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Supercharger - Ann Arbor, MI
- Thread starter Joel
- Start date
MichFin
Member
I always find it astounding how professional "NEWS" people get so much wrong. Just a few minutes of fact checking their details would have averted. When I present something at work to 1 person I double check all my facts.
RogerHScott
Active Member
Where was this comment made? As a soon-to-be Tesla owner who lives near an SC, I'd like to understand the context for this comment.
RogerHScott
Active Member
Meijer is also hosting some of the SCs in Indiana, as well, such as the one in Lafayette.
Does anyone know if there's some kind of formal relationship between Tesla and Meijer? These can't all be coincidence.
Jim MacInnes
Member
At the Grand Rapids SC grand opening a representative from Meijer commented they have long provided convenient refueling opportunities at Meijer stores to add to the guest experience and this was just a continuation of their philosophy. I also believe one of the Meijer top executives is a Tesla owner. It is great to have a company with a big footprint like Meijer on board with Tesla.
I regret that I don' t have time to find specific references and am relying on memory. You can search the forums for more details.
- Prior to summer of 2015, there were a few Superchargers, all in California afaik, where there was often a wait before a SC stall became available. A couple of these SC were near residential areas and there were allegations that locals were charging there and "unfairly" delaying long distance travelers who were passing through.
- During summer or fall of 2015, some Model S owners were sent emails "reminding" them that SC were primarily intended for long distance travelers and not for local charging. I didn't receive an email. Unfortunately, the process for selecting receipts was flawed, as many recipients claimed not to do any supercharging, or at least none near where they lived. Also the message apparently went to people all around the country, and not just locations where there might be an issue. The discussion died down after a while and there has been no further communication.
- During one of the quarterly earnings calls during this time frame (2Q15 or 3Q15), Elon did mention that SC where intended primarily for long distance travel. Occasional local use of SC is OK, but not as a regular practice. There may also have been a tweet.
- I also recall some mention, perhaps by Elon on the same call, that Tesla was considering urban SC for locations like Manhattan where there were a lot of renters who were not able install home charging stations. However, Tesla has so far not disclosed any specific plans for this or whether these SC would be included in the "free for life of car" SC network.
Bottom line, there is an "understanding" by many Tesla owners that SC are essential for long distance travel and that is Tesla's stated purpose for providing SC. A vocal minority believes that Tesla has not placed any contractual limitations, so "free for life" supercharging is to be taken literally without restriction. In practice, charging at home overnight is so much more convenient, that the marginal cost of paying for that power vs free supercharging is not worth the hassle of waiting at a local SC charger on a regular basis. That said, home charging is not an option for some (potential) owners and it isn't clear how Tesla views that part of their market. Finally, beyond the letter, Tesla has taken no action to explicitly restrict local charging.
RogerHScott
Active Member
Thanks for the info. With these specifics I'll be able to search more if necessary -- before I just didn't have enough to go on.
It seems to me there two completely separate issues here: physically occupying stalls that long-distance travelers need/want
to use and using Tesla's electricity. I'm in total agreement on the former: a long-distance traveler should never need
to wait for a local to get a charge. The latter issue is much more debatable: the sales process says nothing
about any such restrictions on SC usage. I live three miles from an SC, which is located in the parking lot of a grocery store
that I already shop at (at least some). Assuming that I am not interfering with long-distance travelers, which I would define
to mean "there are at least two empty stalls available after I park in one" (although in practice, from my observations,
it will be virtually any time at this particular SC), it makes perfect sense for me to charge up while shopping rather than using
home electricity. I'm fairly certain the folks at Meijer will be pleased that I choose to shop there more often due to this convenience.
How many long-distance travelers are looking to spend $100+ on groceries at a store such as Meijer?
I regret taking this way off topic for this thread. Discussion is probably better on one of the other threads like:
Supercharging - Elon's statement that Daily Supercharging Users are Receiving Notes
In my limited trips to date in PA, OH, MI, I rarely see another Tesla at a SC and have yet to see even half the slots taken. For our part of the country, this is a philosophical rather than practical issue.
Bigger issue remains gaps in the SC network that make some destinations harder to reach than one might like. Tesla is working on it and has made amazing progress in a couple of years, yet it is frustrating when the dates for some promised locations keep slipping.
I'm very happy about Ann Arbor because it took one of my frequent destinations to very easy from possible, but takes some careful planning, especially in winter.
jgs
Active Member
And closing the loop back to the Ann Arbor Supercharger, what you say is true here. I've never seen more than one other Model S charging at it.
Yes. Again, relating (at least a little bit, same state anyway) to the topic, I'm disappointed that Tesla doesn't seem to have any intention of covering the UP in the foreseeable future. I can see why it's not a priority in terms of population, but it is an appealing destination for those willing to make the trek.
RogerHScott
Active Member
I guess starting from the SC in Cadillac you'd be pretty much running on electric fumes by the time you got very far into the UP? A small SC somewhere near Indian River along I-75 would be handy both for continuing up into the UP and for Charlevoix/Petoskey. When TM makes their big move into Canada they're going to need SCs in places like Sault Ste. Marie, which would help for more east/west travel through the UP. I think to the west your only hope is going to be either Green Bay or Eau Claire, WI.
jgs
Active Member
Yes, it looks like Munising is about the limit of extreme range from Cadillac (266 miles). It looks as though Tesla is planning to put a Supercharger in or near Mackinaw City this year, which in theory could get you as far as Houghton (266 miles again). The map also says there are also a couple of 80A destination chargers around Petoskey.
It's not so much the getting in to the UP as the getting through or out…
Weird, I thought I had seen a planned one there, but when I look at the map now I don't see it. Maybe they reneged, or maybe I'm just misremembering.
You're right, at 257 miles, Green Bay is theoretically achievable from Mackinaw City as long as you drive with a light foot and don't deviate from following US-2. But it looks like most of the UP will be the Wild West for a long time still. Fitting, I suppose, but still disappointing.
RogerHScott
Active Member
Well, exactly. Would you really want there to be an SC at Porcupine Mountains? As long as there's some sort of charging available in Dodge City...
Tesla does seem to be expanding the SC network into Canada. I noticed that you can now drive the entire spectacular route from Vancouver, through the Rockies, to Banff/Calgary with SC support the whole way. I wish I lived in the Pacific NW just to be able to drive that route in my (coming next week!) Tesla
RogerHScott
Active Member
"All" would probably be overkill. There are now two Meijer stores in the Greater Lafayette (don't laugh
) area, and it wouldn't make a lot of sense to put an SC at their other location. Perhaps we'll see some Tesla charging spots in the parking lot at Meijer Gardens near Grand Rapids?I love the idea of a prominent Michigander (spiritual home of the ICE car) being a Tesla enthusiast!
ThatGoogleGuy
Member
I was at the Ann Arbor Superchargers a few months back and Doug Meijer was sitting in his Tesla charging right next to me. I'm assuming he's the reason why a lot Meijer locations have Superchargers
STbreaker
Member
Just started the agonizing wait for my 70D. As I have 1 block of night shifts (11p-7a) per month and live about 10 minutes away, I admit I will probably use this supercharger once in a while to avoid ridiculous peak hour charge rates.
RogerHScott
Active Member
Such waits are much shorter these days than they used to be. Hang in there -- the wait will soon seems like a long-ago, distant bad dream.
I'm probably in a minority saying I think this is perfectly reasonable.
jgs
Active Member
STbreaker
Member
$0.09 per KWH off peak vs $0.21 per KWH on peak.
In practice I probably won't do it more than once every few months.
In practice I probably won't do it more than once every few months.
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