Tesla Lays Off Entire Supercharger Team [Update: Musk says supercharger growth will continue] ** WARNING: NO POLITICS***

[Carlos R]

Well at the end of the day, I hope the Tesla Superchargers continue to grow or someone takes them over and continues to expand them. If evs are going to continue to grow an increase in reliable superchargers are needed.

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[kennethjk]

There is literally billions of dollars coming to help alleviate charging issues.

hopefully these 500 talented people will find their way to multiple companies to help them be successful competitors to Tesla which will only help everyone in the long term.

 

[mkhuffman]

What does his mass firing of employees have to do with free speech?

I was responding to the "admired and charismatic" comment, which I agree has nothing to do with a corporate staff reduction.

 

[Gloff]

This is a good point.

Another is the capital cost needed to build out DCFC stations. It is already high, making it difficult to get a return on investment. Adding battery storage adds cost, increasing the ROI time. Is it worth it to the station builder to add batteries if it adds a year to the ROI time?

@dtbaker61 mentioned in a post months ago that he was looking into building battery supplimented DCFC dispensers in areas where it is hard to get large power lines. Maybe he has some insight into the economics?

I don't know the economics in detail, but I know a lot the cost for DCFC has to do with the power demand from the utility to the unit. Trenching, huge power equipment, high power transformers, etc. That's before demand charges. It seems to me the cost of a 160kW battery unit (like freewire is using) is probably less expensive to have, then you don't need all the transformers and high power input, you can run regular 480v three phase to it and charge the units off-peak. At 160kW, you could charge two Mach Es back to back, or 3 model threes.

The questions I have are how much power can you get at lower kW before demand kicks in? If you already have infrastructure to run say 4 units @ 25kW, that's only about 200 amps, would that keep it under the threshold? And, how many units would you need on average to sustain DC charging for the average day? Which would likely be site dependent.

 

[A2Z]

I have heard from a well-placed source that the firings were only the very first part of Musk's plan to reinvigorate and accelerate the development and growth, and ultimately ensure the supremacy, of Tesla's fast charging network. The next step is to rename the network from Supercharger to SuperDuperCharger. The remaining steps have yet to be worked out.

 

[ArthurDOB]

Attila the Hun was known for his ruthless tactics and his willingness to use fear to maintain control over his army. He was known to execute soldiers who disobeyed him or showed weakness, which sent a message to the rest of the army that they needed to follow his orders or face severe consequences.

Last time I checked, we don't live in the 5th Century.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Guys, might I suggest we all be careful with the conversation about Musk. He’s a polarizing person and the conversation is drifting into territory that will get the thread locked, and that would be unfortunate.​

 

[AKgrampy]

I don't know the economics in detail, but I know a lot the cost for DCFC has to do with the power demand from the utility to the unit. Trenching, huge power equipment, high power transformers, etc. That's before demand charges. It seems to me the cost of a 160kW battery unit (like freewire is using) is probably less expensive to have, then you don't need all the transformers and high power input, you can run regular 480v three phase to it and charge the units off-peak. At 160kW, you could charge two Mach Es back to back, or 3 model threes.

The questions I have are how much power can you get at lower kW before demand kicks in? If you already have infrastructure to run say 4 units @ 25kW, that's only about 200 amps, would that keep it under the threshold? And, how many units would you need on average to sustain DC charging for the average day? Which would likely be site dependent.

Demand charges are not an issue if usage goes up. As a matter of fact if usage goes over 70% a demand charge results in a lower cost of power. People like to hammer on demand charges but rates are regulated and are based on a cost-causer cost-payer basis. A battery seems like a good solution but only for a low volume area. It can not provide continuous high current charging. So if there is very much back to back use the amps will drop and you will have slow charging complaints.

 

[AKgrampy]

I have heard from a well-placed source that the firings were only the very first part of Musk's plan to reinvigorate and accelerate the development and growth, and ultimately ensure the supremacy, of Tesla's fast charging network. The next step is to rename the network from Supercharger to SuperDuperCharger. The remaining steps have yet to be worked out.

So all they have yet to do is “Dupe” us?

 

[A2Z]

Guys, might I suggest we all be careful with the conversation about Musk. He’s a polarizing person and the conversation is drifting into territory that will get the thread locked, and that would be unfortunate.​

 

[A2Z]

Agree completely. For the record -- if you were reacting to my comment -- it was intended gently to make fun of the business acumen and foresight driving this specific decision and not as a political or social comment of any sort. But, I understand these days almost anything can be perceived as political even if not intended that way. I do not wish to do anything that would result in this or any other thread being locked.

 

[Alutacon]

This view is outdated, in my opinion. Go look at new Tesla cars’ fit and finish. They are no different than any other car maker’s. I have a Tesla store across the street and look at them everyday.

The funny thing with automation is that it takes more time to calibrate, but once you dial it in, you’re golden.

Outdated? You seen any cybbertruck reviews? I've seen a number of them where panel alignment was borderline criminal.

 

[MacherAWD]

I have heard from a well-placed source that the firings were only the very first part of Musk's plan to reinvigorate and accelerate the development and growth, and ultimately ensure the supremacy, of Tesla's fast charging network. The next step is to rename the network from Supercharger to SuperDuperCharger. The remaining steps have yet to be worked out.

I heard Musk's new PR campaign is "Make Super Charging Great Again" and only Musk can do that, I mean he also created the problem, but only he can solve it!

 

[MacherAWD]

Guys, might I suggest we all be careful with the conversation about Musk. He’s a polarizing person and the conversation is drifting into territory that will get the thread locked, and that would be unfortunate.​

I think we should openly discuss issues with unhinged billionaires rather than smile and nod.

 

[Gloff]

Demand charges are not an issue if usage goes up. As a matter of fact if usage goes over 70% a demand charge results in a lower cost of power. People like to hammer on demand charges but rates are regulated and are based on a cost-causer cost-payer basis. A battery seems like a good solution but only for a low volume area. It can not provide continuous high current charging. So if there is very much back to back use the amps will drop and you will have slow charging complaints.

Good to know. Thanks for the insight.

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