Minnesota Superchargers (location speculation, discussion)

[dawnh]

Question: Is Brainerd where they are developing those Electric Wood-Chippers?

 

[hockeythug]

Whats up with the sudden boost of multiple superchargers in Minnesota? Any area getting covered is great but as a non-US citizen I have a hard time understanding why it would be prioritized when there are lots of other areas which I would feel are more important to cover first.

Have there been a boost of Tesla sales there? Are there more people suddenly living there? Or is for vacation spots for other areas (like maybe Chicago/Detroit areas going skiing)? Or is it just because winter is coming (pronounced with a Ned Stark voice) and they know they can do superchargers in southern US all year long?

These are genuine questions and I like to be educated if someone knows.

Northern Minnesota is a very popular destination by both people living in Minneapolis/St.Paul as well as people coming from out of state. People either have lake homes or they rent them for vacations and is very busy there in the summer.

And is AMN said in post 64, they will provide confidence to owners driving up there in the cold winters we get here.

 

[MNGreene]

As you drive northwest out of Minneapolis/St. Paul on I-94, the traffic is really heavy (and even worse if you're coming into the cities that way on Sunday night). When you get to St. Cloud, where Hwy. 10, which has been running parallel to I-94 up to this point, banks north, the traffic on I-94 drops by at least 50%, probably more as people from both highways turn north. That's because most of the traffic out of the Twin Cities is heading up north to the cabin on the lake, not to Fargo. Tesla will be adding SCs to St. Cloud and Alexandria next year, so they're not completely ignoring North Dakota. It's also worth mentioning that the ratio of cars to trucks (semis) shifts substantially once you get past St. Cloud: IOW, you are right that there is significant traffic continuing on I-94, but all that traffic that turns north at St. Cloud is mostly cars, not semis. And since Tesla sells cars and not trucks (not yet, anyway), the SC at Baxter is arguably a higher priority than St. Cloud or Alexandria.

Granted I am biased in thinking Tesla should concentrate on the interstate system, but keep in mind Up North includes Alexandria, Detroit Lakes, etc. for a lot of cabin goers.

 

[glenhurst]

Granted I am biased in thinking Tesla should concentrate on the interstate system, but keep in mind Up North includes Alexandria, Detroit Lakes, etc. for a lot of cabin goers.

Your point is valid. Baxter just happens to be kinda in the center of all "up north" and I think Tesla was hearing more demand for access for north-central MN than further west along I-94. A point I had intended to make in post #73 (but didn't, I see, now that I look at it) was that Baxter may be similar to Duluth in that perhaps the Arrowwood Lodge lobbied Tesla to put the charger there. I think it generally makes more sense to put SCs near food places, whereas HPWC/Destination Chargers are more suitable for hotels. OTOH, from Tesla's perspective, if a place with an ample parking lot comes and says "we own the whole property and can more easily get the installation done than a mall with multiple tenants who may all have to approve the installation", and it's in the general vicinity of where Tesla wanted to put an SC anyway, then I can see why Tesla would pick the hotel. I'll concede that Alexandria might seem to be a higher priority than Hinkley. A year from now, none of this will matter since St. Cloud, Alexandria, Fargo, and onward will have their SCs.

By the way, the SC at the Arrowwood is on the back side of the hotel, away from the main parking area, meaning the chances of ICE-ing are almost nil.

 

[Zythryn]

And don't forget Brainerd International Speedway
The local Tesla club has been planning a trip up there since we saw the supercharger plans had one in Brainerd slotted for 2014.

 

[cottylowry]

Another great Minnesota future Supercharger spot is Rochester and the Mayo Clinic -- folks from all over the country drive there.

 

[Zythryn]

Another great Minnesota future Supercharger spot is Rochester and the Mayo Clinic -- folks from all over the country drive there.

I don't think Rochester will see a supercharger for quite a while.
Superchargers, in general, are placed to allow you to get somewhere, not destination charging.

Rochester has Superchargers in most directions, with Albert Lea, Lacrosse, the planned Twin Cities SC.
I'm guessing Rochester will see more destination HPWCs, but no Superchargers until the route all the way up to Fargo and Edmonton is complete.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I don't think Rochester will see a supercharger for quite a while.
Superchargers, in general, are placed to allow you to get somewhere, not destination charging.

Rochester has Superchargers in most directions, with Albert Lea, Lacrosse, the planned Twin Cities SC.
I'm guessing Rochester will see more destination HPWCs, but no Superchargers until the route all the way up to Fargo and Winnipeg is complete.

FTFY.

 

[glenhurst]

Another great Minnesota future Supercharger spot is Rochester and the Mayo Clinic -- folks from all over the country drive there.

You may be right. OTOH, Rochester and the Mayo seem more like a destination. I think of SCs as being between significant points, and HPWCs at hotels and such being at destinations. Perhaps Mayo could apply to Tesla's Destination Charging program and get the HPWC(s) for free.

 

[PokerBroker]

Can a Minnesotan explain the significance of this route to me?

Second homes and cabins up north are a way of life for Minnesotans, especially those in the Tesla demographic. It is more important than being able to drive to Chicago or any other location for many, if not most.

 

[Evbwcaer]

I was at the Hinckley SC construction site again today and they were actively working, on a Sunday afternoon. I guess they are rushing to get it done? Anyway, I saw two of the cabinets and four crates, so it seems like there will be 4 kiosks. The work area is pretty large however, seems like it could have space for more kiosks.

 

[hockeythug]

Was driving back tonight from the lake house and stopped at Hinckley. Was dark out but took some pictures.

 

[Cottonwood]

Was driving back tonight from the lake house and stopped at Hinckley. Was dark out but took some pictures.


View attachment 95750

Thanks for the pictures.

The picture (shown above) of the conduits supplying the Equipment Enclosure, clearly shows that there are conduits for four Supercharger Cabinets and eight Charging Stalls. The foreground conduits are in sets of three. Each of the fours sets have one AC supply from the Distribution Center (giant circuit breaker panel) and two DC outputs to the Charging Stalls.

Occasionally, the Equipment Enclosure is built for future expansion, but this probably means that Hinckley will have eight Charging Stalls.

 

[Vexar]

Second homes and cabins up north are a way of life for Minnesotans, especially those in the Tesla demographic. It is more important than being able to drive to Chicago or any other location for many, if not most.

Although this is true by my experience as well, it still makes no sense, like certain "foods on a stick" at the MN State Fair. Why anyone would say to themselves "hey, I'm cold, I should go somewhere. I know, I'll go *further North* this weekend!"

 

[ElectricTundra]

Stopped by Tobies this evening. They've poured the slabs for the xformer and supercharger cabinets. They were putting in the first frame for the connectors and hope to pour that tomorrow. There are a couple of larger column footings that they're pouring that look like they'd be supports for a roof. I'll try go post some photos.

BTW, the crew are from Kansas. Same guys who did Barstow and 27 others. Also did the battery swap station. Nice bunch.

- - - Updated - - -

 

[invisik]

Very nice.... Did they mention when they thought it would be operational?

-m

 

[duckland]

Northern Minnesota is a very popular destination by both people living in Minneapolis/St.Paul as well as people coming from out of state. People either have lake homes or they rent them for vacations and is very busy there in the summer.

And is AMN said in post 64, they will provide confidence to owners driving up there in the cold winters we get here.

Thank you =)

 

[MN_Bob]

Hinckley update

Pad is ready for transformer. Wires need to be pulled transformer to chargers & to 8 stalls. Ready in 2 weeks?

 

[Zythryn]

And meanwhile, in Baxter...

 

[Jabushey]

Driving back from Copper Harbor, MI, by way of Duluth Supercharger. Stopped by Tobies to check progress. They were actually working at 5:00PM on Sunday! Look closely at #1a!