I see a lot of super chargers "coming soon in 2018". Have they been building these

[RaeW]

According to the Tesla Supercharger map there are going to be many new installations this year. My guess is that most will not happen. In my area of Cape Cod, only one of four slated for installation in 2018 even has a permit issued (Wareham).
I think it would be nice if Tesla would be more transparent about the network.

 

[timk225]

There's a supercharger in downtown Pittsburgh that has been listed as "coming soon" all year long. No supercharger yet.

 

[TX_Drivetime]

According to the Tesla Supercharger map there are going to be many new installations this year. My guess is that most will not happen. In my area of Cape Cod, only one of four slated for installation in 2018 even has a permit issued (Wareham).
I think it would be nice if Tesla would be more transparent about the network.

They probably have to be careful with how much information they give about upcoming plans to prevent interference of permits, location, and construction from outside forces that wish to slow them down like dealership groups. From construction photos I've seen they don't place any logos until they are about complete and use contractors to build them so their name is not directly attached.

 

[Uncle Paul]

While Tesla needs to be concerned about the World wide roll out of Superchargers, most are really most interested in the one coming near their house, or on the way to an upcoming trip

 

[Fiver]

Supercharger expansion exploded earlier this year, but has dramatically slowed in the last few months. All signs seem to point towards a general slowdown of expansion while they focus on the core business stuff. Thankfully the rollout is so far along at this point that slowdown won't really affect too many people.

 

[Shygar]

There was one built right by my work in San Ramon. I saw on the map it still said coming soon even though it was physically up. Then the day that cars started using it I saw it was a real active supercharger on the map. So it's possible these could be a lot further along than you think.

 

[rdlink]

Supercharger expansion exploded earlier this year, but has dramatically slowed in the last few months. All signs seem to point towards a general slowdown of expansion while they focus on the core business stuff. Thankfully the rollout is so far along at this point that slowdown won't really affect too many people.

Sorry, but the supercharger network is "core business stuff." Their SC network is great, and getting better, but there are still some notable holes in the US. Casper, WY is one example.

 

[Fiver]

Sorry, but the supercharger network is "core business stuff." Their SC network is great, and getting better, but there are still some notable holes in the US. Casper, WY is one example.

Yes, and that's in my neck of the woods also so to speak, but the number of vehicles moving around up in Casper is tiny compared to larger metropolitan areas. Both are important, but I get why there isn't a supercharger in Casper yet while CA and the eastern seaboard continues to be built out.

 

[Uncle Paul]

I believe they have two missions. Close the gaps so owners can travel long distances with convenient charging along the way and also build lots of Superchargers where they are selling lots of cars.

I understand that along most well traveled routes you can currently find a Supercharger about every 100-150 miles.
They continue to infill the gaps and double up where volume is greatest.

 

[rdlink]

Yes, and that's in my neck of the woods also so to speak, but the number of vehicles moving around up in Casper is tiny compared to larger metropolitan areas. Both are important, but I get why there isn't a supercharger in Casper yet while CA and the eastern seaboard continues to be built out.

I get that Casper might not have the same concentration of people as the east and west coasts. But it sits on a major north/south interstate. Let's not forget that SCs are designed to make road tripping possible/more feasible. My view is that it's a matter of maximizing the effect of a supercharger. I would say that, given the fact that there are SCs in Cheyenne and Sheridan it made much more sense to build out an SC in Casper before infilling the one in Wheatland.

If someone is headed north out of Denver to Sheridan, or points beyond (such as Yellowstone) the lack of a Supercharger in Casper makes owning an EV seem like much more of a compromise. Essentially it turns what should be a 5 1/2 hour trip into either an 8 hour trip that forces you to take back roads through Gillette, or an overnighter that has you spending the night in Casper and hoping for a destination charger at a hotel.

 

[Darmie]

I get that Casper might not have the same concentration of people as the east and west coasts. But .

Wow, your right. Not much out that way. I do enjoy looking at the progress and the count of stalls that keep growing on supercharge.info. Tesla is doing a great job.

 

[Fiver]

I get that Casper might not have the same concentration of people as the east and west coasts. But it sits on a major north/south interstate. Let's not forget that SCs are designed to make road tripping possible/more feasible. My view is that it's a matter of maximizing the effect of a supercharger. I would say that, given the fact that there are SCs in Cheyenne and Sheridan it made much more sense to build out an SC in Casper before infilling the one in Wheatland.

If someone is headed north out of Denver to Sheridan, or points beyond (such as Yellowstone) the lack of a Supercharger in Casper makes owning an EV seem like much more of a compromise. Essentially it turns what should be a 5 1/2 hour trip into either an 8 hour trip that forces you to take back roads through Gillette, or an overnighter that has you spending the night in Casper and hoping for a destination charger at a hotel.

For every Casper, there is another hole somewhere else. All of North Dakota. Lubbock Texas, Sioux City IA.

 

[Nocturnal]

Supercharger expansion exploded earlier this year, but has dramatically slowed in the last few months. All signs seem to point towards a general slowdown of expansion while they focus on the core business stuff. Thankfully the rollout is so far along at this point that slowdown won't really affect too many people.

They are tight on cash right now and probably have the bare minimum to make the network functional at this point.

 

[rdlink]

For every Casper, there is another hole somewhere else. All of North Dakota. Lubbock Texas, Sioux City IA.

I get it, and that's my point. IMO those are the areas on which Tesla should be concentrating now. Infilling high population, areas where there are already "enough" chargers to for a through trip is not what I think should be priority.

Case in point, I did a road trip earlier this summer from Denver to Tahoe in an ICE car. Went via I-80, so all was good on charging there. But on the way back I decided to take a very scenic route that took me from the eastern edge of Yosemite, through the middle of Nevada and Utah before rejoining I-70. I have tried to route that trip nine ways to Sunday with a Model 3, and it's just not possible. But with one more charger in Ely, NV it would be.

As far as North Dakota and Lubbock are concerned, they are at least at permitting in ND. It appears that no permits are even pulled for Casper. And it is possible to get from either Midland or Sweetwater, both of which have SCs, to Amarillo via Lubbock.

 

[dhrivnak]

I understand that along most well traveled routes you can currently find a Supercharger about every 100-150 miles.
They continue to infill the gaps and double up where volume is greatest.

There are still many holes along I10, I40, I59 and I90. They are making progress but that progress has slowed.

 

[Fiver]

I get it, and that's my point. IMO those are the areas on which Tesla should be concentrating now. Infilling high population, areas where there are already "enough" chargers to for a through trip is not what I think should be priority.

Case in point, I did a road trip earlier this summer from Denver to Tahoe in an ICE car. Went via I-80, so all was good on charging there. But on the way back I decided to take a very scenic route that took me from the eastern edge of Yosemite, through the middle of Nevada and Utah before rejoining I-70. I have tried to route that trip nine ways to Sunday with a Model 3, and it's just not possible. But with one more charger in Ely, NV it would be.

As far as North Dakota and Lubbock are concerned, they are at least at permitting in ND. It appears that no permits are even pulled for Casper. And it is possible to get from either Midland or Sweetwater, both of which have SCs, to Amarillo via Lubbock.

It's possible with a range charge to get from Wheatland WY to Gillette WY. It's not possible to get from Amarillo TX to Midland TX.

/edit, actually 240 miles from Amarillo to Midland, so maybe possible, but not for all cars. The WY path (176 miles) is doable for most, but not for 60's in winter.

 

[rdlink]

There are still many holes along I10, I40, I59 and I90. They are making progress but that progress has slowed.

Not sure what you mean by "holes." I-10 has one permitting in San Antonio, and one under construction in Ft. Stockton. Once those are complete the whole interstate coast to coast will be good. I-40 could use one in Ft. Smith, AR. But otherwise it's good. I-90 looks good all the way through, as does I-59.

 

[Shygar]

If Tesla said they were done building superchargers, then that would be one thing. But this is an ongoing process. If you see a gap, just send a note to customer support so they can track it.

 

[dhrivnak]

Not sure what you mean by "holes." I-10 has one permitting in San Antonio, and one under construction in Ft. Stockton. Once those are complete the whole interstate coast to coast will be good. I-40 could use one in Ft. Smith, AR. But otherwise it's good. I-90 looks good all the way through, as does I-59.

Both Hattiesburg and Tuscaloosa would be very helpful on the drive to the in-laws. The i40 hole is very real between Oklahoma City and Little Rock. And I meant I94 not 90. Sorry. We like camping out west.

 

[mike123abc]

I believe they have slowed construction to conserve cash. They want to be cash flow positive, so they are slowing building of super chargers. If you look at supercharger.info they only show 18 stations under construction at this time (including Europe). Yes they have about 55 in the permitting phase, but there a huge number they say they are going to build soonish but do not have permits yet.