Colorado Superchargers (location speculation, discussion)

[Ostrichsak]

Um.. two new stations for you guys in and around Denver.

Thornton, CO: 237 E 120th Ave, Thornton, CO 80233

Brighton, CO: 5112 E Bromley Ln, Brighton, CO 80603
View attachment 502628 View attachment 502629

Technically three once the Superior Service Center comes online. This is unlisted and unadvertised but in a pinch, if you're not near one of the other two that will be coming online in the North Denver area, you could catch a quick splash there as long as they're not in-use.

 

[HillCountryFun]

Technically three once the Superior Service Center comes online. This is unlisted and unadvertised but in a pinch, if you're not near one of the other two that will be coming online in the North Denver area, you could catch a quick splash there as long as they're not in-use.

Agreed, but right now they only have 3 “Tesla Destination” chargers installed right next to the building. I’m hoping they add more further out in their parking lot.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Agreed, but right now they only have 3 “Tesla Destination” chargers installed right next to the building. I’m hoping they add more further out in their parking lot.

If it's like the Littleton location they'll have several of those destination style chargers in the lot on pedestals and then next to the service side of the building there's two nondescript Supercharger cables just poking out of the building w/o any real indication they're even Superchargers other than the thickness of the cables.

Like I said, these are unadvertised and really for their use only so as long as we all keep this in mind and are polite and courteous about using them (including knowing you may need to yield use if they need them) it won't be an issue that customers use them once in a blue moon in a pinch.

I would assume they will have the same thing @ Superior but then again maybe they started installing them on the inside so that customers can't use them.

Pure speculation at this point and, for me anyway, I don't really care if they're putting in two full-blown Superchargers not too far away and more near the beaten path for most of us. The only time I've used the one in Littleton is when we had to get a 60 or 70 from Fort Collins to Littleton and back for service so I think that's probably more the use case they had in mind. I'm sure others probably abused that though if I had to guess.

 

[MegaJoule]

Another one magically appeared at Colorado Mills. Funny how this one came before Conifer and Wheat Ridge which have been on the map for years now.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Another one magically appeared at Colorado Mills. Funny how this one came before Conifer and Wheat Ridge which have been on the map for years now.

I would guess that the Colorado Mills location takes the place of the Wheat Ridge placeholder.

 

[sdoorex]

View attachment 563657 View attachment 563658 Conifer Supercharger construction started!!! It will be located east of the Kingsuppers.

Supercharger - Aspen Park, CO

 

[Tectonic]

It's interesting that Colorado has one of the biggest concentrations of supercharger construction in the U.S. outside of California right now, with 3 under construction (supercharge.info). Actually there are surprisingly few currently under construction elsewhere (again, outside California). Maybe this is a reflection of them holding off on starting some new projects because of COVID? Let's hope they move on to some of the several "coming soon" locations in southern Colorado next!

 

[mociaf9]

Maybe this is a reflection of them holding off on starting some new projects because of COVID?

I think it's more likely a reflection of the limited size of the supercharger team. You often see this type of regional grouping of new locations in areas outside CA and this pattern was fully developed long before COVID-19 was affecting the world.

 

[Tectonic]

I think it's more likely a reflection of the limited size of the supercharger team. You often see this type of regional grouping of new locations in areas outside CA and this pattern was fully developed long before COVID-19 was affecting the world.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I'm under the impression that superchargers are constructed by contractors, not by Tesla itself. Not sure what you're referring to here as "the supercharger team"? Of course, Tesla is involved in planning and final commissioning of the superchargers, as well as manufacturing the hardware...

 

[MarcoRP]

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I'm under the impression that superchargers are constructed by contractors, not by Tesla itself. Not sure what you're referring to here as "the supercharger team"? Of course, Tesla is involved in planning and final commissioning of the superchargers, as well as manufacturing the hardware...

Exactly, and it can take some work to negotiate the site where they will install Superchargers. I remember seeing a planning document for another Supercharger in Colorado where they listed out all the steps before activation. It was something like Site Selection, Negotiations, Agreements, Permitting, then Construction and Opening. There’s also all the organizations to bypass, like the electrical companies, the city (to obtain land or a permit), and the local business if they need one.

So yeah, some steps can take long for the Supercharger team, who monitors these locations bit by bit until they’re open.

 

[mociaf9]

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I'm under the impression that superchargers are constructed by contractors, not by Tesla itself. Not sure what you're referring to here as "the supercharger team"? Of course, Tesla is involved in planning and final commissioning of the superchargers, as well as manufacturing the hardware...

I was referring to all the development work that comes before construction as well as project management and coordination.

 

[Tectonic]

I was referring to all the development work that comes before construction as well as project management and coordination.

Yeah, that makes sense. My main point was that there currently appear to be fewer north america sites under active construction outside of California compared to the recent past, but I don't have any data to look at that quantitatively. Perhaps it's just an effect of recent completion of I-94 and trans-Canada before that... Or maybe they're just completing sites faster with better availability of hardware? Naively, I would think that summer would be the most active time for construction, which was why I was wondering about a potential covid impact...

 

[Tectonic]

So, we've had a pretty good recent run with CO supercharger construction/completion. Excluding greater Denver area, remaining sites listed as "coming soon" on the current map for Colorado include:

• Steamboat Springs (might end up being replaced by recently opened Kremmling??)
• Conifer (Aspen Park site now under construction and nearing completion)
• Montrose
• Telluride
• Alamosa
• Walsenburg

Other possibilities I seen speculated about on this forum:

• Durango (might replace Telluride?)
• Craig (would presumably be constructed along with Vernal, UT)
• Pueblo (might be an alternate to Walsenburg?)
• Vail/Eagle

Long-shot/long-term possibilities:

• Pagosa Springs
• Cortez
• Walden

Any insight/guesses into which of these (or somewhere else?) might be coming next? I'd be most excited to see some new supercharger construction in SW Colorado, which is a pretty big hole in the network...

 

[PLUS EV]

The southwest CO supercharger hole is maddening. And so is Kayenta, AZ.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

So, we've had a pretty good recent run with CO supercharger construction/completion. Excluding greater Denver area, remaining sites listed as "coming soon" on the current map for Colorado include:

• Steamboat Springs (might end up being replaced by recently opened Kremmling??)
• Conifer (Aspen Park site now under construction and nearing completion)
• Montrose
• Telluride
• Alamosa
• Walsenburg

Other possibilities I seen speculated about on this forum:

• Durango (might replace Telluride?)
• Craig (would presumably be constructed along with Vernal, UT)
• Pueblo (might be an alternate to Walsenburg?)
• Vail/Eagle

Long-shot/long-term possibilities:

• Pagosa Springs
• Cortez
• Walden

Any insight/guesses into which of these (or somewhere else?) might be coming next? I'd be most excited to see some new supercharger construction in SW Colorado, which is a pretty big hole in the network...

There was some speculation that Ridgway might replace Montrose and Telluride. Ridgway offered a piece of land north of the public library with no real amenities nearby but I haven't heard any updates since last year.

I agree Pagosa Springs and Walden would be nice. Do you know where you read about Pueblo and Vail? I haven't heard mention of those yet but agree they would be good locations as well.

A location in La Junta would help the southeast part of the state but probably wouldn't get much use unless there was something added in Garden City, KS as well.

I added a few points to my personal map on Supercharge.info to help me track things. You might notice a green dot over Silverthorne. I heard they would be expanding it (or putting in another nearby).

 

[Kirbster]

I think Pueblo would be too close to the Springs. I was looking at Walsenburg as perfect if you were trying to cut over and drop down into NM. You could cut all the way over to Alamosa but to me at least it's far more scenic to go through Taos and along the river. I saw Taos hit the coming soon list on Tesla's site but we all know how much that means in timing.
I'd love to see something in the Vail/Edwards area you can do Denver to Beaver Creek day trip in single digit temps charging to 95% but when I go stay up there for a couple of weeks with family even if I charge at Silverthorne to 100% you are in the 70% range when you get to Beaver creek and figure I burn about 5% a day going around. A destination charger at every condo would be the better solution but the ability to hit the Supercharger for 5-10min on the way to City Market isn't bad. Last year was a fun exercise in either sitting at the L2 chargers in the vail parking structure or working something out with valets in properties with destination chargers.
Basically with the code and mountain passes in Colorado I think it make sense to have a SC between each one. With Kremling open woudl Silverthorne be as busy if there was a SC in the Vail Valley?

 

[Tectonic]

There was some speculation that Ridgway might replace Montrose and Telluride. Ridgway offered a piece of land north of the public library with no real amenities nearby but I haven't heard any updates since last year.

Hmmm, that's interesting. The only problem I see with that is that Ridgway doesn't provide good thru connectivity on US50, with a gap of ~186 miles from Grand Junction to Poncha Springs. So if they don't put a site in Montrose, then they'd still have a need for a site somewhere else along that US50 gap, with Gunnison being the obvious candidate in that case, I guess. But Montrose does a better job splitting the gap, and seems to make a bit more sense in terms of overall connectivity.

I agree Pagosa Springs and Walden would be nice. Do you know where you read about Pueblo and Vail? I haven't heard mention of those yet but agree they would be good locations as well.

I think that was just speculation on this forum. Vail would be a good addition to take pressure off Silverthorne and provide another I-70 option. Pueblo would seem similar to Walsenburg in terms of gap splitting, but would have the advantage of more potential host sites and also would be better at taking pressure off Colorado Springs (since CO Springs is generally busier than Trinidad). Perhaps Walsenburg has other redeeming qualities.

I added a few points to my personal map on Supercharge.info to help me track things. You might notice a green dot over Silverthorne. I heard they would be expanding it (or putting in another nearby).

I can definitely see the need, but the site at Silverthorne doesn't seem to have much spare real estate to enable expansion there. And once you're choosing another site, it might as well be some distance away. I'd guess maybe Frisco (or Vail), but who knows...? Actual siting might depend more on the eagerness of a potential host site than optimal logistics...

 

[dgpcolorado]

There was some speculation that Ridgway might replace Montrose and Telluride. Ridgway offered a piece of land north of the public library with no real amenities nearby but I haven't heard any updates since last year...

Not that I've heard anything more about Tesla contacting Ridgway since my last report, but I would like to point out that the amenities for the location that the Town of Ridgway approved for a Supercharger Station are quite good:
• Restrooms a half block south (Hartwell Park)
• 24/7 WiFi (Ridgway Library, right next to the proposed site)
• Numerous restaurants within three blocks (unless one wants chain restaurants or fast food, which don't exist in tiny Ridgway, population about 1100)
• Grocery store a block and a half south
• Adjacent bike path for walks/bike rides
• Public park for picnics, with a playground, a block south
• Free railroad and history museum, one half block southeast

Nevertheless, I think that Montrose makes more sense than Ridgway for serving both US 50 and US 550. Ridgway might make sense if Telluride proves too difficult or expensive to develop. Getting to Telluride, Mesa Verde National Park or Moab (Arches, Canyonlands National Parks) from a Ridgway Supercharger Station would be easy. (My contact with the City of Montrose has retired, so I no longer have an "in" there.)

 

[Tectonic]

I think Pueblo would be too close to the Springs. I was looking at Walsenburg as perfect if you were trying to cut over and drop down into NM. You could cut all the way over to Alamosa but to me at least it's far more scenic to go through Taos and along the river.

The route to Taos does seem to be the redeeming quality of Walsenburg. In terms of closeness, though, Walsenburg is slightly closer to Trinidad than Pueblo is to the Springs. And the supercharger at the Springs is pretty slammed (with the auto-80% charge limit, last I knew).

 

[Kirbster]

The route to Taos does seem to be the redeeming quality of Walsenburg. In terms of closeness, though, Walsenburg is slightly closer to Trinidad than Pueblo is to the Springs. And the supercharger at the Springs is pretty slammed (with the auto-80% charge limit, last I knew).

I did not realized the Springs SC was so busy I’ve only used it once and there was only other Tesla charging. It was odd how it was in the garage that could be free or not depending on time of day.