Supercharger - Birmingham, AL

[jvmoore1]

I am just checking in with the usual people who use this Supercharger location in Birmingham.

Is it still a paid lot? Do you know if there are plans to make the lot free? Do you know of any other Superchargers planned for Birmingham?

we charged here over Thanksgiving. it was a pain to actually get into the lot due to road construction and there was a Sesame Street concert at the BJCC going on when we arrived.
We had to pay 1.50 for the lot when we left. But, we did not go to any of the shops to validate our ticket since we ate before arriving.

 

[Dirtman16]

I stop here once a month or so and it's not too bad unless you hit it at rush hour during the week. Find the coffee shop at the Westin, and they'll validate your parking. There's also a nice bathroom in the hotel.

 

[1speed]

It would make a lot of sense for Tesla to add something in Hoover, like the Riverchase Galleria, which has close proximity to I-65 and I-459.

 

[jvmoore1]

It would make a lot of sense for Tesla to add something in Hoover, like the Riverchase Galleria, which has close proximity to I-65 and I-459.

i keep hoping they will add one at the Summit since we seem to stop there any time we drive through

 

[Mixdup]

I am just checking in with the usual people who use this Supercharger location in Birmingham.

Is it still a paid lot? Do you know if there are plans to make the lot free? Do you know of any other Superchargers planned for Birmingham?

It is still a paid lot, and no, don't count on it ever becoming free. It's in a very heavy traffic downtown area that is growing. If they were to make the lot free, there would definitely be a lot of ICE'ing problems there (I'm surprised it's not already, but I haven't been there during an event at the BJCC)

I stop here once a month or so and it's not too bad unless you hit it at rush hour during the week. Find the coffee shop at the Westin, and they'll validate your parking. There's also a nice bathroom in the hotel.

That coffee shop is going out of business, unfortunately (if it hasn't already)

It would make a lot of sense for Tesla to add something in Hoover, like the Riverchase Galleria, which has close proximity to I-65 and I-459.

Absolutely, I think the Galleria is the obvious spot for SCs in Birmingham. I moved from Birmingham to Atlanta before I bought my Tesla, and in ATL there are chargers at one, and coming soon two malls (one traditional mall and one Summit-style center). The Galleria makes so much more sense than the BJCC because it's central to both North/South and East/West traffic, parking is plentiful enough that it would be free, and there's way more to do at the mall food and shopping wise, at all hours. The BJCC/downtown can be a ghost town often, and there's no good fast food there, etc.

If you think the Gallera is a good spot, submit it to Tesla: Charging Partners | Tesla scroll down and fill out the Suggest a Charging Site form

 

[1speed]

i keep hoping they will add one at the Summit since we seem to stop there any time we drive through

There is a pretty reliable pair of J-1772 chargers near The Summit - at the Colonnade, which is sort of caddy-corner (across 280/459) from the Summit. You will get about 7Kwh per hour. Lots of eating options here.

Link: PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You

 

[N4HHE]

I am just checking in with the usual people who use this Supercharger location in Birmingham.

Is it still a paid lot? Do you know if there are plans to make the lot free? Do you know of any other Superchargers planned for Birmingham?

There would be big celebration if anything changed in Birmingham. I would have made several trips to Birmingham recently but decided it would be more fun to scrub the bathroom than deal with the Birmingham Supercharger and Birmingham roads.

Meanwhile this SC has always been in the middle of construction but I-20/59 makes that look minor. Study the maps before travel.

 

[wrf2e]

I am just checking in with the usual people who use this Supercharger location in Birmingham.

Is it still a paid lot? Do you know if there are plans to make the lot free? Do you know of any other Superchargers planned for Birmingham?

We stopped here over the weekend and got our ticket validated at the Pub inside the Westin. Also, I don't have free Supercharging, but my account says "no charge" for a 40 minute stop. We were there super early, so it may be free when the surrounding restaurants are closed.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

It would make a lot of sense for Tesla to add something in Hoover, like the Riverchase Galleria, which has close proximity to I-65 and I-459.

Chatted to some people who work at the BJCC and it is an interesting source of pride that they have a Supercharger in that parking deck.
Haven't used it yet, we hit the one at Oxford instead.

 

[Dirtman16]

I stopped here as well last week. Fortunately the construction is mostly over with, so it's much easier to get in and out now. The coffee shop at the Westin is indeed closed, so that makes a quick stop a little tougher than it used to. Still some good restaurant options though.

 

[N4HHE]

If construction is “mostly over” I say, “just wait a year.” Past 50 years I know of Birmingham has kept the streets around BJCC perpetually ripped up to reroute, reverse direction, or lay utilities under the street.

 

[ThomasMX]

We stopped here about a month ago. The parking lot gate was open so no fee. Some of the restaurants were still closed or had reduced hours but some were open. I think by now most of not all are open.

 

[N4HHE]

If the lot is charging toll, what is the rate? Birmingham doesn’t post hourly rates, only a sign stating, “$10 Event Parking”.

I expect to stop by Saturday morning.

 

[1speed]

If the lot is charging toll, what is the rate? Birmingham doesn’t post hourly rates, only a sign stating, “$10 Event Parking”.

I expect to stop by Saturday morning.

I think its something like $2 an hour. Frequently the gate is just open. Note that the coffee shop that use to be here has closed.

 

[Danny Brown]

I was there, weekday, about two weeks ago. The parking lot gate was up both times (7am and 5pm). Could be a COVID thing to incentivize people to the businesses in the area.

 

[ChrisC]

In the Plugshare listing over the last few months, a couple checkins report that parking is indeed free.

But you can also get your parking validated at nearby restaurants (assuming they are open, obviously).

PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You

 

[FastRedPonyCar]

I went last week and the lot gates were raised the whole time. It was around lunch time. The construction has only gotten worse over the years. It's MAJORLY wrecked around there right now.

Richard Arrington jr blvd is shut down right past 24th street N so you basically need to come at it from the north to avoid all the construction around and under the 59/I20 bridge.

This is the easiest route I've come up with. I've had to drive down to that area a few times for lunch and this is the route I take. It dodges all the construction and usually there's no traffic coming from 16th/18th.

Red arrow points to the superchargers and the red lines are currently where streets are blocked off.

You have to turn INTO where the entrance of the hotel is. If not, you have to loop around the area and back in.

 

[PLUS EV]

Parking is still FREE here at least for the moment.

Santos Coffee is now open for dine-in and take-out in the spot where Octane used to be. I never was able to try Octane as it was after hours when I charged here before, so I can't compare, but I thought Santos was pretty good. The barista said they'd been open since November. The Octane sign still hangs outside on the building for some reason. There is also a very nice bathroom if you walk through the coffee shop and into the lobby of the Westin hotel.

 

[Aviadi]

Free parking here, super busy! I had to wait for 5 min for a spot, then 3 more Teslas pulled up and had the queue up. 150kw sucks. Totally added about another 30-45 min to my 16 hour drive. We need more 250kw chargers to deal with this bs!

 

[PLUS EV]

Free parking here, super busy! I had to wait for 5 min for a spot, then 3 more Teslas pulled up and had the queue up. 150kw sucks. Totally added about another 30-45 min to my 16 hour drive. We need more 250kw chargers to deal with this bs!

Ladies and gentlemen, observe the modern, entitled Tesla driver!

Also, how does waiting 5 minutes and getting 150kW instead of 250kW (or more accurately something in the 150-250kW range for a few minutes) add 30-45 minutes to your drive? Me thinks you're exaggerating just a touch.