New New England Supercharger Locations

[MassX1317]

Funny, I got the same exact message!

I think there will be some sort of public charging there, but maybe not Tesla...or maybe Tesla prefers that NHDOT does not discuss this with anyone until its finalized.

I got another follow up e-mail:

"The developer does have plans to install electric vehicle charging stations at the Hooksett Reast Areas to accomadate various electric vehicle types. They are aware that Tesla requires specific chargers to their vehicles and have reached out to this group specifically to ensure the proper technology is procured. I share your excitement on the opening of the new facilities."

My original e-mail was forwarded to this person with the message:

"Another charging station question...are we still on for these at Hooksett?"

This would be a really ideal location for those you travel to the Lakes Region. I am more excited about this than the SC that will be within 10 miles of my house!

 

[Robert.Boston]

FWIW, just drove back from Baltimore yesterday. I decided to go my preferred route, along the Merritt, and so used the Greenwich Supercharger (NB). Great location, sub-par facilities--clean, but you've got a choice between Subway and Dunkies, and they're blaring pop music, so sitting inside wasn't at all a pleasant option. I ended up sitting in the car listening to All Things Considered and Marketplace. Left with 221 miles of charge, arrived home with 3 :scared:. I would loved to have been able to stop at Chardon for a 10-minute top-up after the relentless hills on both the Merritt and I-84. Didn't help that it was about 24° with light winds from the NNE. In any case, looking forward to the Chardon Superchargers eventually.

 

[EdA]

FWIW, just drove back from Baltimore yesterday. I decided to go my preferred route, along the Merritt, and so used the Greenwich Supercharger (NB). Great location, sub-par facilities--clean, but you've got a choice between Subway and Dunkies, and they're blaring pop music, so sitting inside wasn't at all a pleasant option. I ended up sitting in the car listening to All Things Considered and Marketplace. Left with 221 miles of charge, arrived home with 3 :scared:. I would loved to have been able to stop at Chardon for a 10-minute top-up after the relentless hills on both the Merritt and I-84. Didn't help that it was about 24° with light winds from the NNE. In any case, looking forward to the Chardon Superchargers eventually.

Seconded. Glad you made it back without being Islandbayy-ed.

 

[bhuwan]

Seconded. Glad you made it back without being Islandbayy-ed.

LOL!!

 

[EdA]

FWIW, just drove back from Baltimore yesterday. I decided to go my preferred route, along the Merritt, and so used the Greenwich Supercharger (NB). Great location, sub-par facilities--clean, but you've got a choice between Subway and Dunkies, and they're blaring pop music, so sitting inside wasn't at all a pleasant option. I ended up sitting in the car listening to All Things Considered and Marketplace. Left with 221 miles of charge, arrived home with 3 :scared:. I would loved to have been able to stop at Chardon for a 10-minute top-up after the relentless hills on both the Merritt and I-84. Didn't help that it was about 24° with light winds from the NNE. In any case, looking forward to the Chardon Superchargers eventually.

Come to think of it - if you have the dual chargers installed you could have stopped at the Natick Mall...
2 miles of range left on a 20 degree night != my idea of fun

 

[Robert.Boston]

I don't have dual chargers, but I've driven east on I-90 enough to have a very close idea of how much power it takes. There's the Chili's in Auburn with charging + refreshments, or the Natick Mall if need be. I wasn't concerned, though, once I go to Auburn. Still, as I said, picking up a quick 50 miles of charge at Chardon would have let me drive the entire Greenwich-Boston leg with more spirit.

 

[jamtek]

I got another follow up e-mail:

"The developer does have plans to install electric vehicle charging stations at the Hooksett Reast Areas to accomadate various electric vehicle types. They are aware that Tesla requires specific chargers to their vehicles and have reached out to this group specifically to ensure the proper technology is procured. I share your excitement on the opening of the new facilities."

My original e-mail was forwarded to this person with the message:

"Another charging station question...are we still on for these at Hooksett?"

This would be a really ideal location for those you travel to the Lakes Region. I am more excited about this than the SC that will be within 10 miles of my house!

I consider this great news!

I'm impressed at how fast the new buildings are going up. They have been working in the cold, snow etc. I know there is significant private funding going into this so they have a lot to gain by keeping things moving at a brisk pace.

 

[pbleic]

I just wrote to Bill Boynton at NH DOT. I recommend that others do as well: [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][email protected][/FONT]

Here is the text of what I wrote.

I am a Massachusetts resident who frequently vacations in your state. I ski at Waterville (and many other ski areas), vacation at friends houses on Lake Winnepesaukee, and hike and climb in North Conway. In addition, I have business visits to Hanover. I understand that you are putting electric charging into the Hookset rest area. I applaud you for this, because - as I am certain you know - this is a key gateway to the entire northern New England area. I am writing to ask that you specifically put a number of Tesla Superchargers in this area. Tesla is the fastest growing electric vehicle, and has a unique and large capacity battery. The only way to effectively charge a Tesla without an overnight stay is with a DC charge at 120 kWh. This allows the car to be half filled in 20 minutes and completely filled in 60.


I know that others have contacted you, but I would like to add my voice in requesting this. The numbers of Teslas in New England is rapidly growing, and with the addition of Supercharging at Hookset will grow even faster.

Sincerely,

xxx

 

[Pollux]

I thought that Tesla funded all Supercharger installations, funded by a fraction of the sales price of the Model S.

What evidence do you have for private funding?

Do you think the private funding is in the 1-5% ballpark or significantly higher?

Thanks,
Alan

I know there is significant private funding going into this so they have a lot to gain by keeping things moving at a brisk pace.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Moderator's Note: Some posts were moved to Round-trip Western-to-Eastern MA? and others to Public HPWC Install Ideas

 

[PeterK]

I thought that Tesla funded all Supercharger installations, funded by a fraction of the sales price of the Model S.

What evidence do you have for private funding?

Do you think the private funding is in the 1-5% ballpark or significantly higher?

Alan, I think he was referring to funding of the overall service area redevelopment. Private investors want to get payback on their investment so are pushing to compete as soon as possible. That should be good news for us.

 

[pbleic]

Received this today from someone involved in the Hookset buildout:

Thank you for your interest in our Hooksett project. I have been in touch with Tesla and in fact I am trying to meet with a Rep today. In addition to the potential for Tesla we will have some longer term charging stations. Both Alex and I have stations at 2 of our 3 hotels.

To which I replied:

Thanks very much. I am sure you understand all the details of this, but perhaps an explanation will be of interest.

The reason for the emphasis on the superchargers for Teslas relates to their range and their rapidly increasing presence in NE. Most EVs have ranges in the 20-80 mile range, which makes them mostly local cars. A car in the Concord area could stop and spend an hour and charge 15-30 or so miles worth of range; if there are enough charging stations, they can far exceed their range by charging everywhere they stop in a day.

The Tesla is quite different. It has a range of 265 miles, which means that it can be used to drive long range - to northern NH, etc. The Superchargers can add 120 miles of range in 20 minutes, and fully charge the car from near zero to full in one hour or so. So, a stop at the Hookset area could allow me to travel up to the northern reaches of NH and back comfortably. However, a charge with one of the ChargePoint or other chargers would only add 27 miles of range per hour;

In addition, the Tesla was the 3rd best selling EV in 2013 (its first full year of sales), and will certainly be #1 by the end of 2014. http://insideevs.com/monthly-plug-in-sales-scorecard/ 25,000 were sold in 2013 and sales growth is estimated at 40% for 2014 (35,000). I understand that there already may be 1,000 of so Teslas in NE.

I hope this helps explain the specific needs for the Superchargers.

 

[jamtek]

The overall redevelopment of the Hooksett NH Welcome Center is a private/public partnership. See link below for details...

http://www.governor.nh.gov/media/news/2013/pr-2013-10-24-hooksett-welcome-centers.htm

You can see the site layout renderings here...

http://www.nh.gov/dot/org/operations/turnpikes/ort/documents/15970_nbandsb_sitelayouts.pdf

I thought that Tesla funded all Supercharger installations, funded by a fraction of the sales price of the Model S.

What evidence do you have for private funding?

Do you think the private funding is in the 1-5% ballpark or significantly higher?

Thanks,
Alan

 

[essaunders]

I got a very prompt email back from Dave Smith (the contact listed on the project web site). It appears the contractor is still researching options. I put in my email the need for a diverse EV support - not just Tesla, but CHADEMO, J1772, SAE CCS as well. If anyone wants to see a high amperage J1772 it appears now would be the time to make your argument.

It might also be a good time to provide input on where chargers (of any/all types) are to be located. the plans are all on the web (PDF link in post above)...

 

[Robert.Boston]

You can see the site layout renderings here...

http://www.nh.gov/dot/org/operations/turnpikes/ort/documents/15970_nbandsb_sitelayouts.pdf

On the southbound side (top rendering), there is a little parking area of 5 spots at the north end of the building (far right, labeled with a "5" in a circle). Change this to 4 slightly more ample spaces, and it would be perfect for the SuperChargers -- being next to the building would presumably help with the wiring, and it's far enough from the store's entrance to avoid getting ICEd by most people.

On the northbound side, the choice is less obvious. At the left (south) end of the building, up in the main parking area, there's a set of 5 spots near the "service sign" -- looks like there's enough room there for the transformer et al., and it's far enough from the entrance to avoid being an ICE-magnet.

 

[PeterK]

I agree on the Southbound side for Superchargers, but what about other chargers?

On the Northbound side, I suggest the larger area with trees and grass around it, just east of the gas pumps. It looks like it has 10 spaces - use half to put in 4 chargers, leaving room for Chademos and J1772s...

On the southbound side (top rendering), there is a little parking area of 5 spots at the north end of the building (far right, labeled with a "5" in a circle). Change this to 4 slightly more ample spaces, and it would be perfect for the SuperChargers -- being next to the building would presumably help with the wiring, and it's far enough from the store's entrance to avoid getting ICEd by most people.

On the northbound side, the choice is less obvious. At the left (south) end of the building, up in the main parking area, there's a set of 5 spots near the "service sign" -- looks like there's enough room there for the transformer et al., and it's far enough from the entrance to avoid being an ICE-magnet.

 

[ModelS1079]

Pleibic, the SC is 120kW, which is the rate of charging - 120kWh is the amount of current provided in one hour. Yeah I know you know that, but we want the NH DOT to be on their toes when they submit That request...

Robert, I also arrived home with 3 miles on a similar trip, albeit just after I received my car and I and tried to drive 208 miles on a 224 mile charge in 16 degrees and heavy snow. But to have that charger in Charleton will be awesome. Opens western mass, NY state, and secures all trips to NYC and surrounding areas.

The SC in Bourne and SC on the way to the 93 ski areas are in desparate need and will led to a real burst of Tesla activity into these areas. Hope hope hope they can get these done before July 4th and summer. Isn't that where we all vacation at some point - many points perhaps- every year? Arrived at a 30A at Indian Head Resort near Loon Mointain with 8 miles last New Years Day, and on the Cape I plug into a 12A and.......wait. And wait. And wait... And there is just nohing worse than showing the car to I fellow vacationers and being unable or afraid to drive it with them because of that Creamasteric Range Reflex. You know, this is the thing - the Tesla sells itself better than anywhere else when it is in a Vacation area: The mountains, the lakes, the beach. Let's all SC and get there.

Colleagues, I will let you study up on the Creamasteric Range Reflex. . There will be a Quiz.

 

[ToddRLockwood]

@ pbleic: Well said. Hookset would be a perfect SC location for traveling to and from Burlington VT, where another one is planned. Many Montreal Tesla owners will use this route for trips to Boston.

 

[aronth5]

Colleagues, I will let you study up on the Creamasteric Range Reflex. . There will be a Quiz.

Not going there will just get me in trouble by the moderators:smile:

 

[pbleic]

Pleibic, the SC is 120kW, which is the rate of charging - 120kWh is the amount of current provided in one hour. Yeah I know you know that, but we want the NH DOT to be on their toes when they submit That request...

Quite right. My error.