Canadian Superchargers

[mknox]

Waterloo Region Supercharger

I have heard through a reliable source that Tesla has been scoping out sites in the Waterloo Region for a Supercharger station.

I would like to respectfully submit that the Smart Centre (big box mall) just off Hwy 401 in Cambridge would be an ideal location. It is easy on/off the highway, there is a huge parking lot and a number of restaurants (Keg, Montana's, Lone Star etc.) as well as the typical assortment of big box retail stores there. Further, as a Vice President of the electrical utility there, I may be able to help facilitate the electrical connection part of the process. Below are some photos.

I'd like to submit this directly to Tesla, but don't have an e-mail address for that. There is a web form, but you can't attach pictures.

 

[Cottonwood]

I have heard through a reliable source that Tesla has been scoping out sites in the Waterloo Region for a Supercharger station.

I would like to respectfully submit that the Smart Centre (big box mall) just off Hwy 401 in Cambridge would be an ideal location. It is easy on/off the highway, there is a huge parking lot and a number of restaurants (Keg, Montana's, Lone Star etc.) as well as the typical assortment of big box retail stores there. Further, as a Vice President of the electrical utility there, I may be able to help facilitate the electrical connection part of the process. Below are some photos.

I'd like to submit this directly to Tesla, but don't have an e-mail address for that. There is a web form, but you can't attach pictures.

I've found that [email protected] works well for such comments and suggestions. It's also good for reporting Supercharger problems.

 

[DGates]

I've found that [email protected] works well for such comments and suggestions. It's also good for reporting Supercharger problems.

You can also submit suggestions for supercharger locations here: http://teslafactory.wufoo.com/forms/supercharging/

 

[VCanucks]

Not to rain on the parade but when they post pictures of breaking ground at other sites, don't we usually see the boxed Superchargers ready for installation? That's what I seem to recall. It also seems kind of hard to install them without the actual Superchargers. I guess breaking ground for the electrical upgrade is at least a start but I'm not sure that really counts as "breaking ground" for installation of the Superchargers. It seems some other ground must be broken for that (since the cables run underground) and from what I read the workers don't even know where that ground to be broken is.

Though i'd rather have the Cup than a supercharger, this is what we got :tongue:. I swung by the site the other day and they've brought the Tesla hardware to the site. These pictures don't really do justice to how much stuff there is and its pretty damn big. I forgot to take a picture of it but there is a large pit where I think they're going to put it it all, does anyone know if supercharger hardware can be placed underground? The depth of the pit made it seem to be the idea but I wouldn't expect that to be the case for electrical hardware.

 

[dasRad]

Though i'd rather have the Cup than a supercharger, this is what we got :tongue:. I swung by the site the other day and they've brought the Tesla hardware to the site. These pictures don't really do justice to how much stuff there is and its pretty damn big. I forgot to take a picture of it but there is a large pit where I think they're going to put it it all, does anyone know if supercharger hardware can be placed underground? The depth of the pit made it seem to be the idea but I wouldn't expect that to be the case for electrical hardware.

Those pictures have made my day! Thanks! (What Cup?)

 

[KenN]

Lord Stanley's I would imagine. As evidenced by the username "VCanucks".

 

[Canuck]

It's nice to see the hardware ready for installation. Thanks for the pics, VCanucks. It certainly looks like July will be the month that the first supercharger will be opened in Canada. I predicted November and I'm pleased to be proven wrong.

I rarely drive the Sea-to-Sky highway, so this one doesn't mean much to me, but I drive a couple of times per month through Hope and I really "hope" they don't rest on their laurels in BC after installing this one. We need Hope and the other interior ones built asap!

Given the fact that the Canucks traded Kesler today, it looks like we'll have a lot more superchargers in Canada before the Canucks hoist the Cup... if ever.

 

[Cottonwood]

Though i'd rather have the Cup than a supercharger, this is what we got :tongue:. I swung by the site the other day and they've brought the Tesla hardware to the site. These pictures don't really do justice to how much stuff there is and its pretty damn big. I forgot to take a picture of it but there is a large pit where I think they're going to put it it all, does anyone know if supercharger hardware can be placed underground? The depth of the pit made it seem to be the idea but I wouldn't expect that to be the case for electrical hardware.

The pit you see is probably where the equipment enclosure for the Supercharger Cabinets and Distribution Center will go. Because the conduit sweeps are so big and there is a fair thickness of concrete, the excavation under the pad that will hold the Supercharger Cabinets and the Distribution center is usually pretty deep (1.2 to 1.5 meters depth is common). In Indio, people thought it was for a battery swap station.

 

[Cosmacelf]

I don't think a single supercharger has equipment underground. It all needs to be accessible and occasionally serviced. The digging is for conduits between the transformer, the switch gear, the supercharger cabinets and then finally the supercharger stalls.

 

[green1]

This picture finally makes it real, the previous construction pictures, while likely supercharger related, were no guarantee, but seeing the crates from Tesla brings it home.

I'd say now the least that Tesla can do to compensate Canadian owners for the long delay is to ensure that the rest of the planned Canadian Superchargers get built ASAP, (and ideally a few more... (can I request one for Kelowna, and another for Invermere/Radium?))

 

[Canuck]

... can I request one for Kelowna,

I second that! The lack of a supercharger in Kelowna is a glaring omission. It's the biggest city in the interior and the current supercharger route bypasses it completely with one in Kamloops but none in Merritt where the coquihalla connector is. There should be one in Merritt and move the Kamloops one further north/east on the route to Alberta. That way even if they don't build one in Kelowna, we could make it to Kelowna from the lower mainland with the Hope and Merritt superchargers. The current route makes no sense for the Okanagan. They don't even need to add a supercharger -- they just need better planning!

 

[DGates]

I second that! The lack of a supercharger in Kelowna is a glaring omission. It's the biggest city in the interior and the current supercharger route bypasses it completely with one in Kamloops but none in Merritt where the coquihalla connector is. There should be one in Merritt and move the Kamloops one further north/east on the route to Alberta. That way even if they don't build one in Kelowna, we could make it to Kelowna from the lower mainland with the Hope and Merritt superchargers. The current route makes no sense for the Okanagan. They don't even need to add a supercharger -- they just need better planning!

The planned locations seem pretty good to me. Hope --> Kelowna is 239 km, Kelowna --> Revelstoke is 201 km so it seems easy enough to get into / out of Kelowna via those supercharger locations if travelling from the lower mainland or Calgary / HWY 1. And having the one in Kamloops is helpful for Vancouver <--> Calgary trips that want to avoid the slower roads through the Okanagan.

As for actually traveling through the Okanagan maybe Osoyoos area makes more sense, people traveling HWY 3 can benefit as well. In that case it may be better to have one in Sicamous than Revelstoke. That covers each end of the valley and with the next one in Golden they end up spaced a bit better.

 

[green1]

The question becomes whether you can get past Kelowna from hope or revelstoke. My need would be to the big white ski area. Only a small ways past Kelowna, but a lot of elevation. And when I say ski area, I don't plan the trip for summer... (Also not sure about destination charging up there, with a charger in Kelowna it would be irrelevant)

 

[Doug_G]

Yes, that does make it more real. Now we just need a Canadian Supercharger that is less than 3,000 km from here.

 

[Mayhemm]

Now we just need a Canadian Supercharger that is less than 3,000 km from here.

Heh heh, now you know how I feel every time Tesla opens up a new store or service center.

 

[Username]

Why can't i see the last answer to any thread people have put up?
I don't want to see a two year old answer when I log on.
I know, I know, I can simply go to the last page and click it and then the 2nd to last page etc. What a pain!
There must be a better way to instantly view the latest responses.

- - - Updated - - -

 

[Username]

So, here we are July 1st 2014 and not a trace of a Supercharger in Canada!

 

[Canuck]

Squamish pics courtesy of reddit:

imgur: the simple image sharer

 

[Doug_G]

Very cool - that makes it very real. Now let's see the second one under construction!

 

[Paul Carter]

Squamish Construction Update for July 1 - Happy Canada Day

Good progress seen today!