Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which tunneling deal are you referring to?
Las Vegas.
Have they obtained all necessary rights-of-way? I'm having trouble picturing a route that doesn't transit protected desert areas.
Tesla – Introducing V3 Supercharging
111–120 of 279 posts
Re: Tesla – Introducing V3 Supercharging
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
At 250 volts, it is only 1000 Amps. Normal houses come with 200 Amp service. Older ones may be 100 Amp, and larger modern ones are 400 Amp. So that is about 5 houses. You could buy that service. I hope Tesla would sell you the supercharger for it.
250KVA is a common rating for a moderately sized distribution substation. The utility certainly doesn't put only 5 houses on one - more like 50.
A moderate distribution substation is probably more like 50 MVA.
A house with a 200A service at 240 V is about 50 kW. You might see a 250 kVA padmount transformer feeding half a dozen big houses but that is not the same thing as a substation.
Re: Tesla – Introducing V3 Supercharging
#113Earlier quoted context omitted.
At 250 volts, it is only 1000 Amps. Normal houses come with 200 Amp service. Older ones may be 100 Amp, and larger modern ones are 400 Amp. So that is about 5 houses. You could buy that service. I hope Tesla would sell you the supercharger for it.
No, you can't buy that service. Not even close. 400amp service is usually 2 200 amp panels. Done with 2/0 cable. It's rarely, if ever, 1 400 amp panel. 1. There is no way you would get "1000amp service" at 250v. It would be a minimum of 480v 3 phase (and not 1000amp). You may even want a lot higher, because as you'll see, getting that many amps is ... very very hard. 2. You can't even buy 1000amp cable gauge anywhere…
My local utility seems to offer it, though they prefer that you install a transformer. They also offer 3-phase for residential usage. Yes, this is in the USA. From what I can tell, most likely you'd get 480 volts at 500 amps.
There is actually a home not far from me that gets 3-phase. It is hooked up to a commercial-style air conditioning unit (huge house) and has a separate power meter; the home has separate 2-phase service as well.
Re: Tesla – Introducing V3 Supercharging
#114Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, you can't buy that service. Not even close. 400amp service is usually 2 200 amp panels. Done with 2/0 cable. It's rarely, if ever, 1 400 amp panel. 1. There is no way you would get "1000amp service" at 250v. It would be a minimum of 480v 3 phase (and not 1000amp). You may even want a lot higher, because as you'll see, getting that many amps is ... very very hard. 2. You can't even buy 1000amp cable gauge anywhere…
Which implies that Tesla is either using a much higher voltage than 250, or they're using superconductors. And I doubt they're using superconductors.
The Tesla supercharging cables are pretty short, so they can also tolerate the higher losses associated with a thinner cable. They were even experimenting with a liquid cooled cable at one point in order to get thinner conductors and a more flexible cable by allowing to to be less efficient.
Re: Tesla – Introducing V3 Supercharging
#115Earlier quoted context omitted.
250KVA is a common rating for a moderately sized distribution substation. The utility certainly doesn't put only 5 houses on one - more like 50.
Ah, just like internet service: it is oversubscribed. The utility can not deliver what has been promised for all customers at the same time.
No. Because if there is too much power demand the overload results in some people getting no power. You dont often hear of rolling blackouts or brownouts in North America.
Everyone can use as much power as they have subscribed to whenever they want. Your panel is rated for a certain amount of power and protected by a breaker or fuse if too much is used. Same for the transformer your panel is connected to. Same for the distribution line your transformer is connected to. Same for the transformer it is connected to. And so on.
There is enough capacity in the system to meet the demand. If there wasn't the lights go out due to some overload.
When demand grows more capacity has to be added before the limit is reached. Capacity takes years to build. Utilities have planning departments that decide where they need to add capacity next and how much.
Re: Tesla – Introducing V3 Supercharging
#116Fantastic tech. However, why do they insist on doing it in a closed proprietary way? Teslas growth is coupled to general EV growth. They can't possibly be arrogant enough to believe they will be the sole supplier of EVs if they win can they? Charging is the number 1 thing holding back adoption right now.
I agree. In the long term, it doesn’t seem sustainable to keep using a proprietary plug design when the rest of the industry is standardising. It will eventually be a disincentive to buy a Tesla if they aren’t compatible with most of the future charging infrastructure. Adapters can be used, but that’s not an elegant or convenient solution.
In Europe, Tesla is already moving to the industry-standard CCS charging system. The EU Model 3 comes with the same CCS charge port as almost all other EVs, and EU superchargers are being retrofitted with CCS cables.
This is a win both for Tesla owners, who can charge at any charger without adapters; and for the charging providers who increase their customer base, encouraging the expansion of their networks.
In North America, the transition would be a bit more painful due to the current plug design. But I think it would be the right move for the long term.
Re: Tesla – Introducing V3 Supercharging
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
Las Vegas.
Have they obtained all necessary rights-of-way? I'm having trouble picturing a route that doesn't transit protected desert areas.
Its just a underground tunnel that connects some exhibition halls with people movers. I think Elon's company got the lowest bid to do the work.
Re: Tesla – Introducing V3 Supercharging
#118Tesla Model S owner here. By choosing spots and times strategically I've gotten nearly 400MPH charging at the existing stations and the difference it makes to convenience is amazing. Super looking forward to 1000MPH! At that rate I can likely make it to Squamish BC, from Seattle, and back, with only one ~20 minute charge in between. That's still about 4x or 5x for the time I would spend filling an ICE car, but gettin…
I wonder if one day highways will have wireless power transfer that can meter you as you go.
I dream of wireless charging on the way. Hopefully, not too far into future.
Ubeam.com have made it possible. On a smaller scale though
Re: Tesla – Introducing V3 Supercharging
#119Tesla Model S owner here. By choosing spots and times strategically I've gotten nearly 400MPH charging at the existing stations and the difference it makes to convenience is amazing. Super looking forward to 1000MPH! At that rate I can likely make it to Squamish BC, from Seattle, and back, with only one ~20 minute charge in between. That's still about 4x or 5x for the time I would spend filling an ICE car, but gettin…
Tesla Semi has multiple packs that can be charged in parallel. The Megacharger will (likely) be 4 Superchargers combined. 1MW should be enough ;) re: announcement, I'm surprised not much has been said about the flagship cars (S/X). With their current battery architecture (using 18650 batteries), they're not capable of 250kW charge rates. I wonder if they have recently updated them to new 2170 battery packs or if they…
Elon said specifically on the most recent Tesla conference call that there are no current plans for 2170-based packs on the Model S & X.