I'm driving a Tesla Model 3 Obsidian Black Metallic Performance. I drive twice a month to North Carolina for work and sometimes to Florida. Look forward to this Altoona site opening soon!
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Supercharger - Altoona, PA
- Thread starter ScrawnyB
- Start date
Cool, will look out for you - not too many Teslas around here yet. I have an Onyx black Model X 100D and my wife has a red Model X 75D. We were to get a model 3 performance as well, but the screens were too complicated for my elderly in laws since they would have to drive it - so we cancelled. Picked up a showroom Model S 100D for about the same price. found out that financing rates are alot better on the X's and S's than for the 3's. Got 1.5% financing on the S, but would have been 3.5% for the 3 and the prices were very close ! Nice speaking to some other owners - we only on occasion run across others at superchargers on our trips. Its like hanging around a watering hole - eventually the herd will find their way there !
FYI you might find it worth knowing there's Tesla owners groups for Pennsylvania. There are Tesla Pittsburgh, State College, Lehigh Valley, Susquehanna Valley groups on Facebook, and possibly a Delaware Valley one coming soon.
Wiring seems to be done, just waiting on the transformer from what I can see...
Thanks for the update. In terms of hardware, it looks like they're still waiting on the switchgear (the bigger cabinets which aren't the supercharger cabinets, and will probably go at the end of the pad with the smaller autotransformers) and the utility transformer.
Thanks! Did not know that. Hate to say it, but until this site, I truly have not found our fellow Tesla owners to be overtly friendly so we appreciate the information. Though we did come across a very nice couple with their kids at a supercharger in Wytheville, VA and we chatted for an hour while we charged together. I generally only come across folks at superchargers and they usually just sit in their cars and look at their phones or something. With the exception of the local professionals we know here in Altoona - we have not really spoken to other owners much. Even at the service center in Pittsburgh, the other owners just seem to become annoyed if you try to chat. We appreciate the camaraderie and friendliness - I was truly starting to think that Tesla owners were snobs, something we were not expecting. Even when I posted on this site for the very first time - the first reply I got was a criticism !
"Paragraphs would be nice. I assume you’re a local despite your very discrete username
"We are in 100% with Tesla as we are firm believers in global warming and greener living - not as a status symbol. I hate to say it - but if another company had a charging network, range and cars comparable if not cheaper than Tesla, we would give them a serious look. But Tesla has the market cornered and we are converting all of our cars to Tesla one at a time. Hope to get to speak to you folks in person, even if just for 20-40 minutes at a supercharger. We need to make a serious effort of not just sitting in our cars at these things, but to actually speak to each other face to face - I think that this modern world has forgotten how to do that !
Great pics - sweet looking ride. I think I seriously need to actually take some pictures of our cars...….yup, red calipers are a dead give away for the performance package !
We are owners since 2014 and I have always made an effort to talk to fellow travelers when at the SCs. Some folks like to talk and some not. A lot of people leave their cars and go off to eat or shop. I will say I’ve had some great conversations and most times I learn something new. Love hearing experiences from the new Model 3 drivers.Thanks! Did not know that. Hate to say it, but until this site, I truly have not found our fellow Tesla owners to be overtly friendly so we appreciate the information. Though we did come across a very nice couple with their kids at a supercharger in Wytheville, VA and we chatted for an hour while we charged together. I generally only come across folks at superchargers and they usually just sit in their cars and look at their phones or something. With the exception of the local professionals we know here in Altoona - we have not really spoken to other owners much. Even at the service center in Pittsburgh, the other owners just seem to become annoyed if you try to chat. We appreciate the camaraderie and friendliness - I was truly starting to think that Tesla owners were snobs, something we were not expecting. Even when I posted on this site for the very first time - the first reply I got was a criticism !
"Paragraphs would be nice. I assume you’re a local despite your very discrete username
We are in 100% with Tesla as we are firm believers in global warming and greener living - not as a status symbol. I hate to say it - but if another company had a charging network, range and cars comparable if not cheaper than Tesla, we would give them a serious look. But Tesla has the market cornered and we are converting all of our cars to Tesla one at a time. Hope to get to speak to you folks in person, even if just for 20-40 minutes at a supercharger. We need to make a serious effort of not just sitting in our cars at these things, but to actually speak to each other face to face - I think that this modern world has forgotten how to do that !
[QUOTE="AltoonaPA, . . . Visiting my family in Buffalo however is an entirely different story unfortunately..... after Dubois, there is no other charger until you get all the way to Buffalo, and even that charger is actually 10 miles north of Buffalo when all of my family lives on the south side. Hoping for the Salamanca and the other Buffalo superchargers to be open sometime soon as I wanted to visit for XMas. [/QUOTE]
Sounds very familiar. We live in the Wash DC area and also typically visit family south of Buffalo over the Xmas holiday. I really welcome the Altoona SC station at Sheetz. I called the station and the attendant there said he thought the SC would be up and running in time for Xmas holiday traffic, but no guarantees. Altoona gives us the option to skip Breezewood on our way to DuBois, or maybe Salamanca in the future. As I become more comfortable with my Model 3, I may even try to reach Buffalo stopping only in Altoona, as it is almost exactly half way, i.e., about 200 miles. Bradford, PA would be another good place for a SC. BTW, the Zippo factory there is an interesting visit.
Sounds very familiar. We live in the Wash DC area and also typically visit family south of Buffalo over the Xmas holiday. I really welcome the Altoona SC station at Sheetz. I called the station and the attendant there said he thought the SC would be up and running in time for Xmas holiday traffic, but no guarantees. Altoona gives us the option to skip Breezewood on our way to DuBois, or maybe Salamanca in the future. As I become more comfortable with my Model 3, I may even try to reach Buffalo stopping only in Altoona, as it is almost exactly half way, i.e., about 200 miles. Bradford, PA would be another good place for a SC. BTW, the Zippo factory there is an interesting visit.
I'm exactly on the same boat (travelling to North Central PA). The Altoona SC is probably the most convenient for my trip!
Sounds very familiar. We live in the Wash DC area and also typically visit family south of Buffalo over the Xmas holiday. I really welcome the Altoona SC station at Sheetz. I called the station and the attendant there said he thought the SC would be up and running in time for Xmas holiday traffic, but no guarantees. Altoona gives us the option to skip Breezewood on our way to DuBois, or maybe Salamanca in the future. As I become more comfortable with my Model 3, I may even try to reach Buffalo stopping only in Altoona, as it is almost exactly half way, i.e., about 200 miles. Bradford, PA would be another good place for a SC. BTW, the Zippo factory there is an interesting visit.[/QUOTE]
Mark, I would not skip the Dubois SC. I know your range is listed as 300 miles, maybe a little more, but those roads thru central PA and Southern WNY are not flat. After driving over 20,000 miles in Tesla’s the last 2 years, I have learned that the range is very much based upon so many factors such as topography, temperature, wind, rain/snow not to mention personal driving habits. Even if you juiced all the way to 100% charged, you will definitely be under 50 miles of range by the time you burn up the 225 mile distance from Altoona to Buffalo, maybe even under 25 miles. That gives you little buffer should “@$%# happen” which frequently does in those remote regions which also tend to have minimal cell phone coverage too ! It’s banjo strumming country up there, trust me, I know personally!
"Mark, I would not skip the Dubois SC. . . . It’s banjo strumming country up there, trust me, I know personally!"
LOL! It is all fun and games until they bring the banjos out.
Thanks for the good advice. I definitely plan to stop at the Dubois SC. In fact I plan to stop at the Hagerstown SC and Altoona SC the first time too. My plan is to slowly build up actual driving experience so after a half dozen trips I should have a pretty good idea what is reasonable with a safety margin. Other than being able to boast I made it all the way to Buffalo with only one stop, it probably saves both time and battery life to charge to 90% or so multiple times than trying to get her all the way up to 100% once and run her down much lower than I usually do. All my local driving is between 80% and 40% SoC.
LOL! It is all fun and games until they bring the banjos out.
Thanks for the good advice. I definitely plan to stop at the Dubois SC. In fact I plan to stop at the Hagerstown SC and Altoona SC the first time too. My plan is to slowly build up actual driving experience so after a half dozen trips I should have a pretty good idea what is reasonable with a safety margin. Other than being able to boast I made it all the way to Buffalo with only one stop, it probably saves both time and battery life to charge to 90% or so multiple times than trying to get her all the way up to 100% once and run her down much lower than I usually do. All my local driving is between 80% and 40% SoC.
Newscutter
Member
Always consider the possibility of a lengthy detour. Oftentimes (especially this time of year) they'll close entire sections of the highway for accident cleanup rather than risk having first responders hit by letting traffic through. You're often looking at a minimum additional 20 miles when that happens, simply because of the spacing of typical highway interchanges. We had one a few years ago between Pittsburgh-DC that was an additional FIFTY miles. I was glad I had factored in "Oh, @#$" range buffer. This was I-79 between Erie and Pittsburgh yesterday, wonder if anyone got surprised... Tesla Pittsburgh on Twitter
RobK
Member
@pscarroll - Thanks for the nice pics.
Altoona, IA will be very useful to us when we drive from Overland Park, KS to Verona, WI. Would appreciate any new updates/pics.
Altoona, IA will be very useful to us when we drive from Overland Park, KS to Verona, WI. Would appreciate any new updates/pics.
RobK
Member
I am driving by there tomorrow and will check out but I would like to know if it is open?
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