Oops

[flying haggis]

Another pointless anti-EV article; as always it’s a driver error…. The car will still do a good 10 miles when showing 0% so no clue how this happened. What difference would it have been if it was a diesel car? They still need the air bleeding out once run dry etc.. 3 hours is a joke though they could have just run an extension cord and 10 mins would have had enough juice in the car to move it off the ramp…

But at least the diesel car could be towed away or pushed quickly. Hope the tesla driver gets fined.

 

[Martin 1]

That charger is equivalent to 20 gallons of petrol or more, do you carry that around with you ? I've got enormous regard for Tesla. but this is a problem I've never thought of. Topping up with petrol wouldn't have taken a fraction of the time ! A superior car but that's ludicrous !

 

[clk320x]

So the problem is with the technology not the driver or poor handling of the situation by the car park management?

 

[190]

Technology or design? Did they need to design the technology so that the car locked up solid when the battery runs flat thus preventing it from being pushed or towed out of the way. At the very least there should have been some emergency procedure that could be implemented without the need for a Tesla technician. Do cars with electric parking brakes fare any better if the battery goes flat. Can't say I like electric parking brakes for other reasons so I'm glad I don't have one.

 

[markjay]

Or get one of these '5 litre jerry cans full of sparks' !

Portable electric vehicle chargers will be available next year

The power bank is the size of a compact suitcase with wheels and a retractable handle - and is lightweight enough to be stored in a car boot, or at home.

www.dailymail.co.uk

I probably wouldn't carry one in the boot (I don't carry a can of petrol either), but I'd expect every roadside assistance vehicle to have one....

 

[markjay]

Technology or design? Did they need to design the technology so that the car locked up solid when the battery runs flat thus preventing it from being pushed or towed out of the way. At the very least there should have been some emergency procedure that could be implemented without the need for a Tesla technician. Do cars with electric parking brakes fare any better if the battery goes flat. Can't say I like electric parking brakes for other reasons so I'm glad I don't have one.

That's a fair point. If it was a petrol or Diesel car that ran out of fuel, they might have been able to push it out of the way, obviously depending on the incline of the ramp and of it was safe to do so.

(They probably wouldn't have attempted to refuel it from a can, because most car parks have safely rules prohibiting refuelling on premises).

But if the Tesla becomes immovable with a flat battery... then obviously it can't be pushed.

 

[clk320x]

But if the Tesla becomes immovable with a flat battery... then obviously it can't be pushed.

Isn’t that the case for all EVs though MJ? Something to do with not damaging the motor?

 

[markjay]

Isn’t that the case for all EVs though MJ? Something to do with not damaging the motor?

I don't actually know.... but there's a Neutral gear, do I can't see why the car can't be pushed when in N? No idea though. BTW, we're not talking about towing.... just a gentle push?

 

[Bellow]

That charger is equivalent to 20 gallons of petrol or more, do you carry that around with you ? I've got enormous regard for Tesla. but this is a problem I've never thought of. Topping up with petrol wouldn't have taken a fraction of the time ! A superior car but that's ludicrous !

20 miles not gallons. Unless an EV uses energy at the equivalent of 1mpg.

 

[Bellow]

Seeing as there are Tesla rapid chargers in that very car park I am asking myself the same question

Is it possible that the Tesla driver was trying to reach that charger - and was caught short?

 

[clk320x]

I don't actually know.... but there's a Neutral gear, do I can't see why the car can't be pushed when in N? No idea though. BTW, we're not talking about towing.... just a gentle push?

I’m not sure, I just know they say you can’t push or tow it and it won’t be covered under warranty if so. Although I have seen videos on YouTube of people pulling the car at over 70mph with no issues.

 

[clk320x]

Is it possible that the Tesla driver was trying to reach that charger - and was caught short?

It could be - but I don’t understand why they would they leave it so last minute… it needs to be on 0% for around 10 miles at least to run out I believe!

 

[Bellow]

It could be - but I don’t understand why they would they leave it so last minute… it needs to be on 0% for around 10 miles at least to run out I believe!

If that was the case there's a certain amount of recklessness no matter what else prevailed - eg first timer testing the limits - in running short in such an inhospitable environment.
Reasonable to assume I think, that that driver won't be repeating that episode in a hurry.

 

[clk320x]

If that was the case there's a certain amount of recklessness no matter what else prevailed - eg first timer testing the limits - in running short in such an inhospitable environment.
Reasonable to assume I think, that that driver won't be repeating that episode in a hurry.

Exactly. The only thing I can think of is perhaps the driver was very low on charge thought they’d make it to the charger but then couldn’t locate it inside the car park.

 

[Bellow]

Exactly. The only thing I can think of is perhaps the driver was very low on charge thought they’d make it to the charger but then couldn’t locate it inside the car park.

Plausible and hardly the biggest sin - we all make mistakes.....
But you - after reading this thread - well I expect you'll be even more careful than before. Or risk being lynched!

 

[ToeKnee]

Maybe all the chargers were either out of order or in use?

 

[clk320x]

Maybe all the chargers were either out of order or in use?

It displays this on the Tesla in car system… (if the site is out of order/how many are out of order/how many chargers are free) and besides if you are on 0% you’d wait for a space to become available (these cars usually only charge for up to 30 mins before moving on).

 

[190]

Isn’t that the case for all EVs though MJ? Something to do with not damaging the motor?

That's the case for towing any distance and in a way little different from towing a conventional automatic IC car, in that you can physically do it at the risk of damage above a certain distance and speed. The reason a Tesla can't be moved at all with a dead electrical system is because the parking brake can't be released. Here's what Tesla say:

CAUTIONS: If the electrical system isn’t working, the parking brake won’t disengage. In this situation, use wheeled dollies or skid pads under the rear wheels.

We know the driver must have been dumb for taking the risk but they live amongst us in numbers so that scenario is guaranteed to happen again and again. Seems to me that this should have been foreseen and some emergency mechanism built in to release the parking brake.

 

[Bellow]

That's the case for towing any distance and in a way little different from towing a conventional automatic IC car, in that you can physically do it at the risk of damage above a certain distance and speed. The reason a Tesla can't be moved at all with a dead electrical system is because the parking brake can't be released. Here's what Tesla say:

CAUTIONS: If the electrical system isn’t working, the parking brake won’t disengage. In this situation, use wheeled dollies or skid pads under the rear wheels.

We know the driver must have been dumb for taking the risk but they live amongst us in numbers so that scenario is guaranteed to happen again and again. Seems to me that this should have been foreseen and some emergency mechanism built in to release the parking brake.

Could it be a safeguard against being towed a distance where the motor could become a generator and create an electrically related safety issue?
In theory, some other isolation method could be employed (if that is the reason) but not as failsafe as locking the wheels when relying on human input. There's been quite a few smart fortwo engines that have been destroyed being towed behind motorhomes without first being put in neutral (locked in reverse is smart's 'steering lock'). It should be simple....

 

[markjay]

That's the case for towing any distance and in a way little different from towing a conventional automatic IC car, in that you can physically do it at the risk of damage above a certain distance and speed. The reason a Tesla can't be moved at all with a dead electrical system is because the parking brake can't be released. Here's what Tesla say:

CAUTIONS: If the electrical system isn’t working, the parking brake won’t disengage. In this situation, use wheeled dollies or skid pads under the rear wheels.

We know the driver must have been dumb for taking the risk but they live amongst us in numbers so that scenario is guaranteed to happen again and again. Seems to me that this should have been foreseen and some emergency mechanism built in to release the parking brake.

The Tesla will actually guide you to a nearby charger of your choice, but it wouldn't have suggested the chargers in Westfield if it knew you couldn't reach it with a safe marhin. So the driver would have to defy the car and ignore all suggestions made by the car's computer.

In pilot's speak, it's called get-there-itis - the irrational decision to continue flying to the original destination even when everything you've evet learnt through your training is telling you that you shouldn't be attempting this.

I suppose the driver thought that if he is she made it to the Westfield chargers, they could spend a couple of hours shopping while charging the car on a fast supercharger, while other more-viable charging alternatives would have been less convenient.

It is bo different to a driver who runs out of petrol 2 miles before the next Motorway services, having ignored several other petrol stations along to route that would have required leaving the Motorway and then rejoining it, in order to avoid the inconvenience of the detour.