I am just checking in with the usual people who use this Supercharger location in Birmingham.
Is it still a paid lot? Do you know if there are plans to make the lot free? Do you know of any other Superchargers planned for Birmingham?
It is still a paid lot, and no, don't count on it ever becoming free. It's in a very heavy traffic downtown area that is growing. If they were to make the lot free, there would definitely be a lot of ICE'ing problems there (I'm surprised it's not already, but I haven't been there during an event at the BJCC)
I stop here once a month or so and it's not too bad unless you hit it at rush hour during the week. Find the coffee shop at the Westin, and they'll validate your parking. There's also a nice bathroom in the hotel.
That coffee shop is going out of business, unfortunately (if it hasn't already)
It would make a lot of sense for Tesla to add something in Hoover, like the Riverchase Galleria, which has close proximity to I-65 and I-459.
Absolutely, I think the Galleria is the obvious spot for SCs in Birmingham. I moved from Birmingham to Atlanta before I bought my Tesla, and in ATL there are chargers at one, and coming soon two malls (one traditional mall and one Summit-style center). The Galleria makes so much more sense than the BJCC because it's central to both North/South and East/West traffic, parking is plentiful enough that it would be free, and there's way more to do at the mall food and shopping wise, at all hours. The BJCC/downtown can be a ghost town often, and there's no good fast food there, etc.
If you think the Gallera is a good spot, submit it to Tesla:
Charging Partners | Tesla scroll down and fill out the Suggest a Charging Site form