IOWA Tesla Owners

[derowland]

Open to those living in Iowa or traveling in the State.

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If you're in the Okoboji, IA area and need a top off, drop me a note. We're just North of The Inn @ The Iowa Great Lakes.

 

[MSEV]

Is it lonely out here in the Midwest or something?
Derowland, do you happen to be a Model S owner near Okaboji?
I live in Omaha and have a Model S on order.
I was just wondering how many Model S owners there are in Nebraska, but also Iowa...

 

[RichSh]

I'm in the Des Moines area. And yes, Derowland is in Okoboji.

For each of us who posts here, I'm sure there are several who don't. Have met 2 other Model S owners in the Des Moines area, and seen a couple of others around.

 

[crmatson]

First post!
Tesla Model X Reservation #6,665
I am also in the Des Moines area.
I have only seen one Model S in Iowa.
Looking forward to see our numbers grow.

 

[wws]

Have you guys ever seen/heard of any in the Quad Cities (Davenport/Bettendorf, Rock Island/Moline) area?

 

[rsquared99]

Iowans - Just before the 4th of July, I traveled from Surprise, AZ to Burlington, IA. I followed the Supercharger net to Albert Lea and then cut down to Des Moines. I charged at a very nice RV park called Timberline just west of Des Moines. Nice shaded charging locations and a very clean park with cabins. The owner was interested in Tesla and in looking into setting up charging for EVs. I put him in contact with the Destination charging division of Tesla Motors and they have offered him a couple of HPWC for his park. You might want to encourage his participation by contacting him and telling him of your interest in Tesla and charging facilities. I understand that it may be a couple of years before Des Moines gets their Supercharger location, and public charging in the middle of the state will be most welcome, even if it is not at supercharger speeds. Thanks.

 

[crmatson]

I sent an email to the contact for Timberline thanking them for allowing EV charging and I provided the link to Tesla destination charging as well.

 

[crmatson]

I understand that it may be a couple of years before Des Moines gets their Supercharger location, and public charging in the middle of the state will be most welcome, even if it is not at supercharger speeds. Thanks.

Des Moines is listed on the Supercharger map for "2015." With I-80 as a major East-West route, I hope we get them sooner rather than later.
Quad Cities and Omaha would be great for trip planning as well.

 

[MSEV]

I live in Omaha and there seems to be more going on with a Service Center than a SuperCharger. There had been posts for three positions (work for Tesla) in Omaha, then it was down to two, now there are no listings, so it is possible that three people have been hired for a Service Center in Omaha (and it is listed as an upcoming Service Center site). The SuperCharger map shows one destined for, oh, maybe South, South Omaha and that's all I know about that...

 

[Vexar]

Iowans - Just before the 4th of July, I traveled from Surprise, AZ to Burlington, IA. I followed the Supercharger net to Albert Lea and then cut down to Des Moines. I charged at a very nice RV park called Timberline just west of Des Moines. Nice shaded charging locations and a very clean park with cabins. The owner was interested in Tesla and in looking into setting up charging for EVs. I put him in contact with the Destination charging division of Tesla Motors and they have offered him a couple of HPWC for his park. You might want to encourage his participation by contacting him and telling him of your interest in Tesla and charging facilities. I understand that it may be a couple of years before Des Moines gets their Supercharger location, and public charging in the middle of the state will be most welcome, even if it is not at supercharger speeds. Thanks.

Thanks for kicking things off there in Iowa. It's on a very short list of states I can't go into and out of, from Minneapolis.

 

[derowland]

Yes, I live in Okoboji, IA. Have made the trip to Lincoln, twice and stopped in Omaha for a bit to charge-up. Also, have charged at a private home in Lincoln. A very nice guy and his wife let me do that. I have an 80 amp HPWC in Okoboji if you ever need a charge. There is also a SuperCharger about 30 miles from here, in Worthington, MN.

 

[invisik]

Hi! Wondering if any known HPWC's or RV 50 amp type connection is available in the Des Moines/West Des Moines area?

Thanks for any intel from the locals!

-m

 

[derowland]

Is it lonely out here in the Midwest or something?
Derowland, do you happen to be a Model S owner near Okaboji?
I live in Omaha and have a Model S on order.
I was just wondering how many Model S owners there are in Nebraska, but also Iowa...

Yes, in Okoboji from June through Mid-December. There is also a SuperCharger in Worthington, MN ... about 30 miles from Okoboji. You're welcome to top off at our place if you're in the Iowa Great Lakes area.

 

[derowland]

I drove from Okoboji, IA to Colorado Springs, CO a couple of weeks ago. The I-90 superchargers are well-spaced for the trip. I was disappointed to see between 50% and 75% of them not functioning in Worthington, MN - Lusk, WY - Rapid City, SD and the temporary one South of Denver. I'm sure they will be quickly fixed, but it would be nice to know they are out of service, in advance of arrival. 2,000 miles round-trip ... no gas. Really enjoyed it. I also found an EV fan in Colorado Springs that gave me a HPWC charge. There aren't any Superchargers there, yet.

 

[aaeverett]

Have you guys ever seen/heard of any in the Quad Cities (Davenport/Bettendorf, Rock Island/Moline) area?

I have seen a few out this way in the QCA...we also have our first super charger! http://www.beiderbeckeinn.com/tesla.htm

 

[rabar10]

I have seen a few out this way in the QCA...we also have our first super charger! http://www.beiderbeckeinn.com/tesla.htm

That inn has an 80A HPWC -- which is still good, but very different from a Supercharger They should probably remove the 'supercharger' term on that webpage.

 

[wws]

I have seen a few out this way in the QCA...we also have our first super charger! http://www.beiderbeckeinn.com/tesla.htm

Nice article on these folks in the local newspaper. Fun that they pointed out the aluminum in the Tesla may have been sourced from the Alcoa plant:

http://qctimes.com/news/local/excus...s&utm_campaign=hot-topics-2&utm_medium=direct

 

[Vexar]

Nice article on these folks in the local newspaper. Fun that they pointed out the aluminum in the Tesla may have been sourced from the Alcoa plant:

http://qctimes.com/news/local/excus...s&utm_campaign=hot-topics-2&utm_medium=direct

They said they use Alcoa aluminium during my factory tour, so you can count on that being one source. Alcoa is a big company, so it'd be difficult to say that it came from Iowa specifically, for a given shipment.

 

[wws]

Here is the quote from the article:

Alcoa's Davenport Works supplies aluminum to Tesla, so it is likely the Laroques' car contains Quad-City-made aluminum.
The aluminum Alcoa supplies is typically used for exterior body panels as well as the hood and trunk lid, company spokesman John Riches said.
For Dennis Laroque, who worked for more than 31 years at Alcoa as an electrical engineer, that's icing on the cake.

Alcoa has had a presense in the QC area for a long time. They built a HUGE plant in Bettendorf back in the 1950s. (Largely responsible for Bettendorf becoming the 5th "quad city".)

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My bad. The Alcoa plant opened in 1948: http://www.alcoa.com/locations/usa_davenport/en/info_page/home.asp

 

[derowland]

Great to see Council Bluffs in now under construction with an 8-stall SuperCharger. Sure will make it easier to get between I-90 and I-70 North/South.