# Nik has arrived- fabulous delivery experience, going on a 4200 mile road trip now!



## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

Tesla Model 3 Review

Spoiler alert- I picked up Nik 4/30 and never want to drive another car again! 

Short version of this review- I love the car, no major issues (one EXTREMELY minor paint chip on the edge of the frunk lid was taken care of no questions asked and no hassle- they went beyond expectations and it was only noticed by the detailer anyway). The delivery experience was perfect, smooth, no problems- we felt like family. I give the whole thing a score of 12 out of 10!!! skip to the very bottom for brief specifics. 

Ok here goes the long version for those interested...

The process:
3/31/2016 Day 1: I waited in line in Kansas City the morning of 3/31/16 Lots of great people in line, fun times for all. The Tesla employees brought out cookies for us when they did a head count. I was in the first 150. Paid my $, took flack from friends and family for reserving a car I had never driven or even SEEN. Don't care. LOL

Night of 3/31 was the reveal. Honestly the car could have been made out of a cardboard box and i probably wouldnt have cared, but it looked beautiful! So relieved! LOL I sat on the couch with my dog on my lap and watched the entire stream. Now the long wait sets in. I set a countup timer on my phone to track the exact time from reservation to delivery. Another spoiler alert- it took 2 years 30 days and 6 hours. 

Fast forward to 3/22/18
Thursday night, 6:59 pm central time. Obsessively refreshing my Tesla account screen and no dice. Still no configure invite. Dangit, the Canadians got them all day today. Need to stop torturing myself. Walked away from the computer at 7:00 pm.

Thursday night at 7:01 pm central time the email from Tesla comes though. I don't see it b/c my phone is on the charger. I thought it was safe to stop looking since it was after 5pm in Las Vegas & California.

3/23/18
Friday morning, on the way to work, glance at my phone before driving off. What the heck? Tesla emailed???????? I open the email and there it is- the best sentence ever- your model 3 is ready to configure! Screw being on time, I'm pushing order! Lol I chose blue aero with EAP. 

HAVE to start driving now so I pulled away and used hands-free to call my parents' house. Mom answers groggily. The only thing I could shout was "ITS HERE ITS HERE ITS HERE". Mom has panic attack thinking it's a tornado. Dad yells congratulations, apparently he heard from across the room and did NOT immediate go to disaster. LOL Sorry mom. Ok, off to work.

Arrive at work, drive friends nuts showing them an email that really means nothing other than the car will finally be put in line. Absolutely nothing changes in life due to this email because the car was ALWAYS going to be placed in line. I don't care, it feels like progress to me after just shy of 2 years.

In my classroom now, I give kids an assignment not requiring me to help them and logged onto my Tesla account to do the paperwork section. WOOHOO! Called my credit union to confirm I would be seeing the car in 3-6 weeks.

4/11/18
VIN arrives in my account. Again I drive friends and family nuts with excited messages.

4/14/18
I am not known for my patience when I am excited. It's been three days. I think I did good waiting this long for an ISR to call. Having not received that call yet, I contact the local service center (this is also the delivery center). They gave me the name of my DS and would have him call me back- he was with a customer.

4/15/18
DS called me back and we went through all of the documents and electronically signed everything. I momentarily considered not signing until i saw the car in person, but since there is no way in H-E-double hockey sticks I was going to refuse the car unless there was a massive tragedy I went ahead and signed/returned everything through email. We set up a tentative delivery date of 4/30. This just got real.

After getting off the phone, I check with a lawyer friend who assured me I would still be able to refuse the car for defects and they would have to provide a different one. Still not gonna happen, but good to know.

4/18/18
DS calls to check on things, says my car is on a train headed to the hub in Chicago. WOOTWOOT!

Wait a minute, doesn't the train actually go THROUGH Kansas City on its way to Chicago? And don't we have a rail yard less than 5 minutes from the delivery center? What the crap? Why don't they just unload here? I could have my car like 3 days sooner!

Answer: Chicago is the hub for midwest deliveries. Everything gets loaded onto the train randomly and sorted once it gets to Chicago. BOOOOOO! Once in Chicago it gets assigned to a truck, which then picks it up and takes it to its final destination. Getting it on a truck can take up to 2 weeks apparently, depending on how busy they are. Yikes! Ok, practicing self-control to not call every day then. LOL

4/23/18
I contacted my DS to ask for an extra set of key cards and a full charge when I pick up the car (and explained why the full charge was needed). No problem, and by the way your car is in Chicago and scheduled on a truck, we should still be good for a Monday delivery. Yes! And thank you for checking on it without me asking  you rock!

4/26/18
Drove through the lot after dinner. Saw about 10 Model 3's there, none were mine. bummer.

4/28/18
DS called to say there was a delay in Chicago but the car should be here by Monday morning when we open and we will still get it ready for you by Monday afternoon, it may be as late as 530 for pickup but he would keep me posted. No worries, you are getting it here for me and getting it perfect for me. I have waited over 2 years, I can wait another hour.  I'm going to trust you it will be here. LOL TBH I prefer the extensive communication to not hearing anything at all, so this is good! 

4/30/18
DS confirmed delivery this afternoon, still shooting for 4pm. Car arrived safe and sound THIS MORNING. Cutting it close here! At this point I was barely able to teach my classes I am so excited!

My father arrived at my school to pick me up- he is taking me to Tesla (they did offer to come get me from my job but I needed a ride home later anyway). On the way the DS called to say my car was next in line for detailing. I work about 10 minutes away, so my dad got gas in his car (hehe) and we opted to wait in the owners lounge area while they finished cleaning the car up. (It is nothing fancy here, but comfy.) I'm not mad about this very minor delay b/c they communicated it to me well and were still getting me the car today and reasonably close to delivery time. I would rather wait for it to be perfect than rush them! 

We arrived and were immediately greeted as soon as we walked in the door. I saw there was a line of 3's outside in the detail line so I went out to look (didn't think to grab pics of all the vins, I was looking for my new baby). I saw mine right outside the bay door, next in line. He was dirty but I got a pic anyway. 

Went back inside to the lounge area. We were sitting with a couple from Des Moines who were also picking up a three. Super nice people. We chatted for a while and they let my dad go back and see their car before they left with it (but after they went through the delivery process). He came back in with a huge grin & said "I like that car." Me: See? I told you so! Lol He had not seen one in person yet.  A couple employees came to check on us off and on and update us on where we were in the process/how long it would be. Some forum members have mentioned being ignored or left to sit for extended periods with no communication- this has to be a location thing, not a Tesla thing. We never felt abandoned or forgotten about and were kept well informed and made to feel like family the entire time we were there. One of the employees asked if I had named the car yet, I told her yes I chose "Nik" which is obviously short for Nikola b/c I am SUPER creative.  She left, came back a few minutes later, and let me know she already programmed his name in for me! It's the little things, right? 

4:30- it's my turn!!!!!
OMG! I am practically bouncing off the walls! The DS takes us back to the delivery room and I can see him through the door! He is beautiful! I had printed off and combined a couple of checklists from the forums that was 6 pages long. While we were waiting I gave my dad a clipboard with the list and said here- this is your job b/c I will be too excited to do it! Lol He looked at me like I had 2 heads, then shook his head and said "ok then" and laughed. After actually looking through the list he wanted to know where I got it and if I could send it to him for his next car. LOL Special thanks to all who posted or contributed to any of those lists!

Out in the bay. I think the first thing I did was hug the car. Lol I walked around him, too star struck to even take a picture. I got in, the seats are sooo comfy! Out again b/c he was off (plugged in) and tested all the doors, frunk, trunk. Sat at the desk to do paperwork and left my dad to do his mean guy inspection. It's a good thing I did because later on at dinner I was like "oh did you look for this? What about this, did you try this? Was this there?" He was a good sport and just kept saying yes, he checked everything. So glad he went with me!

The delivery experience went very smooth, exceptional even. I couldn't be happier with the experience! Everything went perfect, despite the wait. We got through paperwork in under 5 minutes b/c I had signed online as I said above. They programmed an extra set of keys for me right then so I now have 4 key cards. I put one in the lanyard to give to the detailer later (will keep this at home as a spare and use it for valets) and gave one to my dad just in case I can't find mine sometime. The third one is my own key for my wallet, and that last one I am experimenting with to see if I can get it put into something else. (See thread here https://teslaownersonline.com/threa...ob-anyone-try-this-yet.6469/page-2#post-96555)

We did a walkthrough of the car, set up my phone key, made sure all 4 key cards worked. The walkthrough can be as detailed or minimal as you like- they showed me all the controls on screen (we skipped a lot of them actually- I have read the manual a few times since it was first published, both the original and the updated one- LOL) and how to use the adapters in the charging bag. I unplugged him and plugged him back in. They helped me set up my driver profile, unplugged him again, turned him on and I was off! 

Pulling out of the bay felt amazing, I had that stupid Tesla grin for so long my face hurt by the end of the night. Lol My dad fell in behind me in his car, he was following me to KC Elite Car Care (http://www.kcelitecarcare.com/ - ask for Dex, tell him Valerie sent you if you contact them) to drop him off to get the windows tinted and ceramic coating.. I gave my dad the address for his GPS "just incase." He actually asked "just in case what?" Yeah… he figured it out. LOL The power in this car is just crazy and it is SO much fun to drive! I lost him not once but twice on the way to the detailer's.  

I cannot stress how much fun this car is and how fabulous it is to drive! I let loose and played a little on the highway, then again later in a parking lot. I did some fast turns and tight fast figure eights, basically turning the lot into an obstacle course (I don't recommend this with a passenger- he turned kinda green but the car did great). It handles well, and really feels like it grips the road. Stable, great turn radius, and handles turns at decent speeds. When my dad got to the KCECC to meet me I took him for a ride then let him drive it himself for just a few minutes. After he got over the shock when he pressed the accelerator, he also got a Tesla grin. Lol 

KCECC is over in the Olathe/Lenexa area (I don't do Kansas so you will have to forgive the lack of exact city name) and it took around 40ish minutes to get there. When I was a few blocks away a camaro came flying up the road behind me (I had started driving responsibly b/c dad was yelling at me for being too aggressive lol). The camaro hit the breaks and whipped around me, slowed a little when he got to the lane next to us then took off around us. I actually made a comment similar to WTH is this guy doing? He better not hit my car! The pucker moment passed and we were back to having fun driving. 

Back at KCECC to meet the owner, Dex. LOVE this guy. He looked over the car and went over what we had discussed doing to be sure. He did find a teeny tiny little chip in the paint on the very edge of the frunk lid, about 3mm long but all the way down to grey. It was almost on the underneath side. The chip was so small that my camera had a hard time focusing on it for the picture. I texted the pic to my DS and he immediately responded they would take care of it right away (no questions asked- just "we will fix it right away") and he apologized that the team missed it at the SC. My dad and I did too so I told him it's ok as long as we can fix it before he does the ceramic. I showed Dex how to use the key and left the car with him (very sad moment).

5/1/18
As soon as they opened, the Tesla SC called me about the paint chip. They asked if I could bring it back in and I explained where it was & why. They sent a guy out to Olathe to KCECC WHILE I WAS STILL ON THE PHONE with touch-up paint so it could be done before Dex did the coating! Seriously! They took a tiny little 5mL bottle of paint on a 35 minutes drive to touch up a 3mm chip then drove 35 minutes back. All because "we don't want you to have to mess with taking it over or waiting for your services there." Freaking fabulous! 

A few minutes later I got a text from my DS asking how I liked the car and if service had contacted me. Yes they did, I love it! He also sent me a text message that was a screen shot of a facebook group called "KC Car Spotters" and a message that said "this was faster than I expected LOL." The picture is of me driving down the road in the Tesla! LOL AND….. guess who took it? Remember that camera I mentioned above? You can see the hood of the car that took the picture and it was the guy driving THAT CAR!! ROFL So, I guess that is why he was being crazy. Lol Also- thanks for the pic total stranger!  stalker pic is included below  lol

5/2/18
I'm super bummed to not be able to drive my car right now. I miss it. Dex is staying in touch though- I really like KC Elite Car Care, their service is excellent! I will let you know about the results when I get the car back, he has done a lot of Teslas but this is his first 3.


extra info of note- I love the air vent, it is super strong and easy to position the flow a million ways. You can turn the back air vents off/on, heat ALL seat now- even the back seats, and control the temperature easily. I had no issues checking speed, it is in about the same spot as my Prius was, just on a better screen now.  The map is intuitive and easy to use. Navigation worked great! Voice commands are simple and receptive, phone call quality is excellent, sound system is amazing, ride was smooth nimble and fun, the button exit was easy for my dad and he went straight for the button- didn't even realize the latch was there. Screen resolution is excellent (remove the clear cover to avoid phantom touch).


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

and no, the tesla grin has not gone away even though he is still at KCECC. lol


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## Jarrod Skrehot (Dec 7, 2016)

little surprised I read the entire thing but great writeup. I'm in California and hopefully will have mine by July 10 as I did not even know about the car until the morning of April 2 and I immediately reserved. Interested to have a ballpark for your ceramic coating treatment.


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

sent you a PM. Dex is awesome to work with! If anyone in KC area calls him tell him Valerie sent you 

http://www.kcelitecarcare.com/


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## Kizzy (Jul 25, 2016)

Awww! That was an awesome read. I'm so excited about getting my car (same color and wheels as yours, @Travelwolf). :hearteyes:


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

Kizzy said:


> Awww! That was an awesome read. I'm so excited about getting my car (same color and wheels as yours, @Travelwolf). :hearteyes:


thx, I really could not have asked for a better experience- when do you get yours? I pick mine up this afternoon from the detailer, he will be all shiny and tinted. I will put up new pictures when I get home


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## Quicksilver (Dec 29, 2016)

Travelwolf said:


> Tesla Model 3 Review
> 
> Spoiler alert- I picked up Nik 4/30 and never want to drive another car again!
> 
> ...


@Travelwolf, what a beautiful story! Love it! So, you could say that my Tesla grin is a little bit bigger than yours... Congratulation! We're moving the world toward sustainable and fun transportation, one person at a time...


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

Quicksilver said:


> @Travelwolf, what a beautiful story! Love it! So, you could say that my Tesla grin is a little bit bigger than yours... Congratulation! We're moving the world toward sustainable and fun transportation, one person at a time...


IDK, I think maybe we will have to give our Tesla grins a tie.  I get it back today from getting the ceramic and window tinting done


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## Brokedoc (May 28, 2017)

Congrats! LOVED your write up. It was fun to take that trip with you. Sounds like your dad will be getting a Tesla next also.

FYI - for those that don't know what @Travelwolf 's Tesla grin looks like, here's a repost:


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)




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## Kizzy (Jul 25, 2016)

Travelwolf said:


> thx, I really could not have asked for a better experience- when do you get yours? I pick mine up this afternoon from the detailer, he will be all shiny and tinted. I will put up new pictures when I get home


If the crowd-sourced delivery estimator's calculation turns out to be accurate, I'll get my Blue Bunny on September 4th 2018.


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

pics now that he is back- ceramic coated and windows tinted.  he looks fabulous, http://www.kcelitecarcare.com did an amazing job!!!! And I STILL have the Tesla grin.


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

Ok so quick update now that the extreme new has worn off. Ok, not really but at least I have had him a few days. lol

Once I got him back form the detailer there were a few things I noticed (or were pointed out to me). 1. There is a scratch on the trim over the rear drivers side door- this was present in the pictures before I dropped him off for ceramic coating, I was just too excited to see it. 2. When I opened the back door on the driver's side for my cousin (out in the daylight) I noticed a tiny hole in the bottom left corner of the inside window trim Not a big deal but worried about water getting in there when I wash the windows. 3. The wiper fluid doesn't come out of the sprayers. I held it in for a full minute thinking I might just need to prime the system but no dice. I remember reading about this from others and it was that the line just wasn't hooked up. Hopefully that is it. (and all of it was on my checklist- BAD father- he missed these- BUT I do think he was as excited as I was so I will cut him a break) Tesla was so amazing about the chipped paint (remember it was a teeny tiny spot you wouldn't see without looking for it) that I was not worried, just disappointed b/c I knew this all meant I would have to leave him there at some point to get fixed. I messaged my DS and he sent it over to the service guy, after hours again of course b/c it was saturday.

The service guy called me first thing this morning and told me they had the trim piece in stock so I could drop the car off today and they would look at the rest while it was there. Bittersweet, b/c I am without my car but get a model S loaner while they have him. Hopefully it is fast! This was again a very easy no questions asked process.

A side note- I asked about road hazard for the tires. They don't offer it, but did say if something happens and it is patchable they would do it for free. It would only cost if the tire needed to be replaced. So, that is a nice bonus as well.  IDK if this is a KC SC thing or if it is all Tesla SC's though.


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## ap105 (May 7, 2018)

Travelwolf said:


> sent you a PM. Dex is awesome to work with! If anyone in KC area calls him tell him Valerie sent you
> 
> http://www.kcelitecarcare.com/


Im out in KC too and I think Ive seen your post in one of the FB groups. 
Anyway, out of curiosity did you tint your back window / the glass roof? And if so, did Dex/KC elite do it in one piece?


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

ap105 said:


> Im out in KC too and I think Ive seen your post in one of the FB groups.
> Anyway, out of curiosity did you tint your back window / the glass roof? And if so, did Dex/KC elite do it in one piece?


I did do the back window, he asked me how far up to go, I had him just go the halfway up but he will do the whole thing if you want (he has done Teslas before so has dealt with the big window). I got super dark tint & didn't want to block that much light so I had him do a partial b/c it doesnt bother me and you can't tell from the outside. I also got to see this when I picked my car up- it had just come in...

PS- who are you over on facebook? We have probably talked.  (and that is a McLaren in that pic, fangirl moment)


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

OMG I love Tesla service! Sp friendly/easy and I already have the car back! They had a replacement piece on hand for the trim (don't care why) and were able to put it on in about 20 minutes.. I was signing the paper to take the model S loaner when the service guy came up to tell us and ask if I would rather wait or come back tomorrow. Um, wait please!

They also "fixed" the wipers at the same time- right in front of me. Apparently the button has 2 stages, one for wipers then push further in for the fluid. Turns out it was operator error due to the blonde hair. Good news! Sooooo for those who think they are not hooked up- just push a little further in past the first click.


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## KarenRei (Jul 27, 2017)

"Pressed the gas"? What, pressed it out of business? Pressed it back into the ground?


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## Quicksilver (Dec 29, 2016)

Travelwolf said:


> pics now that he is back- ceramic coated and windows tinted.  he looks fabulous, http://www.kcelitecarcare.com did an amazing job!!!! And I STILL have the Tesla grin.


Lovely pics! thanks for sharing. Tint job looks great!


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

KarenRei said:


> "Pressed the gas"? What, pressed it out of business? Pressed it back into the ground?


OMG I didn't even realize i had done this! ROFL Whole new mindset..... fixed it, thx! LOL


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

oops sorry that was a lot of pics, (anything that looks like a scratch is a reflection if you look close- it is THAT shiny!)

HUGE thanks a bunch to Dex at www.kcelitecarcare.com for doing a fabulous job on my baby! He looks amazing and Dex is awesome to work with! I highly recommend him! He took those pics (in the post right before this) and sent them over to me


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## telero (Aug 3, 2017)

Travelwolf said:


> OMG I didn't even realize i had done this! ROFL Whole new mindset..... fixed it, thx! LOL


Some people use accelerator and brake, but I prefer velocitator and deceleratrix.


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

rofl @telero maybe just call is the "whoa" pedal since that what everyone says the first time they use it.


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## Bokonon (Apr 13, 2017)

Travelwolf said:


> HUGE thanks a bunch to Dex at www.kcelitecarcare.com for doing a fabulous job on my baby! He looks amazing and Dex is awesome to work with! I highly recommend him! He took those pics (in the post right before this) and sent them over to me


Looks great!


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

window tint from inside- didnt go with full window b/c of this... https://teslaownersonline.com/threads/kcmo-ppf-ceramic-tinting.6546/#post-99969

not saying it is gods truth, just is the reason i went partial. please do not come here to ***** about me warning people about the full window. if your installer will do it and guarantee it then more power to you. i couldnt find anyone in KC willing to do that and had multiple people confirm this with me. no arguments about it here. 

also putting up pics of the rainbow roof- I FINALLY got to see it!


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

didn't need it, but tried the public charger at Hy-Vee (they pay for it so free energy) yesterday and the supercharger @ Bass Pro today.  Got them figured out for when I DO need them. LOL

also going to sleep here tonight..... https://teslaownersonline.com/threads/model-3-and-camping-a-roadmap.5491/page-2#post-100045


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

going to head out on my road trip tomorrow- almost 3 weeks, 4200ish miles. I didnt want to make a separate thread for it so if anyone is interested on seeing how things go I will be doing a blog here.... https://evtrip2018.blogspot.com/ feel free to follow  I will be covering the NE part of north america.


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## Brokedoc (May 28, 2017)

Travelwolf said:


> going to head out on my road trip tomorrow- almost 3 weeks, 4200ish miles. I didnt want to make a separate thread for it so if anyone is interested on seeing how things go I will be doing a blog here.... https://evtrip2018.blogspot.com/ feel free to follow  I will be covering the NE part of north america.


Good luck to you and I'll be following your blog. Did you get an inflatable mattress to camp in your car? Saves $ and you can charge while parked at an RV site which there are many in the Northeast.

If you plan on being on Long Island maybe we can meet up!


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

Brokedoc said:


> Good luck to you and I'll be following your blog. Did you get an inflatable mattress to camp in your car? Saves $ and you can charge while parked at an RV site which there are many in the Northeast.
> 
> If you plan on being on Long Island maybe we can meet up!


I have a mattress I made from a memory foam pad and a sheet set, it folds up nice and small.  I will not be over on Long Island (love it there though) but I will be stopping in White Plains. I have no desire to take my new baby through NYC traffic. Been there done that years ago, now anyone in the city has to come out to meet me somewhere not NYC. ROFL My friend who lives in NYC is coming out to WP to hang with me there, and the one from LI now lives in Buffalo so I am seeing him on the way up. You are welcome to drive out to WP and have drinks, but I know it is quite a drive for you. I think I am about 30 minutes outside of Manhattan there and you are east of there still. If you decide to you can PM me and I can let you know dates. It's always fun to meet up with fellow enthusiasts.


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

made it home, going to add up final mileage today and do a final blog post. looks like around 4500ish miles total though. Got a new wiper blade installed from Tesla's mobile service, they met me at my hotel to do it, and I have an apt to get my tires rotated on wednesday since I have already put 6300 miles on the car (in 2 months). Tesla is taking care of this for me for free! Love this company! Stay tuned to get the last blog entry uploaded sometime today! https://evtrip2018.blogspot.com


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## Brokedoc (May 28, 2017)

Awesome Blog! Sounds like a great, relaxing trip.

Gold star to you for being a Tesla ambassador!

A few future pointers -

I'm pretty sure that you can check the status of @ChargePoint chargers in the app before you arrive. It sounds like you checked your other destination chargers by calling ahead so using the app for Chargepoint should be easier to check ahead.

When at a Tesla Supercharger, you are right that if there are multiple cars charging, there can be a slight voltage drop slowing the max charge a little. When choosing a stall, the A/B channels split power from a single circuit so if you see someone parked in "2A" and you see that "2B, 3A, and 3B" are open you should charge in "3A or 3B" to not need to split power on the "2" channel.

Can't wait to read your last entry!


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

@Brokedoc Thanks! I am writing up the last entry now, spent most of the day in bed. lol

I had actually been told the opposite about the charge sharing at the superchargers before the trip & someone mentioned this in a comment on the blog that it is a/b split on a number, not all a's and all b's. good info there.

i actually did call ahead to make sure the charger would be good to go upon arrival, but i called the car dealership. they said it would be on and ready. once i figured out there was an issue i called chargepoint and they said they couldnt get it to communicate with their network at all so it may have had a circuit breaker turned off or something. IDK what it was b/c it was still lighting up, but not sending juice. :-( I do have the chargepoint app & used it a couple times to find public chargers, but it actually showed it as working. They were going to fix that after I talked to them that night. I wonder if they actually did....


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## Brokedoc (May 28, 2017)

Travelwolf said:


> @Brokedoc Thanks! I am writing up the last entry now, spent most of the day in bed. lol
> 
> I had actually been told the opposite about the charge sharing at the superchargers before the trip & someone mentioned this in a comment on the blog that it is a/b split on a number, not all a's and all b's. good info there....


From: http://teslapedia.org/model-s/tesla-driver/supercharging/

*Sharing (A vs B)*
Each supercharger cabinet feeds two charging stalls, so if two cars are charging at the same time their charging rate may be reduced. Since the maximum rate at which cars can charge decreases as they fill (due to Charge Rate Tapering) it is often the case that a car arriving at a supercharger with a low state of charge receives a large proportion of the total available because the first car's battery is likely to have already filled up and therefore its charge rate will already be tapering. However, if two cars of equally low charge are connected to the same supercharger unit then the system splits power between them in a way that favours the car that arrived at the supercharger first. The second car therefore gets a smaller share of the available power initially, but this increases over time as the first car's battery fills and its maximum charge rate reduces.



Travelwolf said:


> @Brokedoc i actually did call ahead to make sure the charger would be good to go upon arrival, but i called the car dealership. they said it would be on and ready. once i figured out there was an issue i called chargepoint and they said they couldnt get it to communicate with their network at all so it may have had a circuit breaker turned off or something. IDK what it was b/c it was still lighting up, but not sending juice. :-( I do have the chargepoint app & used it a couple times to find public chargers, but it actually showed it as working. They were going to fix that after I talked to them that night. I wonder if they actually did....


I saw your entry on the Chargepoint app for that site. The app currently shows that charger as green and "available" FWIW. Unfortunately, I've heard other reports of chargers at that brand dealership being snooty and only allowing their brand to charge. IDK about the official Chargepoint policy but as I understand it, the landlord owns the site and controls the rates and can also control who uses the charger.


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

It stinks that it still shows available. I had called a week ahead to ask about using it (and made sure they knew it was a Tesla, not their brand) and they assured me it was fine. I even spoke with the manager. I called again the day of the trip before making the turn off from St Louis just to be sure b/c I could have just as easily gone up through Indianapolis instead of across through Evansville, but I like the drive east better than the drive north from there. That was the original backup plan if they had changed their minds or a different person was in charge the day of the trip and said no. I totally get it that it is their station and they have a right to tell people they can't use it or to charge for it. But to assure someone that it would be available and then not make it happen is just wrong. All they had to do was say "we prefer to keep it just for our customers" and I would have said no problem and gone the other way. I did see the other entries that people were told no, but I thought I was ok since they were older entries and I had actually been told yes, as late as that afternoon. :-(


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## Bokonon (Apr 13, 2017)

@Travelwolf Congratulations on completing your journey! Sounds like you had quite an adventurous trip... In addition to thrusting you into the role of impromptu Tesla ambassador, your trip also demonstrated how versatile a long-range EV with a variety of charging capabilities can be!

BTW, it's funny, that Framingham, MA supercharger is about 3 miles from my office, and I think it had just opened a few days before you arrived... so I'm glad that timing worked out for you!


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## Travelwolf (Jun 8, 2016)

Bokonon said:


> @Travelwolf
> BTW, it's funny, that Framingham, MA supercharger is about 3 miles from my office, and I think it had just opened a few days before you arrived... so I'm glad that timing worked out for you!


Really? That was definitely good timing then. There are a couple in that area I could have stopped at, but that one had a hotel I liked nearby it too. 

I finally finished the final post on the blog, with the numbers and a map of the trip near the top for those who don't want to read through all the good/bad comments. lol It really was a great trip, I had a fabulous time and am very glad I did it.


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