Tesla superchargers: Where are we in France in 2023

Once the two cars were plugged in, the terminal will operate as a communicating vase based on the two cases above. When the burden of one two drops under 75 kW, the available surplus will benefit the other car connected to the same pair directly.

The Tesla Superchargers network: vast, reliable, efficient, cheaper, fast and clean

Since the announcement of Ford’s partnership with Tesla, on May 25, 2023, to use the network of superchargers of the latter and put Tesla sockets in their vehicles, things accelerate for the automotive industry to its entire Even in North America. Tesla was right to call their recharge the NACS for North American Charging Standard, because it is in the process of becoming de facto. We saw GM follow the footsteps on June 8, 2023, then Rivian on June 20 and Volvo a few days later. Afterwards, it was the turn of the independent charging networks to announce that they were going to support the movement and put NACS sockets on their charging stations. First of all in charge, then Electrify America and Blink. Other car manufacturers will not have the choice to follow because otherwise their electric vehicles would be disadvantaged. Already the Volkswagen group is in talks with Tesla and Hyundai it considers it.

But, that in particular the network of Tesla superchargers so that everyone wants to use it? The owners of Tesla vehicles know it basically, but, for others, we will discover in this article the enormous advantages that it has in relation to the competition. Even teslas drivers will be surprised to discover certain very interesting points that they did not know. And, you guessed it, the concern for the environment is one of the advantages.

A large network

From the start, Tesla wanted to remove obstacles for the adoption of electric vehicles (Vé). In addition to designing and manufacturing security and dazzling accelerations, Tesla has also given its vehicles greater than 400 km to be able to make travel. In addition, they deployed a network of 100 kW superchargers (version 1), quickly increased to 120 kW and 145 kW (version 2), capable of restoring 300 km of autonomy in approximately 30 minutes, with stations at 150 km 200 km on large roads. A whole incentive, especially since recharge was free, at the beginning. It is very interesting to read the press release of September 24, 2012, on this subject. I know several Quebecers who continued to make their annual trip to Florida in their model, without problems, thanks to this network.

Today, the network includes more than 45,000 supercomposes worldwide (North America, Europe and Asia/Pacific), grouped in nearly 2,000 stations in North America. It is the largest fast charging network, and by far. And, with versions 3 and 4 of the Superchargers recharging is even faster, as we will see a little further!

North-American network of Tesla superchargers. Source: Tesla.

Stations are easy to spot with the Tesla app, and the on -board navigation system automatically leads you. Just enter the destination point of his trip. The browser knows when you will need to recharge and organize your journey accordingly, heading to the most appropriate stations. The travel planner takes care of everything, considering: your driving style, the altitude, the outside temperature, the circulation, the availability of supercomposes and more. No puzzle.

Reliable superchargers

In its 2022 impact report, Tesla reveals that its superchargers have been functional 99.95 % of time in 2022! It is an extraordinary reliability.

Reliability at 99.95% of the time of the Tesla Supercharters network, according to their “Impact Report 2022”. Source: Tesla.

The other rapidly reliability state -reinforcement networks have much lower reliability. According to a study by J.D. Power of 2022, which is the subject of the article “EV Charging Stations in the US Are Plagued by Reliabibility from: Study” by Inside EV, 1 time in 5 the fast chargers (other than those of Tesla) did not function in 2022, on average, which can go 1 time out of 3.

This fact, coupled with the great reliability of Tesla superchargers and their large number explains why everyone envy the Tesla network.

The efficiency of the Tesla network

The day of investors (Investor Day), which Tesla held on March 1, 2023, was a great opportunity to learn more about the network of Tesla superchargers (see the YouTube video “2023 Investor Day” from 1h35m40s beginning). Rebecca Tinucci, the director of the team working on Tesla charging infrastructure, shows us several very explicit graphs concerning their achievements, in particular on the increase in the efficiency of the Superchargers network. Below, the graph showing the decrease by half of waiting times at the charging stations, from 2019 to 2022, resulting in just 1% of people who must wait! What allowed this is the inclusion in the travel planner (trip planner) of an algorithm that directs vehicles at the least busy stations, without having to make a big detour since the computer calculates the solution faster.

Tesla has decreased the waiting times by sharpening vehicles to the least busy charging stations. Source Tesla.

In addition, the reduced costs of the deployment of supercomposes and the ever greater speed of recharges are also part of their efficiency and are treated below.

Unbeatable costs

Rebecca Tinucci’s following slideshow, in the “Investor Day 2023”, shows how much Tesla was able to minimize the manufacturing and installation costs of their charging stations.

Comparison of costs (manufacturing and installation) of Tesla VS recharging terminals. Source: Tesla.

It can be seen that for superchargers (left graphic) their costs are 35% lower than 75% compared to the competition, depending on the location.

This results in a 40% decrease in the part of the cost of kWh not linked to the price of electricity, for the years 2021 and 2022, as made to see the other slide from Madame Tinucci.

Decrease in the cost of deploying superchargers for the years 2021 and 2022. Source Tesla.

Ever faster recharges

Tesla superchargers have evolved since their launch in 2012. Version 1 offered a power of 100 kW while the second generation (version 2) rose to 120 kW at the start and then 145 kW in 2019, after including battery preheating by software, controlled by the travel planner.

With the third generation of supercharger unveiled in 2019, recharging can be done up to 250 kW. Tesla mentions that with the preheating of the battery, the recharging times are halved compared to the first generation superchargers. In real life, trials were carried out by model owners and one of them, the Youtubeur Daggery, recharged it from 2% to 90% in 34 minutes, practically a full recharge. During this test, Daggery was able to put 160 km of autonomy in 7 minutes. With a better battery we could do better, and it will come in the coming years.

In March 2023, Tesla deployed its first V4 superchargers station (4th generation) in the Netherlands, in the city of Harderwijk, without publishing a press release or specifications. The station is possibly at a beta trial diet. The rumors are rumoring, 350 kW, 600 kW, 1,000 V … that is to follow.

But, what about statistics on the average recharging times of the Supercharger network and their evolution over time? The answer was given to us by Mrs. Tinucci to Tesla’s investor day on March 1. Here is his slide who talks about it.

Evolution of average charging time with supercomposes since 2018. Source: Tesla.

We went from 36.5 minutes in 2018 to 26.5 in 2023, on average (in the middle of the two dotted lines), therefore a decrease of 10 minutes in 5 years. If the trend is maintained, In 2028 we should be around 16 minutes and possibly 11 minutes in 2033. Let’s not forget that they are averages and that the more efficient experiences will recharge even more quickly. To be more precise, the recharging test with a V3 supercharger and a 2017 Model 3 made by the Youtubeur Daggery shows that he has given 300 km in 15 minutes, Starting from an almost empty battery. It’s time to stop having a coffee and go to the bathroom. And, this test was done in 2019. We could do better with a model 3 2023. We will talk about it this fall when the next generation of Model 3 will be released, with the new M3P battery, ideally recharging with a V4 Supercharger.

The causes of the decrease in the recharge time illustrated in the figure are mentioned to the left of the graph: transition to V3 superchargers, more efficient switch of vehicles with the travel planner, increase in the number of supercombling, increased efficiency of the vé, preheating of the Consumer battery and education.

Full of renewable energy

In the Tesla Impact 2022 report that we mentioned above, we can read:

“The Global Supercharger Network was 100% renewable in 2022, Achieved through a combination of on-site resources and annual renewable matching.»»

“The global supercharger network was fueled 100 % with renewable energy in 2022, carried out thanks to the combination of on -site resources and an annual renewable compensation.”Free translation of the author.

So, if the energy is not renewable locally, Tesla injects the quantity consumed elsewhere in the electrical network. After all, they are communicating vases.

All because Tesla has given herself the mission of accelerating the arrival of sustainable transport. It is in their DNA to take care of the environment. This is their main objective, not to make money. Elon Musk repeated it several times. But, as more and more people are concerned about the health of the planet and that Tesla products are of high quality and attractive, financial success comes from itself ..

Tesla superchargers are fueled with 100% renewable energy. Source: Tesla.

Conclusion

Quick charging stations are as essential for electric vehicles (VE) as petrol stations for thermal vehicles, during long journeys. What we have just seen in this article is that Tesla is becoming the shell or the ESSO of the Vés and that they intend to fill up on their customers with the energy of the wind, solar rays, water from the hydroelectric dams or geothermalo.

Their advance is such that they are irrattrapable. They started high -level fast recharge long before everyone, with a breathtaking growth rate, to reach more than 45,000 supercomposes today on the planet! However, it is not just a question of number but also and a lot of quality and reliability. This is explained by the fact that there is only one prime contractor for the design, manufacture, intake and software of superchargers, not twenty different sub-contractors with each a different software which they have intellectual property and that cannot be modified without their consent. In such a context, resolving a problem is practically inextricable!

Furthermore, Tesla is recognized for their innovations in manufacturing techniques, whether of their vehicles, their Li-ion 4680 batteries or their lithium refinery. They work hard to reduce production costs and minimize environmental impacts and they succeed perfectly. Tesla is the only automotive company, with Byd, to make profits on their experiences. Traditional car manufacturers will probably not succeed before 2030, their own confessions. Tesla of course applied the same recipe with their superchargers. So it is Not surprising that these are much cheaper than those of competitors, which gives them a huge advantage To submission on projects.

We have seen that the recharge time of experiences decreases quickly. We have gone from a lot of energy which restores 300 km of autonomy in 30 minutes in 2012 for a model S to a Supercharger of 1 1st generation at 300 km in 15 minutes in 2019 for a Model 3 with a supercharger of 3 ith generation. And that in 7 years. Everything is aligned so that in 2030 we can add 500 km of autonomy to a good electric car in 10 minutes at the Tesla stations with a generation 4 supercharger.

And, the icing on the Sunday or the cake is that Tesla charging stations will operate with renewable energy and that they will inexorably constitute, in our opinion, the largest part of the rapid charging market.

About the columnist

The physicist Pierre Langlois, pH.D., is consultant, author, speaker and instructor in sustainable mobility. Self-employed, it is completely independent vis-à-vis the pressure groups. Recognized as an outstanding scientific popularizer, Pierre Langlois is a major speaker on sustainable mobility, decorated with the National Assembly Medal in 2014 for its important contribution to the electrification of transport in Quebec Quebec. He is notably the author of the book “Riding without oil” (2008) and co-author of “Auto electric. and more! “(2018) as well as the book” The practical guide of the electric car … and more “(2021), with Daniel Breton. Pierre Langlois obtained the special mention of the jury in the Roberval competition in Paris which crowns the best works of La Francophonie in scientific and technical communication, in 2008, for his first two books “on the Route de l’Electricité”, Vol. 1 and 2. As a consultant, he was mandated by the Quebec Network of Engineers to carry out the study “Proposals to engage Quebec on the path of sustainable mobility” in 2010, and was the main scientific advisor for the development of The Electrification of Transport Electrification of the Marois Government in 2013. He was also an expert consulting with companies, research and electrical mobility laboratories Canada.

Tesla superchargers: Where are we in France in 2023 ?

In 2023, Tesla has plans to open many additional supercomposes in France, to assert its hegemony in the world of fast charge. Let’s take stock of the openings of 2022, and on the 2023 schedule.

For 9 years now, Tesla has had its network of fast owner charging stations in France: superchargers. Several developments have appeared over the years, and the network continues to grow. We will detail the 2023 forecasts, return to the opening to electric cars of other manufacturers and also draw up the assessment of the previous year.

A quarterly schedule, or almost

In 2022, Tesla updated several times the planning of the openings of the superchargers in France, trying to respect its promises, namely: each quarter, take stock of the next openings by updating the forecast dates. Before 2021, Tesla only made one update per year, which could cause the disappointment of certain users waiting in vain for a promised opening before the end of the year, who was unfortunately not to happen.

If this change of method is welcome, because everyone has an idea of ​​the openings planned in the coming months, this is not perfect. There are still superchargers who are promised for a certain date, and who are shifted by three months, six months, or more. 2022 was still an excellent year for Tesla in terms of the opening of supercombling in France. We will then come back in detail to the new stations recently opened, and those to come during the year 2023.

Superchargers V2, V3: quésaco ?

Before going further, let us recall that there are currently two types of superchargers, which are usually designated by V2 and V3. V2 superchargers have two cables on each stall : a type 2 “modified” for the old Model S and Model X, and a CCS combo for the rest, whether it is the new Model S and Model X, but of course also the Model 3 and Model Y.

The V2 operates by “bounds pair” and are numbered 1a/1b, 2a/2b, etc. Each pair has a 150 kW diet. If you are alone on pair 1 (for example you are in 1A, and there is no one in 1b), you will have 150 kW available for you.

If a person is connected to the same pair as you, two cases arise:

• If the already trendy person takes 75 kW of power or more and your car can use it just as much, then the two users will only have the right to 75 kW each to share the terminal fairly;
• If the already trendy person takes less than 75 kW, nothing changes for him, and you enjoy virtually 150 kW. At this power, it is necessary to subtract what the other user consumes (if he loads at 50 kW for example, you will only have the right to 100 kW available).

Once the two cars were plugged in, the terminal will operate as a communicating vase based on the two cases above. When the burden of one two drops under 75 kW, the available surplus will benefit the other car connected to the same pair directly.

Since 2020, the new superchargers established are V3s, which have two advantages compared to V2: The maximum power available per terminal is 250 kW, and there is no power sharing between terminals.

Thus, on a V3 supercharger, you do not have to think where you plug in to taste the best load power possible. It does not matter. You can connect next to a car currently in charge without fear. These V3 superchargers have only one CCCS CULS cable, thinner than on V2 and which is actively cooled by water.

V4 superchargers are starting to arrive in Europe, with a longer cable, to allow non -Tesla electric cars to easily connect.

A year 2022 rich in new supercomposes

In 2022 in France, 32 superchargers have been opened. These sites announce a new trend for the manufacturer, which has passed in a few years to superchargers comprising 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20 and even 28 terminals for the most recent, like that of Laxou next to Nancy.

Here is the summary of superchargers openings in France since 2014:

• 2022: 32 open supercharges
• 2021: 13 open superchargers
• 2020: 9 open superchargers
• 2019: 9 open superchargers
• 2018: 4 open superchargers
• 2017: 17 open superchargers
• 2016: 19 open superchargers
• 2015: 14 open superchargers
• 2014: 14 open superchargers

Note that since 2020, the superchargers deployed have been versions 3, much more powerful and which do not share the maximum power between two terminals side by side, as we have detailed in the previous paragraph.

35 promised superchargers, 32 openings in 2022

At the beginning of 2022, Tesla promised 35 new supercomposes in France before December 31. The first trimester was rather little busy, with only 4 openings, but the second quarter was extremely productive, since not months of 14 superchargers we saw the light of day. This represents more than one opening per week, with between 12 and 28 charging stations on each site. By way of comparison, in the entire year 2021, Tesla had opened 13 superchargers over the whole of France, which makes the second quarter 2022 even more impressive.

Tesla therefore had a higher speed in 2022 in terms of opening its charging stations, which are today very often open to all vehicles with a CCS port port. In the third trimester, Tesla had greatly decreased, with only 3 new stations, before opening 11 superchargers in the last quarter of 2022.

In total, 32 new supercomputers in France were thus opened in 2022, one every eleven days on average over the year. We thus identify more than 130 superchargus when writing these lines on the national territory, a Increase of only twelve months.

2023: forecasts

Here are the forecasts for the year 2023 according to Tesla, detailed by quarter.

First quarter 2023: 4 superchargers

• Béziers
• Évry-Courcouronnes
• Honfleur
• Marseille La Valentine

Second quarter 2023: 12 superchargers

• Albi
• Angers Espace Anjou
• Biguglia
• Beynost
• Caen North
• Carcassonne
• Touquet-Paris-Plage
• Mandelieu-la-Napoule
• Rennes Cleunay
• Riom
• Rodez
• Roissy-en-France

Third quarter 2023: 14 superchargers

• Bayonne
• Boulogne-sur-Mer
• Southern Chasse-sur-Rhône
• Dinan
• Deauville
• Dunkirk
• Englos
• Gulf of Saint-Tropez
• Saint-Dizier
• Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
• Valve
• Varennes-Vauzelles
• Varneville-Bretteville
• Villebon-sur-Yvette

Fourth quarter 2023: 16 superchargers

• Ajaccio
• Amiens is
• Artenay
• Beauvais
• Village-of-the-paid
• Dearburg
• Epinal
• Hyères
• Laval
• Bourg-d’Oisans
• Montmarault
• Morlaix
• Narbonne Sud
• Roye
• Saint Etienne
• Sisteron
• Tarbes

First quarter 2024: 6 superchargers

• Aire-sur-l’Adour
• Les Pennes-Mirabeau
• Loudéac
• Reims Sud
• Saint-Egrève
• Villedieu-les-Poêles-Rouffigny

For the rest of the year 2024: 14 superchargers

• Dreux
• Gap
• The rock on yon
• La Rochelle
• Le Puy-en-Velay
• Mont-de-Marsan
• Niort Chauray
• Pawie
• Bridge
• Porto-Vecchio
• Roanne
• Saint-Dié-des-Vosges
• Saint Louis
• Thionville
• Toulouse – Labège

Supercharters without date announced: 2 superchargers

In total, these are so 52 superchargers that are scheduled for the year 2023, and 21 for 2024.

Supercompresses open to all

The great novelty of the year 2022 was the opening of certain French supercomposes to electric vehicles of other brands. Today, the rule is to open a supercharger to all as soon as it becomes operational, and the exception is to have a supercharger which can only be used by vehicles of the Elon Musk firm.

Indeed, while at the beginning of 2022 there were still only a few superchargers open to all vehicles, more than 50 are currently offered to all. This allows Tesla to benefit from an additional source of income, while densifying the fast charge network for customers. We also have some files dedicated to fast charge and other networks, in particular:

• Electric car: What are the different fast load networks in France ?
• Tesla Supercharger vs ionity: what is the best network to recharge your car ?
• What is the best charging network for electric cars (Tesla Supercharger, Ionity, Total, etc.) ?
• Electric car: How Tesla lost the battle of charging on the highway

We will keep the eye open in 2023 to verify that Tesla respects her announced schedule.

To follow us, we invite you to download our Android and iOS application. You can read our articles, files, and watch our latest YouTube videos.