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Crowd Funding a SCH100 EV Charging Station in Grand Falls-Windsor, NL

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Hello everyone,

I had brought up the idea of crowd funding a SCH100 EV Charging station in Grand Falls-Windsor (GFW) to help making travelling across the island of Newfoundland a little easier. If you check our PlugShare you will see a large gap of chargers between Deer Lake and Gander. There is a SCH charger located 20 minutes west of GFW however it is located at the River Front Chalets Resort. It is a low amperage charger and not convenient for trying to get across the island as fast as possible. It would be more ideal if we could charge at 80 A closer to restaurants and shopping districts than at a chalet resort with just a bunch of cabins.

We are proposing to raise $6,000 to pay for the SCH100 unit and to help with any installation costs above what Sun Country Highway is willing to pay. They have indicated they are willing to pay for installing the unit. We want this to be on a 240V, 80A supply so that Tesla's with the high AC charging option can charger as fast as possible. Currently, SCH chargers on the island are typically 205 V because of being installed in a facility with three-phase and limited to 68-70A. If possible we would like to get the installation to provide the full 80A and 240V to get the fastest charging. There may be extra installation charges for this which we would like to be abel to cover if SCH won't. If we find out that this would be cost prohibitive, we will just settle for whatever high amperage charging we can get.

We have two locations in GFW as proposed locations. One near the Town Hall and the other near the Superstore on Cromer Ave. If we can get close to our crowd funding target we will then approach SCH and the potential sponsors to proceed. However, we thought we would first see how many pledges we can collect to confirm how much money we could raise.

There are currently two Tesla Model S and soon to be a Model X here on the island that would be able to take advantage of this charger. In addition, several Model S (and hopefully soon Model X owners) come from away to visit NL. Having this charger would make the experience of travelling across this beautiful island much easier especially for tourists. Over the last two summers we were aware of at least 15-25 Model S owners making a visit to the island and hopefully this number will increase overtime.

We have started a Google Docs Spreadsheet to collect pledges. If you are willing to contribute to the installation of this charger, please visit https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19_cVk1_3yG4C-VKhI5aeSNx5w5id5iYRSbdMO-LnGwM/edit?usp=sharing and add your Username and amount willing to contribute to the list.

We are open to comments, concerns, advice on this topic to ensure the highest probability of success. Thank you for your consideration and we would love to meet any TMC members if they come to NL anytime in the future!

Cheers!

Joshua Green

IMG_1424.jpg
 
Just curious. What's the situation with non-Tesla EVs in NL?

Have you considered a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign?

There are about 25 EVs in total in the province. Besides the two Teslas, the rest are Chevy Volts and Nissan Leafs. Most, if not all, of the Leafs are in St. John's and would not be able to make it to GFW to use this charger. A Volt owner travelling across the island would be able to use this charger so we will reach out to these owners to see if they are willing to pitch in. There may be some local Leaf owners who are willing to pitch in too, in support of the EV movement and perhaps use in the future when they purchase a long range EV.

We did consider the Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaigns, however because the amount we are looking for is so small and probably can be collect from a small number of people, we didn't think it would justify the 8% cut that would have to be paid to the hosting website. This would represent about $500 that we would have to pay to Kickstarter or Indiegogo which we thought would be better spent on the charger itself or paid back proportionately to the pledgers if all the money is not used for the install. Having said that, if the majority of pledgers would rather the campaign and funds go through such a website, we would be more than happy to facilitate that.
 
Come on folks, this is an easy one to step up for.

We, who are lucky enough to be able to access Super Charging, and ChadeMo Level III fast charging, sometimes forget about what it is like to "subsist" on only Level II charging for our travels.

The Newfoundland EV community have true pioneer spirit, using their EVs with a charge network like we here in most of Ontario, Quebec, B.C. and Alberta used 3 years ago.

They deserve our help with "filling in" the gaps in their Level II charging network, allowing them to cross their province with just a little more convenience.

I'm sure most here could kick in $20 bucks or so...
 
I'd say go all-in and put in two chargers - one SCH, and one HPWC. HPWCs are cheap and probably wouldn't be a high marginal cost installed. It would offer some important redundancy.

I agree and will definitely look into this. This will be one of the few central EV charging stations on the island, not to mention one of the fastest, so no doubt it will be a popular spot as more EV come to the province. If we have the funds available to us and the supply is there we will make it happen.

We are currently at 62% of our goal and I have several other locals that I will be going after. Any help from TMC would be greatly appreciated. I am going to to up a sign with the names of the donors that will be posted next to the charger for the world to see :)
 
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I doubt that I will ever make it that far in my Tesla, but who knows. Besides, I love the effort! Put me down for $250. PM me if you reach your goal and tell me where to send some money (PayPal?).

As for upping 208V to 240V, I have looked into it before. A boost transformer is probably what you want to use. A boost transformer only has to be sized for the boost amount, and is therefore a lot less expensive. 80A*(240V-208V)=2.56kVA, for example. Just remember that boosting 208 to 240 will need 115 Amps. The next standard breaker size is a 125 Amp breaker; check local code and inspector for the correct sizing.

Good Luck!
 
Hey, thanks Cottonwood, that's very nice of you!

You are very welcome.

I very much enjoyed visiting Newfoundland several years ago in my Twin-ICE. I have many fond memories from that trip. Below is a picture that I took from my Twin-ICE, northeast of Newfoundland. That was a long trip in my Twin-ICE; it would be a really long trip from Colorado in my Tesla.

Newfoundland-IMG_1850.JPG
 
I doubt that I will ever make it that far in my Tesla, but who knows. Besides, I love the effort! Put me down for $250. PM me if you reach your goal and tell me where to send some money (PayPal?).

As for upping 208V to 240V, I have looked into it before. A boost transformer is probably what you want to use. A boost transformer only has to be sized for the boost amount, and is therefore a lot less expensive. 80A*(240V-208V)=2.56kVA, for example. Just remember that boosting 208 to 240 will need 115 Amps. The next standard breaker size is a 125 Amp breaker; check local code and inspector for the correct sizing.

Good Luck!

Wow! That is incredibly generous of you! Thank you so much! That puts us now at almost 70% pledged. I am confident we will be able to reach our goal. We are now in talks with SCH to get the ball rolling ASAP.

That is useful info on the boost transformer. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. We were thinking that we were going to have to be next to a power line and get the utility to drop another service that was single phase but using a boost transformer seems attractive if its not cost prohibitive and adds a lot of complexity.
 
While the temptation is always to get the extra 15% charge speed of 240V over 208V, it is not free. I bet that you can put in a 100/80 Amp HPWC for the same or less cost than boosting the 100/80 Amp J1771 SCH. Given a choice like that, I would take two charge points at 208V vs one charge point at 240V.

Here is one result calculation from Buck and Boost Transformer Calculator - Schneider Electric United States:

Boost Example.png



Whether to boost or not is a small detail. Your real challenge is to find the host site with power and parking spaces. Good luck, and keep up the good work!
 
I'll add US$250 too. Maybe I can make it to Newfoundland in my Tesla, maybe not, but we all will benefit by improving charging infrastructure in Canada.
 
Also, try contacting the Tesla Destination Charging program. If you can find a hotel or restaurant that is reasonably nice and has good reviews, Tesla will probably pay for up to 2 HPWC's and a 32Amp J1172, sometimes including support with installation costs.

When I tried crowdfunding to fill in the gap that existed a year ago in Eastern Wyoming into South Dakota on I-90, we ended up getting support from Tesla for HPWC's in Sheridan, WY and Buffalo, WY.

Read the saga at Crowd Funding an HPWC in Sheridan, WY — Casper and Gillette to Possibly Follow

See the results by searching for Sheridan, WY and Buffalo, WY on the Tesla Find Us Page.

See Tesla Destination Charging for more info.

I think that the show of support via crowdfunding helped with lobbying Tesla, but that is an educated guess.
 
While the temptation is always to get the extra 15% charge speed of 240V over 208V, it is not free. I bet that you can put in a 100/80 Amp HPWC for the same or less cost than boosting the 100/80 Amp J1771 SCH. Given a choice like that, I would take two charge points at 208V vs one charge point at 240V.

Here is one result calculation from Buck and Boost Transformer Calculator - Schneider Electric United States:

View attachment 113452


Whether to boost or not is a small detail. Your real challenge is to find the host site with power and parking spaces. Good luck, and keep up the good work!

Thanks for the info Cottonwood. I agree the challenge is in finding the host site. I have several spots and businesses in mind but I will likely make the 425 km trip from St. John's to GFW to scout it out a little closer and speak with some folks there.

I have a meeting scheduled with SCH on Friday morning to discuss further. He was super impressed with the amount of funds pledged so far!

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Also, try contacting the Tesla Destination Charging program. If you can find a hotel or restaurant that is reasonably nice and has good reviews, Tesla will probably pay for up to 2 HPWC's and a 32Amp J1172, sometimes including support with installation costs.

When I tried crowdfunding to fill in the gap that existed a year ago in Eastern Wyoming into South Dakota on I-90, we ended up getting support from Tesla for HPWC's in Sheridan, WY and Buffalo, WY.

Read the saga at Crowd Funding an HPWC in Sheridan, WY — Casper and Gillette to Possibly Follow

See the results by searching for Sheridan, WY and Buffalo, WY on the Tesla Find Us Page.

See Tesla Destination Charging for more info.

I think that the show of support via crowdfunding helped with lobbying Tesla, but that is an educated guess.

Yes it was reading your thread that inspired me to start this effort in the first place :)

I will contact Tesla as well to see if they would be willing to help out knowing that we have these funds pledged. The trip across the island is about 1,000 km so having chargers in another location would also be a benefit. There is an awesome ski resort next to Corner Brook called Marble Mountain that would be the next best place to put a high amperage charger to make travelling across the island easier.

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I'll add US$250 too. Maybe I can make it to Newfoundland in my Tesla, maybe not, but we all will benefit by improving charging infrastructure in Canada.

Awesome! You guys are so inspiring! Greatly appreciated! Canada is a very large country with a lot of ground to cover for charging infrastructure. Sun Country Highway did a great job with their initial roll out of the TransCanada network but there are a few places, like this one in particular, where the gaps are just too big to make the travel experience enjoyable. Tesla Superchargers here in NL is likely many years away but this will certainly help.

I encourage you to take a trip to NL if you do get the chance! Make sure you come in the summer and you will see a beautiful province :) Guaranteed!
 
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I encourage you to take a trip to NL if you do get the chance! Make sure you come in the summer and you will see a beautiful province :) Guaranteed!
one of my colleagues is a Newfie who constantly tells me that I should. I have spent many -lees ant days around Gander when stopping after transatlantic ferry flights. My plan is to come this summer. We'll see if it works.
 
one of my colleagues is a Newfie who constantly tells me that I should. I have spent many -lees ant days around Gander when stopping after transatlantic ferry flights. My plan is to come this summer. We'll see if it works.

Awesome! Be sure to let us know if you do! We love meeting other Tesla owners and EV supporters! Perhaps because there are not many here... ;) Working on it though!