Tesla is starting to predict Supercharger availability upon arrival by looking at how many vehicles are en route to the charging station.
Currently, if you need to stop at a Tesla Supercharger station, you can look at your in-car navigator to quickly check how many stations are available. This is very useful if you are fairly close to the location. You can decide to go to another station if one is too busy.
However, it can be less useful if you are on a road trip and you are still an hour or two away from your charging stop. Even if charging stalls are available at the time, they might not be by the time you get there.
Tesla is preparing a solution for this now.
Software update tracker Not a Tesla App found a previously unreported feature in the new 2023.38 Tesla software update that enables the automaker to predict Supercharger availability upon arrival. They reported based on what they found in the update:
Tesla will now predict how many Supercharger stalls will be available at your arrival, and display the predicted wait time, if any. Tesla says they will factor in your travel time to the Supercharger, as well as other Tesla vehicles’ travel times, to predict the charger’s availability when you arrive.
Tesla owners are incentivized to enter a Supercharger location in their navigation system because it enables the car to prepare the battery pack for fast charging. This also enables Tesla to know how many people are going to a Supercharger station at any given time and know when they will get there.
Electrek’s Take
This makes a lot of sense and should save some people headaches because there’s nothing more frustrating than believing that you have a spot ready to charge when you arrive at a Supercharger and instead find that it’s full.
However, the timing of this is interesting since it’s happening as Tesla is opening up its Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs, which should make this feature less accurate. Tesla doesn’t have access to the same data on the non-Tesla EVs that will start to populate some Supercharger stations, but it is still going to be a very useful feature.
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In case you needed another reason to feel jealous of Chinese car enthusiasts, the Chery Exeed VX C-DM three-row SUV is officially available for pre-order with 610 hp, 1,300 km (over 800 miles) of EREV range, and a starting price of $33,085 US.
State-owned Chinese automaker Chery recently launched the Exeed luxury brand, with its latest model, the Exeed VX C-DM plugin, making its international debut in Saudi Arabia February 23. At the same time, Chery opened the order books on the Exeed in China under the Exeed Lanyue C-DM name. And it is, in a word: impressive.
It’s really nice, you guys
Exeed VX; via Chery.
Dubbed “the land business jet” on Exeed’s website, the Exeed VX C-DM pairs a 1.5L range-extending ICE motor with a three-speed DHT gearbox that integrates with a 165 kW e-motor. A second 175 kW electric motor sits in the rear axle, giving the big, seven-passenger SUV a combined peak power output of 455 kW (about 610 hp) and 920 Nm (nearly 680 lb-ft) of torque. That’s enough to rocket the big SUV from 0-60 mph in less than 5.0 seconds.
In addition to that power and performance Exeed VX C-DM buyers also get a high-end interior with quilted leather, massaging front seats, slick infotainment screens, panoramic glass roof, a 23-speaker Lion Melody sound system, and LED mood lighting. That high-tech interior sets the stage for more high-tech baubles, like 26 ADAS functions that include self-driving features, an SDG system to reduce collisions, a 540-degree (?) camera for easy parking.
That ADA system combines with a “high-performance integrated cage body” and 10 driver and passenger airbags to deliver a 5 Star C-NCAP crash test rating.
And, yes – al that goodness starts at the equivalent of just 239,900 yuan ($33,085 US) in China.
With revenue tumbling almost as fast as market share, Tesla stock is taking a pounding – exactly like CEO Elon Musk predicted! We’ve also got FSD rolling out in China, a German automation acquisition, and more on today’s red candlestick edition of Quick Charge!
We’ve also got some clarifying news at Mercedes-Benz, which is set to ditch its confusing EQ-based model alphanumerics and (God willing) their suppository-based styling language, too. Plus, Rivian launches a new upfit service to make it easier for fleet managers to order ready-to-work EVs, Ram ProMaster EV lives up to its promises with more options and a lower price tag, and a big solar deal goes down.
New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.
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Lennox Residential HVAC has launched an extreme cold climate heat pump that warms a house with low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant in temperatures as low as -20F.
In 2022, Lennox was the first company to complete the first phase of the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump (CCHP) Technology Challenge, and the SL22KLV is a souped up version of the unit developed for that challenge.
The heat pump, which pairs with a smart thermostat, uses a variable-speed compressor with Electronic Refrigerant Injection (ERI) to adjust the energy usage based on the outside temperature, which helps to lower energy costs. When the temperature drops, the ERI increases heating output efficiently.
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The SL22KLV has efficiency ratings of up to 21.10 for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio 2 (SEER2), 13.2 for Energy Efficiency Ratio 2 (EER2), and 10.50 for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor 2 (HSPF2). It also features a precision-balanced, direct-drive fan and sound-dampening system for ultra-quiet operation as low as 58 decibels.
The heating capacity is between 21,600 Btuh and 60,000 Btuh, and the cooling capacity is between 22,000 Btuh and 56,000 Btuh.
Lennox’s new extreme cold heat pump uses the low global warming potential R-454B refrigerant, reducing environmental impact without compromising performance. It’s also eligible for the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, a federal IRA tax credit for homeowners (and it’s still in place). There may also be other local utility and state incentives for installing a heat pump, so it’s definitely worth checking. It’s now available for order through local Lennox dealers.
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