New Supercharger expansion model?

[EV-lutioin]

As a "green" brand though, VW is starting light years behind. Who would ever trust them again?

and even then, would they be able to match Tesla in style, performance, and charging speed?

Or are they just going to slap some batteries in a Jetta?

As the owner of a 2012 TDI Jetta, you can count me as one person who will not be trusting VW again. I suppose when they do start building their compliance EV network it will be 5 years behind Tesla and they will name it something unpronounceable. And I expect it will work as well as your average VW electrical system

 

[timk225]

Yes, but how many will charge? The point is, if a gasoline car can go in-out in 5 minute, this make in 1h 12 clients, while eletric cars make 2 clients, so of course they aren't confortable since the cost is in the "space", i'm sure they will be happy to serve car with a fill-up time of 5-10 min.

We are of course talking about client per spot, 6 gasoline spot means 12*6 client, 10 electric spot means 10*2 clients per hour

And of course, we don't need to forget that actually only a really small portion of the "possible client" is using an electric car, so the spot will be empty for at least the 80% of the time in average for at least 3-4 years

This is kind of misleading. The Superchargers won't be in prime spots like the gas pumps. They can be off in a corner of the parking lot that generally isn't full of cars all the time anyhow. So the store can have all the usual gasoline traffic PLUS supercharger traffic.

A gasoline car can in theory be in and out in 5 minutes, but this isn't usually the case, probably half the people go in for something and stand in line, so their cars are taking up a gas pump for 10+ minutes.

 

[Chuq]

Between Lynchburg and Richmond along 460. If you were to go Va Beach to Lynchburg, you'd have to go an hour out of your way to stay in SC range. A SC in Farmville offers a more direct and scenic route through the hills. Isn't that the point?

That is a very specific route, off the main highways, and assuming you have an overnight charging location at the other end it is still perfectly doable at only 200 miles. Sure it would be nice, but compare it to many other major routes, in the US and around the world, which do not have superchargers at all.

 

[MikeDog77]

I would like to address the question of "Why Sheetz?" especially for west coasters that don't really know Sheetz. Sheetz is not anything like your typical gas station. So a couple reasons why they make sense for Tesla. (keep in mind Sheetz has a cult following in the Mid-Atlantic states among high school and college kids and some people, like me, never grow out of it)

1. Technology. The first touch screen I saw in my life was in Sheetz in the early 90's and I played with it for 30 minutes before ordering. Way ahead of their time. They were taking payments with RFID chips in the 2004 before any of the other big chains started to do. They are always experimenting with ordering from smart phone or directly from the pump. Always looking of ways to innovate. It's hard to say that a gas station that serves food is "big on technology" but they are.

2. Space. When Sheetz puts a store in they take up a lot of space. Its kind of their thing, often it looks like wasted space. Lots of reasons for that but were are not going for our MBA so I won't list the reasons. But at most Sheetz there is a kind of mini parking lot away from the store in the front of their property. This is an ideal place to put in a couple of chargers. It is away from the main store as not to get any of our gass guzzling friends mad but also will promptly display all the Tesla's for the people driving bye.

3. Plenty of ways to waste time. Sheetz is famous for their MTO(Made to Order) foods. Even though it is "fast food" it often takes longer and most people wait because the quality is pretty good(here is where a WaWa fan writes back and says WaWa is better). They have coffee options on par with Starbucks, they have small grocery store, beer fridge, free WiFi, picnic tables and in some locations inside seating. Easy ways to kill 30 minutes while your car charges.

4. Location. Why a reginal chain? why on the east coast?... Relax people.. This is the first of many deals and the Mid-Atlantic/North East is where most of the people in the USA live. Sheetz stores are very spread out(with exception of central PA), they do not like to cannibalize each other. They will be the perfect place to stop for people traveling south from the NE going to visit family, or heading to the beach for a week.

 

[Red Sage]

I would like to address the question of "Why Sheetz?" especially for west coasters that don't really know Sheetz. Sheetz is not anything like your typical gas station. So a couple reasons why they make sense for Tesla. (keep in mind Sheetz has a cult following in the Mid-Atlantic states among high school and college kids and some people, like me, never grow out of it)

1. Technology. The first touch screen I saw in my life was in Sheetz in the early 90's and I played with it for 30 minutes before ordering. Way ahead of their time. They were taking payments with RFID chips in the 2004 before any of the other big chains started to do. They are always experimenting with ordering from smart phone or directly from the pump. Always looking of ways to innovate. It's hard to say that a gas station that serves food is "big on technology" but they are.

2. Space. When Sheetz puts a store in they take up a lot of space. Its kind of their thing, often it looks like wasted space. Lots of reasons for that but were are not going for our MBA so I won't list the reasons. But at most Sheetz there is a kind of mini parking lot away from the store in the front of their property. This is an ideal place to put in a couple of chargers. It is away from the main store as not to get any of our gass guzzling friends mad but also will promptly display all the Tesla's for the people driving bye.

3. Plenty of ways to waste time. Sheetz is famous for their MTO(Made to Order) foods. Even though it is "fast food" it often takes longer and most people wait because the quality is pretty good(here is where a WaWa fan writes back and says WaWa is better). They have coffee options on par with Starbucks, they have small grocery store, beer fridge, free WiFi, picnic tables and in some locations inside seating. Easy ways to kill 30 minutes while your car charges.

4. Location. Why a reginal chain? why on the east coast?... Relax people.. This is the first of many deals and the Mid-Atlantic/North East is where most of the people in the USA live. Sheetz stores are very spread out(with exception of central PA), they do not like to cannibalize each other. They will be the perfect place to stop for people traveling south from the NE going to visit family, or heading to the beach for a week.

Hmmm... Reminds me a bit of a chain in the South called 'Double Quick'. Except they do cannibalize each other. There are three locations in the tiny little town I grew up in. It's almost as if they want to take on foot traffic as much as cars. They also cook some foods on site and to order. Two of the locations in my hometown have a bit of extra parking lot space, but one of them is basically on a postage stamp sized lot. That is the oldest of the three, from the old days, when people just bought cigarettes, oil, chewing gum, and a soda over the counter. Probably not a good spot for a Supercharger though.

 

[David_Cary]

Since I haven't seen it mentioned, there are several Sheetz near me that have Chademo. We are in a recent expansion area where there are 8 new ones (last 2 years) in 30 miles from me or so when we had zero before. They are all shiny and new. Oil stains aren't an issue yet....

I'll give you 2 sides from my wife's viewpoint. She drives the hand me down Leaf and although it isn't perfect, she loves not ever going to that stinky place where the unwashed go to. But on a roadtrip, she wishes the SCs were at gas stations. Rocky Mount - we got approached by a shirtless, tatted skin head in a deserted lot. He lost his wallet don't you see and he just needs $5 to get some gas.... That was our first supercharger stop - she immediately said, they need to put these things in well lit gas stations with people all around. And cameras.

On a roadtrip, you can tolerate some stink. So I vote yes for Sheetz. The Chademo are $10 for 30 minutes just so you know.....

And Burlington is in a nice mall - but that means it isn't exactly in and out. And pity the poor fool needing to charge on Black Friday.

 

[Bimbels]

But on a roadtrip, she wishes the SCs were at gas stations. Rocky Mount - we got approached by a shirtless, tatted skin head in a deserted lot. He lost his wallet don't you see and he just needs $5 to get some gas.... That was our first supercharger stop - she immediately said, they need to put these things in well lit gas stations with people all around. And cameras.

Those poor fellas who need money for gas crawl around the Darien and Milford rest stops, where I frequently charge. Almost like its a network. Seems everyone needs gas money these days. Or rather, Meth money these days.

It was unsettling as a lone female tired driver to be approached by someone who is probably a jonesing addict - so I'm glad it was daytime and in a busy area.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

That is a very specific route, off the main highways, and assuming you have an overnight charging location at the other end it is still perfectly doable at only 200 miles. Sure it would be nice, but compare it to many other major routes, in the US and around the world, which do not have superchargers at all.

But I don't have to compare it to other areas, because the article in this thread is about Sheetz, in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. So I was very specific on purpose, because the deal being worked out is for that specific geographic region.

However, to take a neutral viewpoint on it.....remove city names and gas station branding, and this new model is exactly what Tesla is trying to achieve: coverage and capacity.

As for the "200 miles" comment.... the Model 3 base battery will get 215 "real world miles". Will that include in extremely cold temps? Now you're down to likely 180-190 miles from a 100% SoC. At that point, you might be very thankful Tesla decided to fill in some gaps.

 

[Red Sage]

Hmmm... Per SHEETZ own Location Page on their website, only 5 of their locations in Pennsylvania have EV charging. Altoona, Blairsville, Harrisburg, Mechanicsville, and State College. There are no chargers in any of their locations in Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, or West Virginia. There are hundreds of SHEETZ locations, but it seems they may not be as dedicated to EVs as some might think.

 

[cronosx]

It's probably a beta-test, if it works great, then they'll go on

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Hmmm... Per SHEETZ own Location Page on their website, only 5 of their locations in Pennsylvania have EV charging. Altoona, Blairsville, Harrisburg, Mechanicsville, and State College. There are no chargers in any of their locations in Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, or West Virginia. There are hundreds of SHEETZ locations, but it seems they may not be as dedicated to EVs as some might think.

might be better to run a search on Sheetz in plugshare.

 

[survivor]

Announcement regarding superchargers located at Ruby Tuesdays:

Tesla and Ruby Tuesday partner to open a series of new Supercharger Stations

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Announcement regarding superchargers located at Ruby Tuesdays:

Tesla and Ruby Tuesday partner to open a series of new Supercharger Stations

Not my favorite place to eat, but also not the worst.

I'd stop in and patronize the establishment, even if it's just an order of fries and a coke. Which is probably what they're hoping for.

 

[survivor]

Yeah definitely not the best, but not too horrible. The salad bar they used to have 10 or so years ago was half-decent, but don't know if it's still the same since it's been that long since I went to one. (Those chain restaurants tend to change their menus every couple of years.)

I'll worry if they start putting SC locations at Golden Corral.

 

[Electroman]

As others have noted, I would prefer that I didn't have to experience the oil slicks, grime, and fumes that accompany gas stations and truck stops.

it is kind of ironic, that the "I am here to save the world" EV driver is actually sharing the roads with hundreds of thousands of other smoke belching smelly gas cars and trucks every day, but somehow feels repugnant charging at a gas station. Give me a break...

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Yeah definitely not the best, but not too horrible. The salad bar they used to have 10 or so years ago was half-decent, but don't know if it's still the same since it's been that long since I went to one. (Those chain restaurants tend to change their menus every couple of years.)

I'll worry if they start putting SC locations at Golden Corral.

I haven't been in a Ruby Tuesday's since 2010 or so......

Back to our previous convo on Farm Vegas....they have a Sheetz and a Ruby Tuesday's. I think they're getting a Supercharger.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

might be better to run a search on Sheetz in plugshare.

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In my head, I can just see @Bjorn doing a mid-Atlantic road trip and muttering "Oh Sheeeetz!" all the time! Maybe he could do commercials for them.

 

[Dan Detweiler]

A bit off topic but after looking at the national Supercharger map I see there are major "holes" if you will on the map. Are these due to State legislation issues, Tesla just hasn't gotten around to those areas, or just a lack of need?

Dan

 

[survivor]

I haven't been in a Ruby Tuesday's since 2010 or so......

Back to our previous convo on Farm Vegas....they have a Sheetz and a Ruby Tuesday's. I think they're getting a Supercharger.

Would be great. Ditto for Lynchburg. That seems to be to be what these new partnerships are partly about... (Sheetz, Meijer, Ruby Tuesday) Filling in locations on major US highways.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

A bit off topic but after looking at the national Supercharger map I see there are major "holes" if you will on the map. Are these due to State legislation issues, Tesla just hasn't gotten around to those areas, or just a lack of need?

Dan

Probably a combination. But as more Teslas "come into service", it doesn't matter as much if there are local drivers...they should be building out for travelers. Nebraska, North Dakota, Arkansas, and West Virginia are currently under-served.