2017 Supercharger Plan: New Chicago city location?

[e-FTW]

Then they made a poor choice of location. I don't expect to pay to park when I pump gas

Find a location in the Loop where this can work and let Tesla know.

 

[TexasEV]

Parking. They were not aware of the cost and said "that doesn't make any sense since supercharging is supposed to be free"

Add that to the list of stupid things Tesla people have said.

 

[Nicoletta]

The Aqua garage is actually fairly unique in that it will directly serve 2 large residential buildings. Aqua and the recently announced Lot O development will share this garage). Together they will encompass 3 hotels, 2 apartment complexes, and 1 condo. Approximately 1000 hotel rooms, 1000 apartments, and 250 condos will use this garage - plus employees who work nearby, residents of nearby buildings, and yes even the general public.

I agree that the location is poor for long distance travelers, but it seems ideal for enabling urban EV ownership.

I live in the neighborhood. I can guarantee this will be heavily used by the residents here at New Eastside/Lakeshore East, many of whom own Teslas and I'm quite sure many more will be buying the Model 3, judging by how many Model S and X's are zipping by me every day. In fact I was driving around this evening and the indicator on my NAV already showed it half full all evening.

 

[Nicoletta]

Add that to the list of stupid things Tesla people have said.

I live next to this SC and to me a $5.00 surcharge to enter, lets say up to 45 minutes, and charge, is reasonable. What it was before, $20.00, is not....keeping in mind that many Tesla owners in Chicago live and work not too far from the Loop and would be charging on average once a week if this was their only way to charge. If they have to drive further they can use one of the free superchargers that ring the city. It'll work.

 

[pmc1]

I'm still not a fan of any surcharge to simply access the chargers. If it is heavily used as some have suggested, you might arrive to find the stalls all taken. Then you have to wait or come back. In either case, you're out more money. Oh well, maybe it will work for some with no other option but it still seems like a poor choice of location. Hopefully the other Chicago sites will be better situated.

 

[Pinkshirtuk]

Charged here today. The office first told me charging would be free, but that person did not do validation. I came back to validate after 50 minutes of charging and was told it was $5 for up to 45 minutes. From 46-60 minutes would be the normal $20 rate for 0-60 minutes. She let me go with the $5 fee, so didn't have to pay the $20. Phew!

I live next to this SC and to me a $5.00 surcharge to enter, lets say up to 45 minutes, and charge, is reasonable. What it was before, $20.00, is not....keeping in mind that many Tesla owners in Chicago live and work not too far from the Loop and would be charging on average once a week if this was their only way to charge. If they have to drive further they can use one of the free superchargers that ring the city. It'll work.

 

[mjwellman]

The question to ask is "why put a SC in the middle of downtown Chicago?" It obviously is not meant for traveling. No one traveling is from point A to B and going thru Chicago is going to stop downtown. If it was meant for "destination" travelers why not put in your standard charger? As for paying to park to charge, is there anywhere in Chicago you can park for free? There is a bonus for parking fee in that it should deter the home boys from using it as way to avoid charging at home. I am really at loss to understand why they put them there but I'm always happy to see more SC put on the network where ever they are

 

[tls]

The question to ask is "why put a SC in the middle of downtown Chicago?"

One assumes to enable people living or working in downtown Chicago to charge, no? Tesla has publically stated that "urban supercharging" to ease things for people living in dense neighborhoods who aren't at liberty to install home charging infrastructure is a goal for this year.

There is a bonus for parking fee in that it should deter the home boys from using it as way to avoid charging at home.

In dense cities (you know, the kind that use a tiny fraction of the natural resources per person that suburban sprawl does) it's often impossible to arrange to charge "at home". Even if one can get permission to install charging infrastructure where one lives (or in a rental garage) electrical system upgrades are often impossible, or at best, impractically expensive, given the density of 100+ years of existing underground infrastructure.

Thank goodness Tesla gets this and is rolling out a new urban supercharger network. It appears to be well thought out - focused on areas where people work, or centrally located in dense residential neighborhoods, and delivering a charge rate that will practically let people charge to the level required for a moderate commute either before parking in the evening (yes, in both Chicago and New York, with a little patience you can park on the street) or efficiently charging many vehicles in succession while their owners are at work. Availability of charging has been a major impediment to ownership in places where a huge part of the country's population lives.

 

[ecarfan]

The question to ask is "why put a SC in the middle of downtown Chicago?" It obviously is not meant for traveling. No one traveling is from point A to B and going thru Chicago is going to stop downtown. If it was meant for "destination" travelers why not put in your standard charger?

Apparently you did not read Tesla's recent blog post at Supercharging Cities which explains why they are placing this new type of Supercharge in places like downtown Chicago.

QUOTE: "as part of our commitment to make Tesla ownership easy for everyone, including those without immediate access to home or workplace charging, we are expanding our Supercharger network into city centers, starting with downtown Chicago and Boston. Supercharger stations in urban areas will be installed in convenient locations, including supermarkets, shopping centers and downtown districts, so it’s easy for customers to charge their car in the time it takes to grocery shop or run errands."

 

[republic]

As a former Chicago resident, I applaud the siting of this charger.

As Tesla states, the point is to enable urban EV ownership. It's smart to locate these SCs in common-access garages in high-density, affluent neighborhoods with high potential Tesla market share. They're better suited for their immediate neighborhoods than for larger swathes of city residents. Boston's charger is located in a similar place. I look forward to DC and Arlington receiving similar facilities.

 

[Nicoletta]

One assumes to enable people living or working in downtown Chicago to charge, no? Tesla has publically stated that "urban supercharging" to ease things for people living in dense neighborhoods who aren't at liberty to install home charging infrastructure is a goal for this year.

In dense cities (you know, the kind that use a tiny fraction of the natural resources per person that suburban sprawl does) it's often impossible to arrange to charge "at home". Even if one can get permission to install charging infrastructure where one lives (or in a rental garage) electrical system upgrades are often impossible, or at best, impractically expensive, given the density of 100+ years of existing underground infrastructure.

Thank goodness Tesla gets this and is rolling out a new urban supercharger network. It appears to be well thought out - focused on areas where people work, or centrally located in dense residential neighborhoods, and delivering a charge rate that will practically let people charge to the level required for a moderate commute either before parking in the evening (yes, in both Chicago and New York, with a little patience you can park on the street) or efficiently charging many vehicles in succession while their owners are at work. Availability of charging has been a major impediment to ownership in places where a huge part of the country's population lives.

+100 on your comment tls. I've been trying to get this same message across to many suburban Tesla owners who assume it's easy for urban dwellers to set up charging in their buildings. I've even seen some callous comments through the years to the effect of 'if you live in an urban core, don't buy a Tesla'. I couldn't have said it more eloquently than you have in this post.

 

[alcibiades]

I don't want other property owners to see this and begin to charge a fee for supercharger access at the non-"urban" locations.

 

[Sully's8]

No one is being charged for charging. . . It's a garage with a supercharger amenity. Sounds like it's $5 up to 45 min during which time you may charge, 46 to 60 min is $20, and I'm sure beyond an hour and you're looking at the rack rate for full day or hourly parking.

It's a Parking Garage that happens to have Tesla Superchargers in it as an amenity. It's not a Tesla Supercharging location that happens to have lots of extra parking stalls.

This makes perfect sense to me as a Chicago native. The $5 rate is actually a pretty good deal.

 

[alcibiades]

It's a Parking Garage that happens to have Tesla Superchargers in it as an amenity. It's not a Tesla Supercharging location that happens to have lots of extra parking stalls..

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that property owners do not sell land to Tesla. That is, other than at Stores/Service Centers, aren't nearly all Superchargers on someone else's property?

 

[Reciprocity]

Maybe the person you spoke to was shocked, but I'd be shocked if the supercharger site planners didn't know what the Aqua garage charged for parking. That amount isn't atypical for a big city garage, and I wouldn't expect Tesla to subsidize anyone's parking.

Get the spot hero App, you can park for 3 hours at that garage for $15. If you are stuck with no other option. Sadly, I think that might be the minimum on spot hero for that spot, but you could check different days/times as evenings might be cheaper.

 

[VikH]

It's a Parking Garage that happens to have Tesla Superchargers in it as an amenity. It's not a Tesla Supercharging location that happens to have lots of extra parking stalls.

This makes perfect sense to me as a Chicago native. The $5 rate is actually a pretty good deal.

I agree these are great for locals who need to charge. Although I would have liked to see no fee for "parking" for 45 minutes. Realistically, Tesla owners aren't parking here. They are charging only. Most will probably sit in their cars because you have to park, charge (slower than normal superchargers), validate and leave within 45 minutes.

Get the spot hero App, you can park for 3 hours at that garage for $15. If you are stuck with no other option. Sadly, I think that might be the minimum on spot hero for that spot, but you could check different days/times as evenings might be cheaper.

Why would you do that? You would have to come back to your car when its full (within an hour) and unplug/move the car to avoid SC fees.

 

[Sully's8]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that property owners do not sell land to Tesla. That is, other than at Stores/Service Centers, aren't nearly all Superchargers on someone else's property?

I'm assuming there's some small consideration for most parking lots but not much. .. Meijer or some of the other mall locations stand to benefit by requiring the Tesla owner to do something for 30-45 minutes so there is a symbiotic relationship there. This is especially true given that there is literally nothing else the mall owner can do with that space since it's part of the parking lot. . .not like they can develop it.

As for downtown garages such as the one above, not sure. I'm in real estate and I'll ask some of my colleagues. stay tuned

 

[Reciprocity]

I agree these are great for locals who need to charge. Although I would have liked to see no fee for "parking" for 45 minutes. Realistically, Tesla owners aren't parking here. They are charging only. Most will probably sit in their cars because you have to park, charge (slower than normal superchargers), validate and leave within 45 minutes.



Why would you do that? You would have to come back to your car when its full (within an hour) and unplug/move the car to avoid SC fees.

its $20 for anything over 45 minutes.. If you need an hour, then you can book on the spot her app for as little as $13 for what you would pay $20 and you can stay as long as you need up to 3 hours, not just an hour. Lets say you get there and there is a line and no stalls, but you need an hour to charge. Just trying to be helpful.

 

[VikH]

its $20 for anything over 45 minutes.. If you need an hour, then you can book on the spot her app for as little as $13 for what you would pay $20 and you can stay as long as you need up to 3 hours, not just an hour. Lets say you get there and there is a line and no stalls, but you need an hour to charge. Just trying to be helpful.

Apologies. Re-reading my previous post and it came off as harsh. You are right, if you are very low on charge and know you will exceed 45 mins, Spot Hero makes sense. I am guessing you would have to buy the spot hero before entering the garage though.

 

[eladts]