some owners don’t even think twice about it
It was a priority for me when I purchased my first Tesla 6 years ago, now it’s all about FSD since I realize charging locally and on trips is a non issue for Teslas
Kilowatt-hours (kWh) provide a consistent way to understand and compare energy usage across various devices and appliances, including your Tesla or other EV. Understanding kW/h helps you understand EV cost better, as it relates to all forms of charging.
A Universal Practice
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of electrical energy, measuring the amount of electricity consumed over one hour at a constant rate of one kilowatt (1 kW). This practice of measuring electricity in kilowatt-hours is widely accepted and used in many countries on Earth. Specific terms and pricing structures for electricity do vary, and the fundamental unit of measurement, the kilowatt-hour (kWh), remains a universal standard for understanding and managing electrical energy consumption.
Why Measured Per Hour?
KWh is measured per hour to quantify the total energy used over that time frame, similar to how you measure how quickly water flows from a faucet or how fast your car consumes gasoline. This standardized approach ensures consistency and uniformity in assessing electricity usage.
Comparison to Water
To help myself understand it better, I compared it to my water bill. My water meter measures how many gallons of water I use, and I pay based on the volume I consume. Kilowatt-hours (kWh) are similar but for electricity. They measure how much electrical “energy” is used, and my bill is based on the amount of energy consumed. Just as you pay for the water that flows through your pipes, you pay for the electricity that flows through your wires. Whether it’s water or electricity, the more you use, the higher your bill. And, like water, the cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) can vary depending on where you live or where you charge your EV. Having solar and power walls to charge your EV is like having a natural spring nearby. Your water well, pump, and filters that you invest in save you money from having your water delivered by a water-tank truck.
My Thoughts
I pay attention to how electricity prices change, always looking for the best rates per kWh to charge my Tesla Model Y via the Tesla App. Understanding kilowatt-hours (kWh) allows me to plan my charging more efficiently. During road trips, I also consider the cost per kWh at each Tesla Supercharger I encounter because these prices can vary due to multiple factors. On my recent road trip to San Antonio, where I visited Six Flags, I managed entire drive without needing to charge while on the road. The night before the journey, I charged my vehicle to 100%, providing a range of over 300 miles, which was more than enough for a round trip from near Leander to Six Flags Fiesta. To conserve energy, I disabled both Sentry Mode and Cabin Overheat Protection. When I returned home, I still had 20% of the battery charged. It’s all about making informed energy choices and optimizing efficiency.
Image Courtesy Zach on X @blkmdl3
Informative article by Gail Alfar, please credit accordingly. Have a wonderful day and may you take many happy road trips in your Tesla.
Over the 4th of July holiday I took a road trip in my Model Y. This is one of many road trips I have enjoyed and yet it stands out as unique due to some wonderful people I met who love Tesla. Word of mouth travels fast, and this is how many people are aware of Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS). People like the idea that other EVs will charge at Tesla Superchargers.
TESLA’S SUPERCHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE IS SOLID
Before I go into my experiences with Supercharging and my conversations with EV owners, I want to bring you back to Tesla Investor Day on March 1, 2023, which showcased how strong the Tesla Supercharging Network is. This Network is well prepared to provide charging to other electric vehicles.
Tesla’s leaders gathered at Gigafactory Texas to present this important showcase. Rebecca Tinucci of Tesla’s Charging Infrastructure team explained,
“We think a lot about what it means to charge at home, even if that home is an apartment or condo, and we spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to charge away from home, including if that’s for daily commuting or if you’re going on a road trip.”
Tinucci explained that in 2022 Tesla provided 9 Terawatt hours of charging across various charging methods and over 50% of that was supplied by convenient AC home charging.
Tesla owners have always been able to access over 80,000 charging points and that includes 40,000 of Tesla’s Superchargers. Now this flourishing charging network will be open to other EVs who adopt the NACS.
Tesla Model Y Charging at Home. Image Courtesy Tesla, Inc.
HOW DID TESLA GET SO GOOD AT SUPERCHARGING?
Only Tesla has dedicated countless hours and engineering talent to make electric vehicle charging an experience so delightful, that people love to talk about how good it is. Tinucci explains “Getting here has meant that we spent 10 years building charging infrastructure when basically no one else in the industry would do it, those 10 years have afforded us the opportunity to get pretty good at charging.”
For this reason, Tesla can depend on word-of-mouth advertising for its Supercharger Network. There are signs that other electric vehicle manufacturers may spend advertising dollars making their customers aware that their vehicles can access the Tesla Network however Tesla won’t have to spend a penny on advertising this. Instead, Tesla will invest every dollar into improving the Network.
LOWER COST PASSED TO THE CUSTOMER
Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy, so naturally costs to power your EV will cost less than filling up a gas tank. Tesla uses less expensive renewable energy to power Superchargers. These cost savings also come from Tesla’s approach to finding the most efficient ways to deploy Superchargers and vertically integrate the supply chain.
Tinucci explained, “First, we have the industry’s lowest deployment cost, our costs are often 20% if not 70% lower than alternatives, and that goes for both our supercharging hardware and deployments and our AC charging product lines.”
Tesla achieves this lower cost through being vertically integrated with manufacturing, and through engineering all of their own charging equipment. Tesla shares components across their different product lines and installs and operates all of its own charging sites. In Tanucci’s words, this has led Tesla to be “obsessed with finding ways to innovate around installation.”
TESLA INNOVATES THE WAY SUPERCHARGERS ARE INSTALLED
Tesla applies manufacturing expertise to how they deploy Supercharger sites.
One example is that Tesla is pre-builds “Four post Supercharger units” at Gigafactory New York. Tinucci explained that Tesla ships these pre-built superchargers to the site and then uses a crane to put them into position, which saves 15% on deployment costs. A site can be installed in a matter of days, and once it’s operating, Tesla continues to manage it efficiently.
HOW DOES TESLA MANAGE SUPERCHARGER SITE UTILIZATION?
Tinucci explains how Tesla’s Trip Planner Software maximizes Supercharger site efficiency to lower cost,
“Over the last few years, we’ve been able to cut our per kilowatt hour cost by 40%, there are a lot of reasons for this but one of the top of the list is we focused on increasing our site utilization. Site utilization is just how many sessions or kilowatt hours can we push through a site or a post and basically doing that allows us to spread our cost over more sessions, thus, lower cost for kilowatt hour. But of course that’s easier said than done because when we push efficiency, of course, the risk is that we have a poor customer experience when we have a wait time at our sites.”
Tesla seeks the best customer experience possible and developed a solution for this with Trip Planner software.
Tinucci continued,
“This is where Trip Planner comes in. Trip Planner is our in-vehicle routing or navigation system. Other electric vehicle manufacturers, or some of them, have vehicle data. Other infrastructure providers have site data, but at Tesla we have both and what that allows us to do is to use Trip Planner to route vehicles towards available sites and away from congested sites so we can balance our utilization without risking wait time.”
Tinucci explained how the results of Tesla’s Trip Planner software speak for themselves since over the last few years Tesla has been able to drive up site utilization by 30% and that means lower per kilowatt hour cost while also cutting wait time in half.
Tinucci revealed that Tesla plans even more advancements with Trip Planner. Trip Planner will be moving to projecting site occupancy based on the understanding of what vehicles are currently routing to those sites. She explains that “Ultimately, the vision for Trip Planner is that it’s the air traffic controller for electric vehicle charging across all infrastructure on a global basis.” This will become more important in 2024 when other EVs start Supercharging in the Tesla Network.
QUICKER CHARGE TIMES
When I last Supercharged at Buc-ee’s in Waller, Texas, the 20 minutes went by so fast I did not have enough time to linger in the shops. It was enough to use the ladies’ room and buy lunch to avoid a $1/minute idle fee. I had to rush back to remove my Tesla from the post.
Tesla aims for even quicker charge times than this! Tunicci said, “We have shaved off 30% of our average supercharger sites time, or visit time, over the last few years. This is taking improvements on the hardware side with our software on our vehicles and on our infrastructure and we’re really excited to continue pushing this trend down.”
WHAT IT TAKES TO CHARGE A FULLY ELECTRIFIED FLEET
Do you know how much a Petawatt is? Petawatts is a unit of power equal to one quadrillion watts, and it’s used to estimate the immense amount of energy required in the future to charge all cars if they were electric.
Tesla aspires to a fully electrified, global fleet and that will take an enormous amount of energy. Nine Petawatt hours of charging will be needed on an annual basis. Tesla is preparing to meet that challenge by growing and maintaining a stellar charging experience.
Tinucci explains it this way, “While Tesla Charging certainly doesn’t have to supply all of that [9 Petawatts], it does require that for our part, we have a few new focuses in order to scale. First, if you want a fully electrified, global fleet, all of those vehicles have to have a great and reliable charging experience.”
In 2022, Tesla opened up its supercharging network on a global basis and now over 50% of Tesla’s superchargers in Europe are currently open to other electric vehicles. In 2024, get ready to see other EVs charging at Tesla Superchargers in the USA. Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Polestar, Rivian, and Volvo will build EVs with Tesla’s easy-to-use and ergonomic North American Charging Standard (NACS). Expect to see most EVs built in 2025 to have the NACS. Until then, other EVs can access all Tesla Superchargers in the USA using an adapter.
TESLA CHARGING: RENEWABLE SOURCES & DAYTIME CHARGING
The second thing Tesla is doing is to ensure when they build out charging infrastructure, that it’s powered by renewable sources. Tanucci said,
“Over the last two years, we’ve procured enough renewable energy to offset the amount of charging we’ve provided to customers. As we look forward and we talk about this fully electrified fleet on a global basis, we want to make sure the demand for charging more closely follows when renewable sources are available.”
Tanucci continued, “We think the best way to go towards daytime charging is to install AC charging that is convenient and low-cost everywhere vehicles are typically parked throughout the day.” It comes as no surprise when Tanucci stated that Tesla Charging teams “are currently scaling to install AC charging everywhere vehicles charge during the day so we can power them from the new renewable sources.”
MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
I’d like to leave you with my experiences with Supercharging and my conversations with EV owners on my recent 4th of July trip to Galveston Island, Texas.
“I would love to charge my EQS in the Tesla Network! I hope it happens as soon as possible!”
My friend Chris, from Louisiana, drove a Mercedes-Benz EQS to Galveston Island for the 4th and is very excited to access Tesla Superchargers.
“I had no problems at all with staying charged on my drive moving to Houston from New Jersey. Gas stations are smelly and I don’t miss them!”
Another friend, a Model Y owner, shared his enthusiasm for how easy it was to travel and stay charged. I share his sentiments, and one of the reasons I bought a Tesla was to avoid the gas pump. Gas pumps bugged me for being clunky and often leaky. I remember raising the nozzle in the air so gas would not fall on my shoes. Yes, flammable, toxic gasoline would often be left on my car, hands, and feet. Thankfully, the future is electric!
Tesla Supercharging is one part of Elon Musk’s Master Plan Part 3. There is a long road ahead and we can help by using renewable energy and speaking up to policymakers to promote policy that will help, not hinder, Tesla and the amazing work their teams are doing.
Don’t Mess With Tesla Belt Buckle.
Notes: See Official Tesla Youtube LIVE “2023 Investor Day.”
Thanks to the entire Tesla team and especially to Elon Musk for his engineering and leadership.
An article by Gail Alfar For What’s Up Tesla & Twitter Publishing from July 8, 2023.
(Austin, Texas) Tesla announced today that Volvo will build EVs with the North American Charging Standard (NACS), joining Ford, General Motors, and Rivian in accessing all Tesla Superchargers in the USA.
This article is about the NACS and much more! I hope you’ll take a minute to read it. My goal is to inspire you, and put a smile on your face.
Why I’m in love with Tesla Supercharging
Nostalgia. As a kid, I liked going to gas stations. My favorite one was Sinclair Oil. I begged to go to Sinclair. Our family’s Oldsmobile used a lot of gas. We paid cash, and my father would pick up a pack of Camel cigarettes, buy us candy, and we would get a free small plastic dinosaur toy!
When Sinclair Oil went out of business, I stopped enjoying fueling up my car. Over the years the fun was removed from “gas stations,” and Tesla is making powering up your car fun again! How?
Tesla has created Superchargers that are easy to use in two main ways
The payment system is integrated into the Tesla App and the vehicle. When you plug in your EV, the payment is automatically integrated, so you never need to pull out a credit card or push any buttons on a screen. There is no screen, it’s just that simple.
Tesla built the NACS so that you, with your hands full, can plug in the car. The handle is small, ergonomic, and as it gets close to the charge port, it opens up the charger door.
Tesla, Ford, General Motors, Volvo, And Rivian, Are All Part Of A New Movement
Tesla has grown a robust Supercharging Network in the USA and there is plenty of room for other EVs to join in the fun. Soon, most EVs in the USA can be expected to either be assembled with the NACS charge port or to have an adapter.
Today the current lineup includes Ford, General Motors, Volvo And Rivian. (see addendum at end of the article for more automakers that have adopted NACS). These automakers have an agreement with Tesla so that their vehicles can access Tesla Superchargers. To emphasize the scope and scale of Tesla’s Supercharger Network, see the current map of Superchargers below. It keeps growing every day. How can it grow so fast?
Tesla builds Superchargers that are pre-fabricated at Giga New York, then ships them to a site, and they are installed within just a few days.
This fast installation process using the NACS, is the biggest indicator to me that it will be quicker than most realize that we will transition to all electric vehicles in the USA.
Superchargers in North America. Image Courtesy Tesla, Inc. (accessed on June 27, 2023)
Texas and Washington Lead The Way In Making Charging Easier
Texas is the first state in the USA to guarantee all state-funded fast charging will offer the NACS. Washington is the second state and I’m ready to add most states to the list!
I encourage you to make your next car electric. If you have not driven an electric car, I urge you to test drive one.
You’re going to laugh when I tell you that I own two Teslas, yet I still take test drives! I loved testing the Tesla Model X. I’ve never been this excited, since that day when my father pulled into the Sinclair gas station and I started collecting those little dinosaurs!
If you drive a Tesla and see other EVs at the Supercharger, be sure to give a smile and a thumbs up to the new people you’ll be seeing soon at the Superchargers!
Addendum/Update:
(June 29, 2023) Polestar joins General Motors, Ford, and Rivian in adopting the North American Charging Standard (NACS) which will enable access to Tesla’s expansive Supercharger network for all Polestar drivers in the United States and Canada. On June 29, 2023, Polestar stated“From 2025, new Polestar vehicles sold in North America will be equipped with the NACS charging port by default. Adapters to help allow existing Polestar drivers to access the network in a convenient way are expected in mid-2024.”
Addendum/Update:
Mercedes-Benz becomes the first German automaker to adopt NACS, enabling access to Tesla’s expansive Supercharger network.
(July 7, 2023) Mercedes-Benz drivers in the USA and Canada are delighted with this announcement!
A press release by Mercedes-Benz from July 7, 2023 states,
“Mercedes-Benz will be the first German OEM to implement NACS ports into its new electric vehicles starting in 2025. As part of a phased transition, Mercedes-Benz will initially offer an adapter that enables the company’s existing CCS BEVs to charge seamlessly on the NACS network from 2024 onwards.”
Mercedes-Benz joins Ford, General Motors, Volvo, Rivian, and Polestar in making the Supercharging experience seamless and pleasant for EV drivers.
Mercedes-Benz has adopted the NACS. Image Courtesy Mercedes-Benz.Supercharging, Image Courtesy Tesla, Inc.
Article is by Gail Alfar please credit accordingly.
As the sun sets in the evening, I am relaxing on my back porch and overcome with emotion as I listen to Elon Musk speak with GM CEO Mary Barra in a Twitter Space. Elon is welcoming GM’s electric cars to the Tesla Network. This article features Elon’s words, my thoughts, and the varied opinions of 12 people.
I’ll start by mentioning that the Tesla Supercharger Network is the best in the world, with seamless charging that has an *uptime rate of 99.95% which is the best overall. This deserves an award considering there are over 45,000 Superchargers in the world!
“This is one of the great inflection points in motor vehicles” – Elon Musk
During the Twitter Space, Elon said “This is one of the great inflection points in motor vehicles, and certainly comparable to the moving production line and so it’s a profound change in the world.”
Elon went above and beyond to ensure Barra understood the support Tesla will give to GM, saying,
“Obviously you have our full support and we are incredibly excited to partner with you on this and just make it a fantastic electric vehicle experience, whether somebody is driving a car from GM or from Tesla.
I think this will be really great for consumers, and I am not sure people in North America realize it’s a much better standard and it’s only one connector that automatically detects whether it’s AC or DC, and adjusts for the current.
And it’s also light and easy to handle and I think aesthetically it’s also preferable. We’re honored to have you (GM) join us and Tesla will send you, you will have our absolute full support.”
Tesla Takes Zero Profit
The generosity and kindness of Elon was apparent in a Tweet to Ray4Tesla in which he clarified that it’s “Worth mentioning that Tesla is supplying the adapter & other hardware to car companies at zero profit.”
Twitter Space Audience Appreciated By Elon Musk
Elon thoughtfully noticed the audience in the Twitter space (436,000K people) and said “I notice a lot of great people who know a lot about the electric vehicle industry so I think you can pick almost anyone and they will have some great questions.” Although Barra took questions from her Twitter feed, it is notable that Elon showed care for listeners and for those asking to speak.
Elon Musk Desires Non-Tesla Owners To Have a Delightful Experience Charging
Elon took into consideration the mindset of non-Tesla Owners, saying,
“It’s going to be really great for consumers, they will not have to worry about which plug, which socket, which charging station. and it will just work seamlessly. I think this will be a fundamentally great thing for the advancement of electric vehicles in North America.”
“I really want to reiterate to GM owners out there that Tesla is not going to do anything to prefer Tesla owners, and it really will be an even playing field. I think people should feel comfortable buying a Tesla or a GM car and we will provide support equally to both. The most important thing is that we advance the electric vehicle revolution.”
Twelve People Share Their Thoughts on Tesla’s Partnership With GM
I hope to share with you why I believe this is an extraordinary move by Elon Musk and I think you’ll also like to hear what people are saying.
I feel like celebrating!! – Ryan Levenson
Wow GM will be going NACS. Who’d have thought this would happen?! – Dr. Know It All
This is beautiful – Andrea Stroppa
It feels like the transition to EVs is all but guaranteed now, the reality is that the best consumer vehicles are electric and soon charging won’t be an issue no matter what brand you drive. – The Kilowatts
I’m happy for GM. I thought their ego would have prevented them from doing this but it seems like they saw the writing on the wall. CCS is just more expensive, bulkier, and riddled with failures. – Apart-Bad5446
There’s nothing here to reciprocate. What does Tesla get out of GMs fast chargers?– Feurie
Can’t wait to see the GM and Ford commercials bragging about their Tesla supercharger network – Jackson23456789
Smart move! A rising tide lifts all ships. Congrats to GM and Tesla – Jim O’Kane
Love My R1T, but Ford is making solid moves IMO. – RunAshamen Rivian owner
Feeling delighted and smug about GM’s big news – Sandy Munro
You’ve got to remember that in the scenario that is playing out here, Tesla’s competitor isn’t Ford/GM, it’s Exxon, Shell, BP etc. Tesla is becoming the number one provider to fuel everyday transport. Tesla is replacing gas stations with this move. It’s very clear in Tesla Master Plan Part 3, they want to be an Energy company, not a car company. This is just another step forward into another market. – Elad04
Tesla is now a power standard for electric vehicle charging.– Robert Scoble
To say I am overjoyed by this is an understatement. My take is that this will serve to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles orders of magnitude faster. Tesla welcomed Ford to the Supercharger network last week so I’m excited to watch these companies develop into electric manufacturing.
Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas. Photo courtesy CVSherman.
This article written by @GailAlfarATX please credit accordingly. I express unending gratitude to Tesla Charging and to Elon Musk. I refer you to *Tesla Impact Report 2022 p70 which highlights the quality of Tesla Supercharging. I have referenced the following ppl and more, thank you to all! RyanHLevanson, The Kilowatts, Andrea Stroppa, Sandy Munro, Mary Barra, Dr. Knopw It All, TV Dad.com Robert Scoble, and Ray For Tesla.
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(Austin, Texas) In a significant move towards accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles and supporting sustainable transportation, Tesla and Ford have announced a strategic partnership.
Elon Musk shared his vision for the Tesla Supercharger Network on a live Twitter Space.
Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) has been described as an easily adoptable interface, positioning it as a potential public standard. This article looks at the details of this collaboration, highlighting Elon Musk’s statements and Tesla’s perspective on the NACS.
TESLA’S COMMITMENT TO COLLABORATION AND EQUAL FOOTING AT SUPERCHARGERS
Jim Farley announced that,
“In early 2024 all Ford EV existing and future customers will have access to 12,000 Tesla high speed Superchargers across the USA.”
Farley also said one year later, Ford EVs will have the North American Charging Standard (NACS) interface.
Ford has been working with the Tesla team and Farley thanked Elon for that.
EARLY NEXT YEAR YOU’LL SEE FORD’S EVS CHARGING ALONGSIDE TESLA VEHICLES
During the discussion with Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, on the Twitter Space, Elon spoke regarding the Tesla Supercharger Network. Elon emphasized,
“We don’t want the Tesla Supercharger Network to be like a walled garden, we want it to be something that is supportive of electrification and sustainable transport in general.”
Elon expressed appreciation for Ford’s interest in partnering with Tesla on this front and affirmed the Tesla team’s intention to provide full support to Ford, ensuring that they are on equal footing at Tesla Superchargers.
I can personally attest that in Texas there is plenty of room for more vehicles to charge at Buc-ee’s locations!
NACS: A STRAIGHTFORWARD AND POTENTIALLY PUBLIC STANDARD
Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) has gained attention for its flexibility and compatibility. Described as a purely electrical and mechanical interface, NACS remains agnostic to use case and communication protocol.
This versatility makes it straightforward to adopt across different EV models. Notably, Tesla has made the design and specification files of the NACS available for download, actively engaging with relevant standards bodies to establish its charging connector as a potential public standard.
This move reflects Tesla’s outstanding commitment to promoting interoperability and widespread adoption of charging infrastructure.
Is the Tesla-Ford Partnership Revolutionizing EV Adoption and Sustainable Transport?
Yes! The partnership between Tesla and Ford signifies a huge stride towards accelerating EV adoption and promoting sustainable transport.
Living in Texas, where pick-up trucks dominate the roads, I have firsthand experience that highlights the pressing need to accelerate the adoption of EVs. I drive across Austin daily, and am surrounded by combustion engine cars and pick-up trucks. Texas is known as Truck Country by some.
I can’t help but reflect on the tremendous work required to transition to a more sustainable transportation system. In light of this, the announcement of the partnership between Tesla and Ford struck me as a brilliant move.
From my perspective, Tesla, with its exceptional engineering talent, is demonstrating philanthropy by sharing its expertise to support Ford and advance the cause of electrification.
Tesla’s NACS offers a straightforward and potentially public standard that fosters compatibility and interoperability among different charging connectors. As these initiatives unfold, the future of electric mobility becomes increasingly promising, with shared efforts aimed at building a beautiful, greener and more sustainable economy.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
Article by Gail Alfar, please credit accordingly. Images Courtesy Tesla, Inc. and Ford, Inc.
Road Trip to a California Beach. Image Courtesy @BLKMDL3 on Twitter
Welcome back to my blog, I can’t believe I’m going on 15 months of the pleasure of writing this blog for you. It’s springtime and it’s a great time to plan a road trip, long or short. When you have a Tesla, you likely hear people respond a bit surprised when you talk about road-tripping in your beautiful car. There’s never a reason to stress when traveling in your Tesla on long journeys, Tesla makes it easy. Tesla recently tweeted, “You decide where you want to go — your Tesla will automatically include charging stops along the way.”
I’m going to share some inspiration and highlights of the beauty of Tesla road trips, and encourage you to take a road trip this Spring!
You decide where you want to go—your Tesla will automatically include charging stops along the way https://t.co/01nnva59c1
Whether you travel with your family, a friend or alone, finding a good playlist is pretty easy in your Tesla. The difficulty is getting everybody to agree on what they want to listen to. I found a way to make peace with my teen by agreeing to certain times we can both play music, and at other times we would just keep the music off.
My favorite compromise is when my teenager is happy in the back area of the car and I’m in the front with my favorite music playing just on the front speakers for enough for me to hear. I can usually convince my teenager to put some kind of headphones on so he doesn’t have to listen to my music and get a headache.
A Tesla owner takes a road trip to a castle image courtesy @memesofmars on Twitter
Eating & Charging
These are the two most important parts of a road trip because it is your opportunity to refuel yourself and your family and charge up your Tesla.
For this, my favorite hack is to stop at Buc-ee’s for the supercharging, food and great bathrooms. Buc-ee’s is not always an option so here are some other suggestions:
tap the “ I’m Hungry “ button on Tesla maps
grocery stores like H-E-B in Texas have great Takeaway meals like salads, sushi and all kinds of sandwiches
your time with your kid/teenager is precious and rare, sometimes it’s nice to spoil them and let them be in full control of the cuisine
What sites to see? Where should we sleep?
Often you have a reason for traveling like heading down to South Texas to see the first Starship launch. You know exactly what you’re doing. But there’s also a beauty in aimlessly traveling, and wanting to hit the road, like Bob Dylan sang, “On the road again, just can’t wait to get back on the road again. Goin’ places that I’ve never been.”
David Searing took his Tesla to Starbase, Texas to see the Starships. Image courtesy @dsearing on Twitter Bob Walker likes to travel with his dog in his Tesla. Image Courtesy @rwalker1072 on Twitter
I encourage you to get off the beaten path and try visiting some small towns and places you may not have planned to see. Or try the opposite action theory. I figure out what I don’t want to do and then I do the opposite and then I’m always happy that I did it. In my years as a Certified Psych Nurse I learned this is good for all people and my patients.
(Opposite action is a dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) skill that involves choosing to do exactly the opposite of what your emotions tell you to do)
Inspiration
This may sound counterintuitive because if you are like me, you like to plan out every detail of your trip. I encourage you not to plan every single day. Instead, “nonplan” a trip. Try watching a few movies and reading some books before you go for inspiration. Here’s a list,
Read “On the Road” by Kerouac
Read “The Wangs vs. the World” by Jade Chang
Watch “National Lampoons Vacation” 1983
Watch “Nomadland” 2020
Watch “Green Book” 2018
Diary of a Wimpy kid: The Long Haul, 2017
Set your gorgeous Tesla on autopilot and kick back and enjoy the road!
David loves to take his Tesla to the Mountains. Image courtesy @dsdavies1 on Twitter
Hacks
Here are some of my unorthodox hacks. These hacks and others make me want to be the designated driver in the Tesla,
Stretching out your feet because you don’t really need to be using the Accelerator or Brake pedal when you’re on autopilot
Stretching exercises – being weird is ok
Kicking back in a seat position that is super comfortable… sans shoes!
Just making up my mind to not use my phone at all. I tap into the myriad of thoughts I may not have thought of if I could use my phone. It’s interesting and valuable thinking time, and it’s necessary in a Tesla for this time in history because right now if we don’t look at the road at all times we will get … a dreaded Strike!
Tesla’s Official Website Has Important Summer Driving Tips
Climate Control Features, Accessories, and Tires are all critical factors when traveling in your Tesla in hot weather. Be sure to check out Tesla’s Support page titled “Summer Driving Tips.“
Want more travel information and tips from previous articles?
Tesla Summer Travel Trip Relax, imagine where you might drive to, grab an ice-cold Southern Sweet Tea, and enjoy these tips.
Model Y: Two Big Road Trip Advantages Tesla owner and founder of Scentwedge Arash Malek returned from a road trip in a Model Y. He and his family toured some remote areas in Iceland and here is our conversation.
Image Austin Frost Bank building at Sunset, March 2023 courtesy Aerial Austin Drone Photographers
Gail Alfar, author. Exclusive to What’s Up Tesla – March 25, 2023. All Rights Reserved. My goal as an author is to support Tesla and Elon Musk in both making life better on earth for humans and becoming a space-fairing civilization. Header image Courtesy Tesla, Inc.
Welcome back to my blog, I hope you’ll enjoy this week’s post. I am sharing part of Elon Musk‘s words from the All-In Summit on May 16, 2022. The reason I’m focusing on this in today’s post is that I believe Elon explains what Tesla is in an easy-to-understand way. We are all transitioning away from fossil fuels and into a clean energy future involving solar, wind, battery storage, and electric vehicles.
I believe that after reading this you will be inspired to see the future in a more positive way. So find a cool spot, grab an iced beverage, and enjoy!
Tesla Supercharging Network [Credit: Tesla]
When Elon Musk spoke at the All-In Summit on May 16, he detailed how Tesla is 6+ businesses. Below is Elon’s response to the question: Could you just explain to people all these companies inside this super-company just so folks have a sense of what had to be done to get here?
"Okay, I mean this question requires thought and I’ll probably be leaving out quite a few things but if you look and see what does a typical car company do, what they do is they assemble vehicles and they send them to dealers and they manage the supply chain. They might make the engine, they typically will make the engine but most of the parts are made by suppliers and a lot of the actual technology development is done by suppliers, and most of the vehicle software is done by suppliers, so the actual amount of a real work done by car companies - what you think of as GM or Ford - is not actually that much. They don’t do sales, they don’t do service."
Tesla Sales, Service, Supercharging Network
"So in the case of Tesla for example we do our own sales and service. We don’t have dealerships. Tesla also has by far the biggest network of superchargers, the electric equivalent of gas stations. We built the entire global supercharger network, which is still the most advanced and by far the best way to charge your car when traveling long distances or if you live in a city and don’t have the ability to charge your car because of street parking or an apartment. We developed the Supercharger network, and we deployed it I think we have around 15,000 superchargers globally. You can travel anywhere in America right now with the Tesla supercharger network."
Tesla Vertical Integration
"In terms of vertical integration, we make the battery pack, and the power electronics, the drive unit. We are more integrated into the parts, we actually make so much of the car internally, we’re vertically integrated, not necessarily because we think that there is some religious reason to be vertically integrated, but because the pace we needed to move is much faster than the supply chain could move. To the degree that you inherit the legacy supply chain, you inherit the legacy constraints including their speed, cost, and technology."
Tesla Software, Hardware, Artificial Intelligence
"Tesla is as much a software company as it is a hardware company. The software that runs in a Tesla operates the car, operates the screen, does the charging, and all of that stuff is developed by Tesla. And so we have sort of a ‘Tesla OS’ in the car."
“Very importantly, Tesla has built an autopilot AI team from scratch that is the best real-world AI team on earth and if anyone else has got a better one I’d like to see it demonstrated in a car.”
"The full self-driving beta at this point very often can take you with zero interventions across the Bay Area from San Jose to Marin so through complex traffic it’s really quite sophisticated and I invite anyone to join the beta or look at the videos of those who are in the beta. We’ve got like 100,000 people in the beta so it's not tiny. We’ll be expanding the beta to about a million people or on that order by the end of the year."
Tesla Chip Team
"We also built a chip team because there wasn’t the hardware that we could run the friggin AI on. We couldn’t just fill the trunk with a whole bunch of GPUs. That would’ve been very expensive and take massive amounts of power and cooling just to do what Tesla designed full self-driving computer can do."
“We started chip team from scratch and it was the best in the world and still is the best in the world several years later.”
Tesla Dojo Supercomputer
"We’re also designing a dojo supercomputer to be able to process all video that's coming in from billions of miles of data, because, just sort of like the way that its critical to compete with Google because they have so much data and they have all the people doing searches all the time and humanity is training it. The same is true of Tesla. You really need billions of miles and ultimately tens of billions of miles of training data combined with sort of a vast training computer and then optimize inference hardware in the car and state of the art AI in training, and specialized software across-the-board to be able to achieve a full self-driving solution."
Tesla Insurance
"Insurance is quite significant. The car insurance thing is a bigger deal than it may seem. A lot of people are paying 30% to 40% as much as their lease payment for the car in car insurance. The car insurance industry is incredibly inefficient because to put it this way, you’ve got so many middle entities from the insurance agent all the way to the final set of reinsures each taking a cut."
“The car insurance thing is a bigger deal than it may seem.”
"It's all very statistical so that even if you are a very good driver, you could be like 20 years old and a great driver but it's all statistical so you either can’t get insurance or it's extremely expensive. Tesla allows for real-time insurance based on how you actually drive the car. If you drive the car in a safer way you actually have lower insurance. So our insurance is based on how you actually drive not how historically people fit your demographic drive and you close the loop around your insurance rate by simply driving better and looking at your score and lowering your insurance in real-time and people do it. It actually promotes safer driving."
A Brief Summary
Elon Musk highlighted why Tesla is unlike any other company involved in vehicle production. He spoke about the importance of Tesla Sales, Service, and the Global Supercharging Network. Tesla’s vertical integration model, as well as Tesla Software, Tesla Hardware, Chip Team, and Tesla AI are unprecedented. Tesla’s Dojo Supercomputer work will serve to usher in an age of vehicle autonomy. Tesla Insurance is also an integral part of why Tesla is so unique. The insurance allows for younger (and also older) drivers a rate based on how they actually drive. The All-In Summit was a good opportunity for people to hear Elon speak, and to consider being “all-in” for Tesla!
Elon Musk talks at All-In Summit. [Photo credit: Juilian Hosp]
When I bought my Model 3 in 2019, I joined a community of many people who love Tesla. Every time I drive my Tesla around my hometown Austin, Texas, I’m reminded of the extraordinary effort that is put into making Tesla succeed. In January 2022, I started this blog to write positive things about Tesla and Elon Musk. I’m thankful to Johnna Crider for supporting and encouraging me to start this blog.
You can read more about Tesla Insurance here and you can read about how Tesla owners feel about full self-driving here. Thank you!
Gail Alfar, [Edited by Sarah Alfar] Exclusive to What’s Up Tesla – All Rights Reserved. May 21, 2022
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In this blog post, I share how Tesla Supercharging is changing your world for the better. In addition, I share my vision of the future that today’s children will live to experience. So grab a cup of coffee & enjoy this quick read!
On February 28, 2022, Tesla opened up free Supercharging in Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. Supercharging is available in areas affected by the recent situation in Ukraine for both Teslas, and non-Tesla vehicles.
Austin, Texas and the surrounding area has rapidly gone from having three Supercharger stations in 2020 to eleven in 2022. Moreover, Tesla plans to add eight more to that number this year!
Tesla consistently demonstrates that they are capable of building Superchargers at a very fast rate. Their Tesla Charging Twitter account is evidence that they are adding up to six or more per day. This matters because Tesla has plans to welcome other electric cars to use their Superchargers.
Tesla Supercharging is for non-Teslas too
In a move that may have surprised some, Elon Musk emphasized to Marques Brownlee (in a tweet right before Christmas 2020) that Tesla was making superchargers accessible to other electric cars.
They are, although it’s kind low-key. Tesla Superchargers are being made accessible to other electric cars.
In late 2021, Tesla opened ten Supercharger stations to non-Teslas in the Netherlands. This trial run or pilot program turned out to be a success. Soon after, on Valentine’s Day 2022 Tesla opened up ALL of its Superchargers in the Netherlands to non-Teslas! The Netherlands was a beautiful place to begin the pilot program that Elon Musk referred to back in December 2020.
Tesla’s website states other electric vehicles can supercharge in France, Norway, Germany, and Belgium.
Here, Tesla explains their ambition behind providing Supercharging for all:
Our ambition has always been to open the Supercharger network to Non-Tesla electric cars in order to encourage more drivers to make the switch to electric driving.
This fits in seamlessly with our mission to accelerate the global transition to sustainable energy.
The more customers use the Supercharger network, the faster we can expand the network.
Our goal is to quickly gain experience and make any necessary adjustments.
In addition, we will continue to rapidly expand our network so that hopefully we can welcome both Tesla owners and Non-Tesla drivers around the world to our Superchargers in the future.
An Act of Kindness and Generosity
Although I am a mom of five kids, it’s important for me to think about all kids. Along the same lines, Tesla cares about both Teslas and non-Teslas. I’d like to leave this world behind someday, with warm thoughts that the future will be positive for many people to come, not just my own kids.
Allow me to share the futuristic scenario I envision about our interesting time of transition:
A Human of the Future Looks Back at our Time of Transition
As it became cheaper to manufacture electric cars, factories assembling combustion cars slowly grinded to a halt. Accordingly, automakers sought valuable help from Tesla’s vehicle division. Tesla kindly assisted them in any way possible to build their own electric vehicles.
It was a rarity to see gas cars and gas stations had become supercharging centers, keeping just a few pumps open for an occasional combustion car. Naturally, it was mostly Teslas that were charging with a scattering of other makes that included Ford, Volkswagen and others.
Once in a while, there would come along somebody with a memory of the past, when most vehicles ran on gasoline, paid for in obsolete dollars. It wasn’t so much nostalgia that was interesting in these stories, but wondering, how challenging it must have been to buy things before Dogecoin. Why did vehicles with such complicated motors take on such a big role in the past?
China was respected for leading the way with two Tesla gigafactories.
Rather than thinking of it as just financial incentive driving business, people began to realize that driving electric vehicles and living in a situation with sustainable energy leads to greater overall happiness.
If happiness is the goal, people tend to want to enjoy the days, stretching them out to enjoy every ray of sun, every minute that they can. Things like the arts flourish, music, painting, dance and writing.
What a Beautiful Future We Have
You are here because you love what Tesla is doing. You may own a share of TSLA, know someone who works at Tesla, drive a Tesla, or know of a neighbor who has a Tesla Solar Roof, in any case, your life is likely somehow already connected with Tesla. Thanks for your support!
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