Tesla Patents Advanced Multi-Charging Station to Prioritize Charging based on need and arrival time

Elon Musk is nothing if not ambitious, and a patent for a multi-charging Tesla Supercharger station is another example of his confidence in electric cars. If implemented, this patent would allow Supercharger stations to prioritize charging based on need and arrival time, among other factors. Another step towards an electric car future.

Green Car Reports came across this patent filing, and while doesn’t necessarily mean this is the direction Tesla is going with Superchargers, it is a good indication of their intent. These free fueling stations currently serve just a handful of customers, many of whom can afford a home charging station as well. With the launch of the Tesla Mode X this year, and the more-affordable Tesla Model E in 2017, these Supercharger stations could quickly become overrun with customers seeking a charge.

The patent filing is for an improved Supercharger system with multiple charging ports that distributes power based on need and priority. The system could distribute power based on first-come first-serve, remaining battery level, and vehicle priority. Perhaps certain cars will come with a higher charging priority, or perhaps it’ll be offered as an option? Regardless, anyone filling up with free fuel shouldn’t complain about having to wait a little extra longer for the privilege.

Tesla is obviously anticipating a rush on Supercharger stations, implying even more rapid growth. With the recent completion of a cross-country Supercharger network and another patent-filing for a 400 mile hybrid battery, it won’t be long before all of America is within range of a multi-charging Tesla Supercharger. How long before Tesla Superchargers are as common as Starbucks?



Source: Green Car Reports

Happy New Electric Year 2014 !

Happy New Electric Year 2014 !

In 2014 ....

Tesla SuperCharger Network expanding

Tesla Model X coming

And much more ...

Coulomb Technologies and DBT - Joint Offering

When the two biggest players in the electric vehicle, EV charging station industry start working together, everyone listens. Find out what the potential of this means for EV owners.

ChargePoint, part of Coulomb Technologies and DBT are the two biggest players when it comes to charging stations in the EV and plug-in hybrid, PHEV field. Pike Research has already pitted these two manufacturers as top leaders of the EV charging stations heap. This is big news that will probably go unnoticed for some time but guess what happens when the two biggest players join hands? I’ll let you speculate.

Joint Offering, A Prelude To More? OK, this is only a joint offering but it could lead to the two companies working closer and closer together, thus pulling their weight to define the entire charging stations field. Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, DBT USA revealed its North American level II charging stations will have the option to connect to ChargePoint. Why is this important news? We’ve speculate for sometime that Coulomb Technologies, and its ChargePoint entity that describes itself as the largest global EV charging network has been moving more away from manufacturing charging stations toward managing energy. This would be another step in that direction.

Coulomb Technologies Charging Stations

ChargePoint & DBT in Numbers. How big are they? With over 10,000 units in 30 countries, ChargePoint’s number will be revealed soon but suffice it to say, its network is already present with independently owned stations in over 14 countries.

We all know what happens when two giants hold hands down the road, either a consolidation or a strategic partnership that usually defines the landscape of an industry. Think of the early computer days when Microsoft swallowed up local software makers and eventually pulled its portfolio together to offer an office suite called Microsoft Office. Those old enough will remember the problems converging Word Perfect documents, a better word processor to Microsoft’s obscure and anti-competitive behavior.

DBT Charging Station (Paris)

Will the electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid and in general alternative energy vehicle industry go through a round of consolidations, buy-outs and anti-competitive practices? It might be too early to tell but if the past and recent history are anything to gauge from, it could certainly happen. Fortunately, we are nowhere near that point in time and can hopefully learn from our past mistakes and avoid future market share stranglehold.

Will have to wait and see how the competition reacts to this news and how it will effect their products. In the meantime, DBT and ChargePoint cooperating is a healthy sign that the EV and PHEV industry is coming along nicely, building up its resources and starting strategic partnerships.

Source: Torque News

Tesla Supercharger network construction begins on the East Coast

The first Supercharger stations outside California have been spotted in Connecticut and Delaware giving Model S owners along the Washington DC to Boston corridor the freedom to drive far.

Tesla's Supercharger network isn't just for Californians any more. The first Supercharger location outside California has been spotted in Milford Connecticut, and was officially opened on Friday. Interested folk can track progress of the Supercharger network via the ReCargo app for smart phones, or on the Tesla website.

The new Supercharger station location is perfect for Model S owners in either the Boston or New York areas who wish to drive between those two cities. The location is on I-95, near New Haven and near the intersection of I-91 and I-95. In actuality it is two Supercharger stations, at both the northbound and southbound Milford service plaza's, between exits 40 and 41, located next to the McDonalds in each plaza. This location is convenient not only for the Boston-New York corridor, but also those going into central Connecticut or Massachusetts.

Tesla's website shows another station at the Delaware Welcome Center and Travel Plaza, between exits 1 and 3 on the Delaware Turnpike. Members of the teslamotorsclub.com forum have posted pictures showing four charging stations, and that are being installed near the gasoline pumps.

Tesla's website shows these two locations as providing a pair of bubbles that begin to cover the Washington DC to Boston corridor. The distance between these stations (199 miles) places them further apart than in California, leading one to think the company will build other Supercharger stations along this corridor and further south along I-95.

A Model S owner living in this region can, today, use either of these stations for a fast charge while on the road. It may occur to someone that a traveler driving to Washington DC could charge fully at the Delaware Welcome Center, and arrive in Washington with insufficient range to make it back to the Supercharger station in Delaware. Rather than being stuck by the side of the road with a dead Tesla, that Model S owner could very easily use J1772 charging stations in Washington DC to snag a charge there. Additionally Tesla Motors is likely to be installing more Supercharger stations along this corridor, closer to Washington DC, and in central New Jersey.

The 199 mile distance between the stations would require a 60 kilowatt-hour Model S owner to almost completely deplete the battery pack which is undesirable for battery pack longevity. That makes additional Supercharger stations an almost certainty.

The Model S has a high power flexible charging system that can connect to nearly any kind of power outlet from 120 volt outlets, to J1772 charging stations, and even the 240 volt 50 amp NEMA 14-50 outlets common at RV parks.

Details of the Supercharger network were unveiled in September 2012, along with the first six stations. At that time the goal was to expand the network in California to have more stations along I5 all the way to the Oregon border. Neither the Recargo app, nor the Tesla website, show any such expansion has yet occurred.

The 85 kilowatt-hour Model S has an EPA certified range of 265 miles, while the 60 kilowatt-hour Model S has a 208 mile range. Both versions of the Model S can be be outfitted with Supercharger support. With the Supercharger station a Model S can gain 150 miles of range in 30 minutes of charging, which is close to 20 times the charging rate of typical normal electric cars at typical J1772 charging stations. The Model S is the first electric car which can properly implement a Road Trip.



Source: TorqueNews

Tahoe to LA - A 530 miles Trip using Tesla's Supercharger Network !

The 530-mile trip using Tesla's superchargers started at Lake Tahoe, near the California-Nevada border.

One week ago at this time, I was speeding down California’s Interstate in a Tesla Model S, on a 530-mile one-day trip from Lake Tahoe to Los Angeles. I told the tale of using Tesla’s supercharger network, and reviewed the vehicle, in yesterday’s New York Times. But that was intended for a general audience. I figured the EV crowd on PluginCars.com would want more of the geeky details about Tesla’s superchargers.

It seems obvious that charging an EV, even at a rapid 90-kW rate, is a different experience than pumping gas into a petrol car. We have become accustomed to rolling up to rest stop on the highway in our gas car, and in a matter of about 10 minutes, pumping gasoline until the nozzle clicks and the tank is full. That’s not what you want to do with a big-battery EV like the 85-kWh Model S.

As I stated in the NYT piece, the rate of charging is about twice as fast when the battery pack is nearly empty as when it gets full. Check out this data, pulled by Tesla engineers right from the Model S I was driving. For two of my three stops, the state-of-charge (SOC) was less than 10 percent, when I arrived to a supercharger.

Timeline of the Model S's state of charger for the 11.5-hour trip.

This might be perceived as a weakness—as if the car was running on fumes (I mean final electrons) as I pulled up for a charge. But it’s actually just one example of how Tesla is using the intrinsic technical and logistical dimensions of EV fast charging to leap ahead of competing models for quick charging.

You can see that during those two stops, at Harris Ranch and Tejon, the batteries were only restored to about 65 percent and 55 percent SOC respectively. Those recharging sessions were completed in 38 minutes and 25 minutes, and added 153 miles and 117 miles. I could have added more without a problem, except for two things: I didn’t need more juice than that to get to the next supercharger, and the reduced pace of recharging to get to full would have slowed down the trip.

I spent more time at the first stop in Folsom, and charged to about 95 percent SOC—or 250 miles of range—because the leg from Folsom to Harris Ranch, near Coalinga, was a bit more than 200 miles. This graph shows the remaining range at all points along the way.

Timeline of the Model S's remaining range for the 11.5-hour trip.

That Folsom-to-Coalinga stretch is not a true indication of what Tesla has in mind, because the company’s strategy is to place superchargers only about 150 miles apart. Last week, we were trying to test the limits of the network—on the company’s inaugural run—but very few, if any, Model S owners will want to drive from Lake Tahoe to L.A.

The supercharger network was created to enable the most likely trips—like Tahoe to San Francisco; SF to LA; or LA to Vegas. So, the only reason we topped up in Folsom, and kept our speed to around 70 miles per hour, was because we were breaking the boundaries of how the system was designed to work.

J.B. Straubel—Tesla’s chief technology officer and the driving force behind the supercharger strategy—told me, “When you start to look at how many you need to enable all the frequent destinations, it’s in the tens if you’re in one state, to the hundreds nationwide. You don’t need 10,000 of them.”

Top: The locations for Tesla superchargers opening to Model S drivers by the end of October, 2012.
Bottom: A nationwide network of superchargers, based on this map from Tesla, can serve the entire country with around 100 locations.

Good Economics

Now, consider relatively low hardware costs for the superchargers, because they are primarily comprised of a dozen of exactly the same on-board 10-kW chargers found in the vehicle—made from the same components and manufactured on the same production line. Straubel told me that each supercharger costs “less than half” of what competing quick chargers (like CHAdeMo) are running. And they are faster.

The refrigerator-looking object is the actual Tesla supercharger. Inside, a dozen of the 10-kW chargers used in the vehicle are stacked up, and supported by computers and liquid cooling. One 120-kW supercharger can serve two vehicles at a time. The pedestal by the car merely supports the charging cord.

It makes good technical and economic sense to Straubel for the same company making the cars to make the off board fast chargers.

“For the cost of one hydrogen fueling station, we can put in a sizable part of a network,” Straubel said. “It’s pretty cool. We’re linking east and west coast, north and south. You can go from Tijuana to New York for free and back. In an EV, in about the same time you can do it in a gasoline car.”

Cheap electricity means that Tesla can make the chargers available at no extra cost to its customers. The network is primarily designed to sell more cars—the first business model for public charging that makes sense to me.

The Tesla supercharger location in Tejon, Calif., is the first that uses solar power. Others will follow. Solar energy will ensure that Tesla vehicles using the network will run on renewable energy, and it will reduce ongoing operation costs.

High-price demand charges from the utility company are mitigated by using solar and stationary batteries, as is planned for many of the Tesla charging locations. While the most built-out Tesla charging locations with full solar and enough connectors to serve eight vehicles at the same time could cost a quarter-million dollars, the stations I visited are more likely to be a third of that cost.

Leading Edge

Tesla is being criticized for the fact that the superchargers are only available to their vehicles. But the company doesn’t want to wait for the entire industry to make up its mind about standards, or to catch on to its approach. Can you blame them? First of all, you need big battery EVs, like the 85 kWh Model S, for the idea to work as intended. And the battery systems in those vehicles must have the capacity to take 90-kW charging.

Once a few thousand Model S drivers start using the system for all-electric road trips, perhaps other automakers will start knocking on Tesla’s door, to see how their EVs can be equipped to use the network. Toyota and Daimler, as existing Tesla partners, are possible candidates.

What I like most about the Tesla supercharger network is how the company looked at long-distance electric vehicle driving and charging with the mindset of experienced EV guys—not like internal combustion carmakers thinking about electric cars for the first time. This EV-centric approach—electricity runs in Tesla's blood—has allowed them to devise a cost-effective solution to a problem that hasn’t crossed the mind of other carmakers. And even if it did, they wouldn’t dare to try to solve it.


Source: PluginCars

Philippe Hirtzman - Special Mission for EV Charge Stations

French government has launched a mission for the deployment of charging stations and development of electro-mobility. It also negotiates the financing of other measures with highway concessionaires and local communities.

Arnaud Montebourg, Philippe Hirtzmann, Delphine Batho & Frédéric Cuvillier

Wednesday, October 3, 2012, Arnaud Montebourg, Minister of Industry, Delphine Batho, Minister of Ecology and Frédéric Cuvillier, Minister for Transport, announced the launch of a mission "dedicated to the deployment of charging stations for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids and development of electro-mobility".

Entrusted to Philippe Hirtzman, Chairman of the Board of the National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks (INERIS), the mission is "designed to bring out and support infrastructure projects in the areas of recharge ". The main objective is to break the self-sustained vicious circle of the limited range of electric vehicles and the weakness of the charging network.

The creation of such a mission was originally announced as part of the plan presented by Arnaud Montebourg car July 25.

Philippe Hirtzmann

Presentation of the mission Hirtzman

Create a network of charging stations

Departments reported having attended for this mission, all the actors involved in the development of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure: local authorities, energy suppliers and distributors, supermarket chains, fuel distribution, freeway companies, parking lots, recharge equipment manufacturers and automobile makers.

For funding the deployment of charging stations, the Ministers recalled that 50 million are already enshrined. The "mission launch Hirtzman occured in the presence of the Commissioner General for Investment which enshrines the future investment program a budget of 50 million euros to finance the deployment projects of charging stations" explained the three departments.

Will be eligible, projects of large scale deployment of charging stations in agglomerations of more than 200,000 inhabitants, or those carried by region and, for a limited time, those to accelerate the deployment of charging stations on highways, parking lots, and parking lots open to the public such as supermarket parkings.

Who will pay the preferential tariffs?

In addition, the government "wants the establishment of a preferential tariff on freeway tolls and parking for electric vehicles." The measures for this are not yet announced, however, some advocates of electric cars made proposals to Bercy to find a solution that does not burden the public finances.

Regarding preferential freeway tariff, a lead mentioned would be the payment to the owners of electric cars of a certain amount usable the French freeway network. This amount could go up to 2,000 euros, would be paid by freeways companies, for example, the provision of prepaid toll card. In return, the freeway companies would get a lengthening of the duration of their concessions.

As for the alleviation of parking rates, it can not be done without the prior approval of the local authorities concerned who establish the rules of paid parking in accordance with the General Local Authorities Code.


In addition, the bonus for electric vehicles set to 7,000 euros will be extended in 2013, "by extending the eligibility of enterprises and public purchasers to these bonuses and engaging in a process of public procurement, which will be 25% electric or hybrid " indicate ministries, adding that recharges terminals will be installed in the ministries and administrations.

Charging station sign in Paris

Industrials in order of battle

Meanwhile, the Caisse des Dépôts (CDC), ERDF, PSA Peugeot Citroën and Renault announced they have signed, at the end of the press conference of ministers, "a protocol for the establishment of a common framework for developing roaming charging infrastrusture for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, "the Groupment for roaming recharges of electric vehicles (GIREVE).

The four groups intend to offer users a range of  "a la carte" services. "Drivers can locate and use the existing charging stations, regardless of owner: local, owner of parking, mobility operator etc.," they say, adding that "IT applications on GPS or " smartphone " will locate all available terminals and possibly the book. "

In addition, the GIREVE will create standards for data exchange, enabling payment clearing services between operators, and represent France vis-à-vis other countries that these standards extend to cross-border trade.

Providers of charging stations rejoice, like DBT-CEV who "is delighted to support measures to develop the development of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure in France." The French manufacturer, which participate in the work of the mission Hirtzman believes that this is "a new kick" to expand the market for electric cars.


Philippe Collet

Source: Actu-Environnement, translated with Google Translate & Me

Tesla Motors Supercharger Event - Recast & Pictures

Elon Musk introduces the Tesla Supercharger and the first part of a national network which will allow the Model S electric car to travel long distances with ultra fast charging.

With the Superchargers' power supplied by solar energy, Tesla continues to move automotive transit towards a much more sustainable future.

Also check out my other SuperCharger in depth post

Elon Musk arrives in his black Model S

and parks under the SuperCharger, a an assitant plugs in the car in

Chief of Design at Tesla welcomes his boss

and passes him the mic

Elon goes through in depth presentation of the SuperCharger project 

His Model S is charging ...

Free Charge and no C02, difficult to beat that !

The beautifull charge connector Tesla has designed handles both AC regular charging but also the DC fast charging of the SuperCharger

SuperCharger sign, so that you will not miss your freeway exit to plug in

TESLA S DELIVERIES BEGIN IN ... 23 Hours - Live

Follow Live the official Model S deliveries to 10 customers tomorrow, in exactly 23 hours, on TESLA's website
Elon Musk should also unveil their Super Charge Network !

Last minute news (june 22nd 05:46): They should deliver not 10 but 20 cars