Demand for a SCH Charger in Huntsville, ON

[Spenny818]

Hi all,

I've been a long time forum follower and am very excited about the current adoption rate of EVs in general, and the charging infrastructure that is going up in Canada specifically. I am posting today to find out how much demand there would be for a SCH to be installed in the Huntsville area. My Parents own a Bed & Breakfast in Huntsville right beside Deerhurst resort, and I am currently trying to persuade them to have a charger installed. The problem I am having is that they feel there is currently no demand in their area for a charging system.

So now I turn to you guys. If I can get enough people saying that they would use a charger at our house, I think it will be enough to tip the scale and have one installed. My question to you is: Would you use a charger in the Huntsville area?

There is excellent golfing right around the corner from their location, and it is only about a ~20 minute drive into Algonquin Park.

If you would like more info on their location, the website is Algonquin Moon Bed and Breakfast

Thanks for your input, and sound off in the poll!

 

[Jaff]

The Huntsville area is a great vacation destination for all seasons...be a good idea to have an HWPC there...

 

[Knight Rider]

Is SCH still donating chargers to some businesses? Looks like they were doing that last year.

 

[Doug_G]

The donations were done strategically in order to complete the Trans-Canada route for the cross-country tour. I believe the main focus this year is to sell chargers...

 

[LazMan]

I will be going to Huntsville from Toronto next month. The trip is 200 km one way and I will probably be staying overnight. Ideally, I would like to stay at a hotel that had a charging station. Unfortunately, the nearest I can find is in Orillia which is too far away.

The GM dealer in Huntsville was very kind to allow me to use their charging station during business hours and will even shuttle me to where I will be working. According to Recargo, it's a J1772 charger.

I think I'll be okay. Any other suggestions or is there anything else I should think of? This will be the first real test of my fancy-shmancy 85kw battery.

Thanks.

 

[djp]

Parry Sound has a Sun Country Highway CS90 at Bayside Inn, and 50 amp service at a KOA. It's a hike from Huntsville at 70km away, but could be a backup plan.

 

[Doug_G]

Be aware that the GM charger probably doesn't supply much current, so it might need a full day to charge. You may only get enough juice to get you to a Sun Country station.

Since you can't charge at GM overnight, see if your hotel can provide a 110V plug. It's not much, but you should be able to get 40 or 50 km with an overnight charge.

 

[Spenny818]

Wondered if someone could shed some light on this for me…What are the benefits of installing a CS-40 charger over just installing a NEMA 14-50 outlet?

 

[Doug_G]

Any EV can plug into a CS-40, so if you ever have EV visitors other than a Tesla, they'll be able to plug in.

You can keep the UMC in the car, for use in the event of an emergency. It will always be there, if it's not stuck in the garage.

It's not recommended to keep plugging/unplugging the NEMA 14-50, because it's not rated for many cycles. Even if you figure on replacing the plug once a year, it's really pretty awkward to plug/unplug it.

Downside is you have to use the J1772 adapter, and you can't pop the charge port from a button on the plug.

 

[Duckjybe]

I have a cottage near Huntsville and have been up twice with the S so far. The first time was 2 days after I got the car - it sure was an adventure. I used the Orillia charger once. I have my own 14-50 so won't have the need for one in Huntsville. LazMan, you are welcome to use it if I am around but our road is a mud bath at this time of year and the S will not make it in until the frost is out and the road dries up.

By the way, I am the one who updated Recargo with the Huntsville Chevrolet dealer charger location. Saw it one day as I was driving by. I wasn't sure if they would let anybody use it. Good to see someone able to use it.

 

[sayidreddy]

Good news for canada. Superchargers are most likely headed to to ONtario in the very near term. Or at least it is heavily implied by this tweet.

• Srdjan Pejic @batasrki
  @elonmusk what are Tesla's plans around installing Superchargers in Ontario, Canada? I'm seeing Model Ss around, wondering about long trips.
  
  ​

Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
@batasrki Stay tuned for a big Supercharger announcement in a few weeks. Definitely have you covered.

​

 

[LazMan]

I drove to Huntsville this week. The car performed admirably. I charged on the way up in Orillia. I called ahead in order not to be ICE'd. Their Sun Country charger worked perfectly, about 80km of charge per hour.

In Huntsville I charged at the GM dealer. They were super friendly and welcomed me back anytime. They even shuttled me to where I was working for the day. Their charger is about 200 V and 15 amps. It charged at about 15 km/h. That was enough to leave me with a full standard charge by the end of the day.

I drove 220 km home and still had 155 km left when I arrive. My average speed was probably around 110 km/h with A/C. I did not drive in the slow lane.

For the whole trip, around 450 km, my average energy use was 198 Wh/km. That is really close to rated and a lot better than Consumer Reports got. Therefore, my score is 100 out of 100.

laz

 

[Duckjybe]

Great to hear you made it no problem. Nice that the GM dealership was so accommodating. It's so nice having the Orillia charger, just in case. Are they charging for it now?

 

[Doug_G]

For the whole trip, around 450 km, my average energy use was 198 Wh/km. That is really close to rated and a lot better than Consumer Reports got.

I'm not sure what's up with CR on that point. Unless it's winter, 200 Wh/km is easy to achieve on a road trip. Maybe they were just being conservative, assuming you'll drive somewhat aggressively.

 

[RichardC]

It would be great to have high speed charging available in Huntsville. It is a central location for those visiting in that area of Muskoka, and those heading further north to North Bay or Sudbury, or east into Algonquin Park. Installing a SuperCharger in Huntsville could help to seal the deal for many potential qualified purchasers in the Toronto area!

 

[Spenny818]

Hi Guys! I know it's been a long time coming, but today we had a Sun Country CS-40 installed. Now that we have the new "bird feeder", who will be the first to try it out?? Looking forward to meeting some forum members in need of a plug.

Cheers!

 

[LazMan]

Cool! I'm making the drive from Toronto to work for the day in the hospital. I will be coming in early Sept. How close are you to the hospital?

 

[Spenny818]

We are about 7 km away from the hospital. Less than a 10 minute drive.

 

[kbeckley]

Well, well. Had to drop the kids off at camp near Huntsville and went to the Sun Country website expecting to only see Best Western in Orillia and isn't there a new charger in Huntsville! Now the trip in the Tesla is on! Up to the in-laws cottage on Saturday - power out due to big storm but only 120V charging so no big loss. Onwards for the drop off then over to Algonquin Moon Bed and Breakfast (pictures from Spenny818 above) where Steve and Janet Wright were all too happy to let me plug in for a couple of hours. In fact the unit had only been installed 4 days earlier and I was the first to use it. Their son Spenny818 - who knows more about the model S than many owners I have met - came by afterward and test drove the Model S like a pro. Thanks for the 70km of range - made it back to Toronto with 50 to spare in heavy traffic. Reporter from the local paper there so might be a story. It's getting easier...

 

[mknox]

Personally, I would prefer to see a SC in the Bracebridge/Gravenhurst area. It would still facilitate the GTA to Huntsville run and support those of us (did I mention "personal"?) who frequent the Muskoka Lakes area.