Tesla Motors is currently building out 2 east-west Supercharger routes in the Pacific NW, one along the I90/94 corridor and a second one in Canada along Trans-Canada/Coquihalla between Vancouver and Calgary. At the moment the only connection between these 2 routes is through the Burlington, WA Supercharger. Tesla Vancouver has been talking about a Supercharger in the Kelowna, BC area and I've been thinking that if Superchargers were built in Kelowna, BC, and in the Omak, WA area, this would work very well for connecting the 2 east-west routes. Distances between locations: RouteDistanceCommentHope to Kelowna150 mi (240 km) Hope Supercharger planned this summer.Kamloops to Kelowna105-130 mi (170-210 km)depending on route choice - Kamloops Supercharger planned 2014.Revelstoke to Kelowna125 mi (200 km)Revelstoke Supercharger planned 2014Kelowna to Omak, WA125 mi (200 km) Omak to Ellensburg160 mi (260 km) Omak to Ritzville143-162 mi (230-260 km)depending on route choiceOmak to Burlington178 mi (290 km)via SR20 - closed in winter.(distances taken from Google Maps). I don't know the Omak, WA area, so I'm not sure if it is the best location for a Supercharger. Perhaps Brewster, WA or Pateros, WA would be better, especially considering the considerable climbs out of the Omak/Brewster/Pateros area in the directions of the US Superchargers (the route to/from Kelowna is less challenging). Is there any interest in connecting the 2 east-west Supercharger routes through Kelowna and Omak? Is anyone familiar enough with the Omak area to suggest which town would be the best location for a Supercharger (based both on distances and amenities)?
I think Omak would be a great place for a SpCh. Would enable several alternate cross state routes east /west and north/south.
I agree. I recently drove this exact route, and a SC placed at Kelowna and Omak greatly increases options. The border crossing along this route is also much faster.
I hadn't realized that The Dalles had a SC. This is great in that it connects the I5 to the I90 through Woodburn and Ellensburg without going over the Cascade Range of Mountains. I know a few people from the interior of BC who prefer to use Hwy97 to reach California particularly in the winter.
A couple of other potential drives regarding the "almost activated" SC in the Dalles. I will probably make both of those trips in the future. 1) It is 120-125 miles to the Detroit Lake Supercharger. This enables a very nice circle drive from Portland thru the Gorge around Mt Hood over the Cascades and back to PDX. 2) It is ~ 135 miles to Bend going down continuing down Hwys 197/97. Going a few miles further south and spending the night in a hotel with a charger, positions one to continue to California. From the Sun River Lodge (which has two HPWCs) south of Bend, it is 204 miles to Mt Shasta SC. Most drivers on this route think about Weed CA where 97 joins I-5, just 10 miles before the Mt Shasta SC.
I'm from Canada, where we'll take "under construction" over "awaiting permitting" any day! And, given the pictures in "Supercharger - The Dalles, OR", it looks pretty close to operational.
Yeah, DasRad, it's only a matter of time now. And given how long it took to actually get the Squamish SC going after it was known about, "Under construction" is almost as good as done.