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Supercharger - Springfield, VA

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Or, I wonder if the placement of superchargers is becoming as much about facilities that want in on the action? Springfield Mall has had free L2 charging for a long time. Maybe they went to Tesla and said they want superchargers? Who knows but I don't think you can have too many superchargers on the I-95 artery from Boston on South. This one will be pretty darn convenient for me.

I have noticed the L2 chargers at this mall are filled with Plug-in hybrid taxi cabs topping off with free juice. Maybe I can't complain if I show up at the mall with 190 mile range, and only 10 miles from home wanting to park/shop/charge. But I feel like I have a more legit claim to the charger than a cabbie getting free miles without any intent to shop at the mall, then bill a customer for the trip later.
 
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I have noticed the L2 chargers at this mall are filled with Plug-in hybrid taxi cabs topping off with free juice. Maybe I can't complain if I show up at the mall with 190 mile range, and only 10 miles from home wanting to park/shop/charge. But I feel like I have a more legit claim to the charger than a cabbie getting free miles without any intent to shop at the mall, then bill a customer for the trip later.

I’ve seen a few cabbies at STC but all of them have gone inside the mall while charging. Compared to some locations in Arlington and Alexandria, STC gets very few cabs. Also, the only two I’ve seen have been Nissan LEAFs that are part of the DC green taxi program.

I’m heading over there this morning to take pictures of the Superchargers, so I’ll scope out the L2 situation, too.
 
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The crew has three Supercharger cabinets and ten pedestals installed, with conduit ready for eight more pedestals. There will be two pull-ins and sixteen back-ins.

In the distance you can see the highway entrance to 395 N, 95 N, 95 S and 495 N.

Note that the pedestal concrete forms arrive on site pre-made, saving pour time. I don’t know if this is a new practice or if they’ve been doing it like this all along.
 
@Big Earl great photos! Good choice for snapping them from the top of the parking garage.
All I have to ask is if there will be a solar panel canopy over the stations. A little shade and cover from rain and snow would be really nice :)
The ChargePoints in the Frontier garage and two of the three nearby mall entrance ways are covered.
 
@Big Earl great photos! Good choice for snapping them from the top of the parking garage.
All I have to ask is if there will be a solar panel canopy over the stations. A little shade and cover from rain and snow would be really nice :)
The ChargePoints in the Frontier garage and two of the three nearby mall entrance ways are covered.

Thanks! I figured that would be a good vantage point for tracking progress. I'll try to post pictures every few days.

I was thinking it would have been nice to put urban superchargers inside of that parking garage, one floor down from the roof. There is a lot to be said for the shade and weather protection of a parking garage. Hopefully, one day, most supercharger locations get solar canopies.
 
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I was there over lunch to see it for myself. The surface lot was completely full with many people circling looking for parking. I'm not sure why they didn't go into the parking deck as it looked to have plenty of parking available. Regardless, on busy days it looks like there could be a real ICEing problem here.

Didn't realize there was such a diversity of food choices there.
 
I was there over lunch to see it for myself. The surface lot was completely full with many people circling looking for parking. I'm not sure why they didn't go into the parking deck as it looked to have plenty of parking available. Regardless, on busy days it looks like there could be a real ICEing problem here.

Didn't realize there was such a diversity of food choices there.

People are weird about parking at this location; they'll circle the lot endlessly looking for a spot. Meanwhile, there are plenty of parking spaces available in the garage near the Tesla Superchargers as well as in the garage on the other end of the mall near Dick's and the movie theater. Tesla's chosen location is usually not very busy - for whatever reason, the access road that splits the parking lot seems to be a barrier for a lot of people.
 
The food a Mikes is good, but the mall does have a lot of new options. Before Mikes used to be so packed with long waits and barely any parking. They still have the parking issue but at least its quicker to get a table.
 
I'll try it out some day

Ummm.... Best Thai is a little further down Franconia at Rice & Noodles Gourmet Thai but, there is some good places and diversity at this location.

I feel weeks last to this convo!! So excited to see these!! We've rented out our 3 a few times to reservation holders and a lot are coming from the Springfield area, maybe that led to the selection.