When we were at the Harris Ranch, California Superchargers this summer on the @TeslaRoadTrip, there was a Model S charging in each of the six stalls. What would happen if everything suddenly quit working? Today we know.
There are reports on Reddit and elsewhere this morning that the Harris Ranch Superchargers are down and that Tesla is supplying flatbeds to carry cars to Tejon Ranch or Gilroy, the next closest Superchargers. Two important things to note here. First is that Tesla’s Superchargers have been extremely reliable. It is very unusual to hear that all the stalls at one site are down. Apparently, “dirty power” in the lines from the electrical provider may have caused a component to fail and they are in the process of getting it repaired.
The second thing to note is how Tesla responded. They sent a technician right away and, here’s the extraordinary part, they’ve arranged to get their customers to the next Supercharger with minimal wait and inconvenience. Drivers are reporting that a flatbed truck is there within five or ten minutes. That is incredible customer service!
Tesla Supercharger sites probably have an uptime of 99.9% or better. And now we know that in the rare event that circumstances beyond their control temporarily wipes out an entire site, Tesla has a contingency plan in place to take care of their drivers.
I imagine that Tesla is probably working to eliminate even these rare downtime events. They’ve already installed a 400 kWh stationary storage battery at the Tejon Ranch Supercharger. Perhaps bigger versions can be employed to keep Superchargers operating even with a total failure of the outside power system.
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