Crowd Funding an HPWC in Sheridan, WY — Casper and Gillette to Possibly Follow

[freds]

Please do, while Sheridan is just past my families range, I will also contribute as I have family in WY...

 

[GRA]

ISTM that Sheridan and Gillette aren't great choices when looking to the future. It seems obvious that there will need to be an SC in Casper on I-25, and Sheridan is too far (149 miles) from there; Buffalo is only 113 miles, and right at the I-25/I-90 junction. Sheridan isn't at a major junction, and Buffalo is. If you go with Buffalo, you can either use Gillette (70 miles) or better yet Moorcroft, which looks to me like there's likely to be more traffic on U.S. 16 than SR 59 into/out of Gillette. Not a local so I could be wrong. Granted, food choices are a bit limited in Moorcroft.

 

[KurtR]

Buffalo is approximately 1/3 to 1/4 the size of Sheridan, which itself isn't exactly a metropolis. If Tesla set their eyes on Buffalo for a supercharger, they would have to hope that the one feasible site with nearby restaurants (maybe a couple fast food chains) and motels would agree to the location. As for Moorcroft, I went up to Devil's tower several years ago, and you could go through that "town" without even realizing it.

 

[GRA]

Buffalo is approximately 1/3 to 1/4 the size of Sheridan, which itself isn't exactly a metropolis. If Tesla set their eyes on Buffalo for a supercharger, they would have to hope that the one feasible site with nearby restaurants (maybe a couple fast food chains) and motels would agree to the location. As for Moorcroft, I went up to Devil's tower several years ago, and you could go through that "town" without even realizing it.

Thanks for making my point about Moorcroft; it is indeed the turnoff for east bound traffic bound for Devil's Tower, as well as traffic coming from or going to Mt. Rushmore via the rural route, so it's an ideal SC location. As to the size of Buffalo or any other Sc location, who cares? As long as there is somewhere within easy walking distance to eat (preferably a selection) and use the bathroom, why would anyone need more? You're not staying overnight; that's what HPWCs are for. I realize that Tesla has been putting SCs in at hotels/motels, but that seems due to opportunity rather than being ideal choices. So, maybe they can get an agreement in Buffalo, and maybe not,. Can't hurt to try, and certainly can't be any worse than the (lack of) progress in Sheridan/Gillette to date.

 

[KurtR]

Choice matters. Not everyone likes Subway, for example, which is essentially what Tesla would be selecting for everybody if they located a Supercharger in Moorcroft. Pick Gillette, and you'll have at least 7-10 choices within walking distance. And as I said earlier, Buffalo has limited location options for Tesla. Though Buffalo may well be perfectly suited for a Supercharger, you still have to find a site amenable to host one. There are simply more sites to choose from in Sheridan, so it is much more likely that Tesla is targeting that city.

 

[GRA]

Choice matters. Not everyone likes Subway, for example, which is essentially what Tesla would be selecting for everybody if they located a Supercharger in Moorcroft. Pick Gillette, and you'll have at least 7-10 choices within walking distance. And as I said earlier, Buffalo has limited location options for Tesla. Though Buffalo may well be perfectly suited for a Supercharger, you still have to find a site amenable to host one. There are simply more sites to choose from in Sheridan, so it is much more likely that Tesla is targeting that city.

I agree that there are more eating choices in Gillette than Moorcroft, although not quite as few as you suggest. Google maps shows the "Coffee Cup Fuel Stop" (open 24 hours) next to the Subway, and "Donna's Diner" five blocks to the west. It's also just 139 miles from Moorcroft to Devil's Tower, and then back to I-90 and on to Rapid City; from Gillette it's 169 miles for the same route.

As to where Tesla's targeting, we know they've been targeting Sheridan and Gillette and so far they've been notably unsuccessful, so Buffalo can't be any worse. Regardless of how many or few options they may have (anywhere), what matters is if they can get someone to agree to host one, as well as the utility of the location. Buffalo certainly has plenty of eating choices available within easy walking distance of each other, so that's not an issue, and I believe that SC locations at major junctions provide more utility, flexibility and convenience than those located elsewhere, reducing the need for multiple SCs on the connecting routes. I presume we all agree that they will need an SC in Casper at some point, and if you put one there, then Sheridan is too far in poor conditions for a 60.

 

[Edgewood Dome]

I've booked a room at the Hampton Inn @ Sheridan the eveing of May 14th in route to the Custer Black Hills rally. It sure would be nice to see the HPWC installed by then or better yet the long promised SuperCharger for Sheridan. I'll also be going back through Sheridan on the 18th. Any updates?

Count me in for $25 toward a HPWC there if Tesla doesn't provide it.

 

[cottylowry]

We want to drive from Minneapolis to Billings/Lolo Pass for a wedding in June, but pretty sketchy right now. It looks like there is a free, more or less private J1772 charger in Gillette Wyo, but Sheridan would really help. Has anyone checked with the city for Tesla building permit applications? What is your progress on the private installation at the Hampton Inn in Sheridan? How about a Nissan dealer in Sheridan? Maybe I will call Sheridan City Hall tomorrow and talk to their Engineering or permit departments.

 

[Edgewood Dome]

We want to drive from Minneapolis to Billings/Lolo Pass for a wedding in June, but pretty sketchy right now. It looks like there is a free, more or less private J1772 charger in Gillette Wyo, but Sheridan would really help. Has anyone checked with the city for Tesla building permit applications? What is your progress on the private installation at the Hampton Inn in Sheridan? How about a Nissan dealer in Sheridan? Maybe I will call Sheridan City Hall tomorrow and talk to their Engineering or permit departments.

Yes, last week I checked with Kevin Bare in the Sheridan bldg dept. and as of last Monday March 30th, no plans have been submitted for permit. They claim they have had a few discussions with Tesla, but that is all. There has been some posts about crowd funding a HWPC at the Hampton Inn, however I've not seen where this is moving forward yet.

 

[Cottonwood]

Yes, last week I checked with Kevin Bare in the Sheridan bldg dept. and as of last Monday March 30th, no plans have been submitted for permit. They claim they have had a few discussions with Tesla, but that is all. There has been some posts about crowd funding a HWPC at the Hampton Inn, however I've not seen where this is moving forward yet.

I have not heard back from the hotel owner recently, and the project to put in an HPWC is currently on hold...

 

[KurtR]

This is getting frustrating for those of us who would like to drive that corridor. It certainly appears that somebody at Tesla has their priorities out of whack. If they can put Superchargers in Beaver UT, Grand Junction CO, Lusk WY, three at regular intervals in South Dakota, and three more through rural Minnesota - all just as part of a narcissistic exercise to recreate some route Elon Musk took through the US some many years back yonder, certainly they could put one somewhere between Billings and Rapid City to complete a cross country corridor from the Pacific Northwest, if they just tried.

 

[Edgewood Dome]

Email [email protected] and let them know we need Sheridan & Gillette Super Chargers (or other locations in this very charger barren stretch). Squeeky Wheel...

 

[airj1012]

If this model works, I think others may be interested in filling the gap in Greenville, SC between Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA. This location was supposed to be finished last spring but ran into law issues.

 

[Cottonwood]

If this model works, I think others may be interested in filling the gap in Greenville, SC between Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA. This location was supposed to be finished last spring but ran into law issues.

More like NIMBY issues in Greenville, SC where the neighbor got picky on setbacks after the permit was issued and won. Without the NIMBY complaints, it would have happened...

 

[flankspeed8]

...three more through rural Minnesota - all just as part of a narcissistic exercise to recreate some route Elon Musk took through the US some many years back yonder, certainly they could put one somewhere between Billings and Rapid City to complete a cross country corridor from the Pacific Northwest, if they just tried.

Minor correction..There are only two SuperChargers in MN. These two are in the southern portion of the state. I would love to know who actually makes the decisions and what the rationale is considering there are massive gaps in interstate travel. But I guess California needs more.

 

[GRA]

This is getting frustrating for those of us who would like to drive that corridor. It certainly appears that somebody at Tesla has their priorities out of whack. If they can put Superchargers in Beaver UT, Grand Junction CO, Lusk WY, three at regular intervals in South Dakota, and three more through rural Minnesota - all just as part of a narcissistic exercise to recreate some route Elon Musk took through the US some many years back yonder, certainly they could put one somewhere between Billings and Rapid City to complete a cross country corridor from the Pacific Northwest, if they just tried.

I've long been of the opinion that if it was so important for Elon to re-create the 'Musk Family Adventure to Nowhere' that imposed an unnecessary, several hundred mile detour on the initial X-C route while serving a minimal number of Tesla owners and delaying routes that would have served far more people, he should have paid for the SCs in Southern MN, SD and Lusk out of his own pocket, only being reimbursed when I-70 and either I-80 or I-10 were complete with SCs (and not before 12/31/2015 in any case). I have no problem with the ones along I-70 or Beaver, as they are major travel routes through vacation/recreation destinations, but I can't see any business justification for an early SC route going through the U.S. equivalent of BFE.

 

[Cottonwood]

I heard from the Hampton Inn in Sheridan, WY.

No definite dates to report, but the good news is that it looks like there will be some overnight charging options at the Hampton Inn in Sheridan, WY soon.

 

[SW2Fiddler]

I reached out to the Wayside RV Park in Broadus for an overnight in early May. Covers the only ion gap in my long-planned Houston-Seattle round trip.
I like Hampton Inns too! But if stopping overnight, 50 Amps are as good as 80.

 

[bonnie]

I saw this thread and contacted the Destination Charging team to see why this particular hotel had not been accommodated (and sent a link to this thread). It sounds like they were turned down as a Supercharger site, but not for destination charging.

With their permission, here was their reply to my email:

That specific property didn’t work out for a Supercharger, but we have been working with them on Destination Charging for some time now. We actually shipped them 2 Wall Connectors earlier today, and I have agreed to cover the full cost of install as they have been very supportive and really wanted to host Tesla owners. Supercharger sites have a much more stringent selection process than Destination Charging, and sites get turned down all the time for a lot of different reasons.


A Sheridan Supercharger is still coming, it’ll be sometime this summer and at a different property. We’re also working on Gillette, that’s a bit further behind unfortunately and we’re working aggressively to catch up.

 

[Vger]

I saw this thread and contacted the Destination Charging team to see why this particular hotel had not been accommodated (and sent a link to this thread). It sounds like they were turned down as a Supercharger site, but not for destination charging.

With their permission, here was their reply to my email:

Bonnie, you use your good graces with folks at Tesla so wisely and efficaciously. We, TMC, stand constantly in your debt!