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Charleston Supercharger - Promised in 2017 - STILL NOT INSTALLED

Discussion in 'Supercharging & Charging Infrastructure' started by lencap, Jul 6, 2020.

  1. lencap

    lencap Member

    Joined:
    May 27, 2013
    Messages:
    139
    Location:
    Raleigh, NC
    Like many I enjoy driving my Tesla, but I can't visit Charleston, SC with my car! There is STILL no SUPERCHARGER in Charleston. The nearest ones are well over an hour distant, nearly 70 miles. Tesla has had "COMING SOON" posted since 2017!!!

    Enough is enough. What can be done to let Tesla know that Charleston is a popular destination, and without a SUPERCHARGER many of us can't use our cars to visit. I've called local service, emailed, nothing changes.

    How can a company as savvy as Tesla let a city with 7 MILLION annual visitors not have a SUPERCHARGER?? Source: Visitors to Charleston broke records again, exceeding 7.2 million last year

    (Rant over, but it is beyond frustrating to not be able to use my car for a road trip because of repeated delays on installing what was promised over THREE YEARS ago).
     
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  2. MichaelP90DL

    MichaelP90DL Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2019
    Messages:
    1,543
    Location:
    Lancaster, CA
    Write to:

    Tesla Motors. 3500 Deer Creek Road. Palo Alto, CA 94304

    Paper, envelope, stamp.
     
    • Funny x 1
  3. lencap

    lencap Member

    Joined:
    May 27, 2013
    Messages:
    139
    Location:
    Raleigh, NC
    Good advice - thanks for the address.

    Here's my letter:



    July 6, 2020

    Tesla Motors
    3500 Deer Creek Road
    Palo Alto, CA 94304

    Dear Tesla Family,

    You have come a long way over the past several years, striving to implement Elon’s vision of an EV future for everyone. As a Model 3 LR RWD owner since November, 2018, I appreciate the effort. I also try to encourage others to join the family by offering them rides in my car and letting them drive for themselves.

    I realize that until recently financial expenditures have been difficult to complete due to limited resources and the many demands for products/services across the Tesla platform, a challenge for anyone.

    But now I think the time has come to reinvigorate the SUPERCHARGER network with strategic additions to close gaps in your coverage. It seems to me that your initial strategy was to locate Superchargers in areas with high local ownership, or the potential for the same. That made sense, but now the Supercharger landscape is dotted with Superchargers in relatively close proximity to owners while VACATIONERS haven’t had any relief.

    I’m specifically speaking about CHARLESTON, SC, a city with a population of 150,000 people, but a city that attracts 7.25 MILLION annual visitors. Tesla posted a “COMING SOON” notice on the Supercharger map in 2017 alerting the Tesla family to the upcoming arrival of a local Supercharger. We are now past the midpoint of 2020 and there is STILL no active permit or plan for a local SUPERCHARGER. I live in Raleigh, NC, and before COVID I visited Charleston relatively often. On each trip I’m forced to drive my wife’s ICE since there is no Supercharger within 70 miles or so of town. Worse, my attempts to convert ICE drivers to EV owners falls flat when they see me driving my wife’s car. “He must be going to Charleston!” is the common refrain, and then the laughter starts. Please, remedy this shortcoming and build the charger.

    Sincerely yours,
     
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  4. MichaelP90DL

    MichaelP90DL Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Lancaster, CA
    EXCELLENT! I'm proud of you. Way to go!
     
  5. Carolina Karl

    Carolina Karl Member

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2020
    Messages:
    31
    Location:
    Florence, South Carolina
    I'm curious. Did you ever get a response?

    I'm in Charleston several times a month, and it's a travesty there is no Supercharger there.
     
  6. lencap

    lencap Member

    Joined:
    May 27, 2013
    Messages:
    139
    Location:
    Raleigh, NC
    Hi -

    No, unfortunately I never got a response or acknowledgment of my letter. I tried locally to leave a request, but they said they don't have a way to forward those requests.

    I'm as frustrated as you are. Maybe you can try to send a letter as well. Hopefully they'll reply if the requests are more frequent.
     
    • Informative x 1
  7. Carolina Karl

    Carolina Karl Member

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2020
    Messages:
    31
    Location:
    Florence, South Carolina
    Will do.

    I see they're building a mega 56-charger site between Fresno, CA and I-5. Heavens, would seem 7.25 million folks visiting Charleston should be worthy of at last a 12-charger site in North Charleston near I-526 and I-26.
     
  8. MichaelP90DL

    MichaelP90DL Active Member

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    Location:
    Lancaster, CA
    I am utterly astonished you did not receive a reply to that letter. That's just dumb.
     
  9. zecar

    zecar Member

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2017
    Messages:
    313
    Location:
    New York/Chicago
    I think sometimes they don't install after planning permission because they don't get a low enough contractor bid. Sometimes they may wait on the utility. Not making excuses for Tesla, just think about why some of these sites take so long.

    The work is a capital expenditure so profits aren't affected much. Tesla has plenty of cash.
     
    • Like x 1
  10. lithium365

    lithium365 New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2020
    Messages:
    1
    Location:
    Columbia, SC
    Not sure when this appeared on the site, it wasn't on the map two weeks ago when I visited Charleston.
    I'll be stopping by this weekend most likely to check it out. Looks like they have installed V3s!
    upload_2020-11-1_21-55-26.png
     
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  11. MarcoRP

    MarcoRP @MontrealTesla

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2017
    Messages:
    4,846
    Location:
    Montréal
    • Like x 1

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