Supercharger - Boone, NC

[RTPEV]

This was posted in the Tesla Owners - North Carolina Facebook page on 3/23/22:

Link to post: Tesla Owners - North Carolina

While certainly not a done deal yet, at least it shows that Tesla is looking to expand into Boone.

Here is a link to the Town Council agenda for March 23rd showing the Tesla Supercharger agenda item: https://boonenc.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=14&ID=1695&Inline=True

6. (7:45 PM) Consideration of Installation of Tesla Supercharger Station on Queen Street

If you want to reach out to the Town Council members to express your support for this project, here is the contact information: Mayor & Town Council | Boone, NC

 

[mechrock]

Please do NOT support this location in Boone, there are many much better suited areas for a charger, let me explain.
I lived in Boone for 6 years and while at face value it would look to be a good location, it's very much not ideal.

King St. is ALWAYS backed up with traffic. If one comes from the east on 421 it'll take 5-10 min or 10-20 minutes extra during events just to get to the charger.

King Street Boone NC Webcam - Resort Cams

Located in the heart of downtown Boone, NC, the King Street cam gives a live, streaming view of current happenings and events taking place in the most popular town in the High Country.

www.resortcams.com

This photo is current and is light traffic, on the weekends it is regularly bumper to bumper.

The town of Boone already has limited parking in this location and is regularly full of cars. I also see that the town wouldn't enforce towing of ICE cars and can guarantee a charger stall wouldn't be left open with college students parking there. This doesn't even include the headaches that game days or other campus events cause. River Street is often blocked off or limited because of those events and the only way to the supercharger would be King street making it take even longer to get to the charger. Charger location
River St. in Blue / yellow is proposed Supercharger Location.

These would be some much more appropriate locations In no particular order:
New Market shopping center

Boone Mall (in a spot that doesn't flood)

Makotos - This was discussed because the owner is one of the first Tesla owners in the state and one of the first if not first destination chargers in Boone.

Shadowline Shopping center where Harris Teeter Is

Food Lion on 421 is a little far out, but even that is a better location than King st.

There is also the Food Lion near Makotos.

TLDR:
Please encourage Boone to put in a Supercharger at another location and let them know a row of destination chargers would bring customers planning to stay on King st. Instead of charging up and leaving.

 

[Jeremy3292]

I hear ya @mechrock but don’t you think if Tesla could pick and chose locations they would? There is a reason they are picking here and I’ll wager it is bc it is most likely the one they can get. In some places people are knocking down Tesla’s door to put supercharges on their property. In other locations it is slim pickings. Sure I’d rather have a supercharger in the most ideal location but I’d rather have one in a not ideal location then not have one at all.

Beggars can’t be choosers and people have been clamoring for a supercharger in the Boone/Blowing Rock area for a long time. No point in asking the council to oppose a new supercharger unless there is another property ready to sign a lease that’s better...

 

[BrownOuttaSpec]

The biggest problem I see with a SuC location showing up in Boone is that it isn't near a major highway so I don't think it will happen soon. If you look at the map on supercharge.info you will see almost all of the locations are along major "red" highways and not the "orange" highway that is 221/321/421/194.

I don't live in the area but I have visited a few times and I agree with @mechrock that the proposed area for a SuC is a bad idea. I feel as though Tesla would want it as an easier stop to get in/out of and back on the road and close (as possible) to a major road to follow the precedent set by previous locations. The locations @mechrock suggestions align with the places I was looking at as well (Large parking lots near the largest roads). It would be really cool if Makotos got a SuC location on their property since they have had a wall charger for public use for ~10 years! (Plugshare link)

 

[mechrock]

I hear ya @mechrock but don’t you think if Tesla could pick and chose locations they would? There is a reason they are picking here and I’ll wager it is bc it is most likely the one they can get. In some places people are knocking down Tesla’s door to put supercharges on their property. In other locations it is slim pickings. Sure I’d rather have a supercharger in the most ideal location but I’d rather have one in a not ideal location then not have one at all.

Beggars can’t be choosers and people have been clamoring for a supercharger in the Boone/Blowing Rock area for a long time. No point in asking the council to oppose a new supercharger unless there is another property ready to sign a lease that’s better...

This isn't the case for Boone, The owner of Makoto's exilically asked to host the Supercharger. Either Tesla didn't think it would work well or Town of Boone denied it for some reason, I'm not sure. IMHO it would be better to wait another year then be stuck with such a poor location. I regularly come up to Boone and while it isn't ideal, it is manageable.

King / Queen would be a FANSTASTIC location for lvl2 chargers and hope those do get put in, but lvl3 it is not.

 

[Jeremy3292]

The biggest problem I see with a SuC location showing up in Boone is that it isn't near a major highway so I don't think it will happen soon.

It is already in process. If the council approves it at the next meeting it WILL happen. Tesla is filling in holes now and superchargers are no longer limited to major highways.

I don't live in the area but I have visited a few times and I agree with @mechrock that the proposed area for a SuC is a bad idea. I feel as though Tesla would want it as an easier stop to get in/out of and back on the road and close (as possible) to a major road to follow the precedent set by previous locations.

Boone/Blowing Rock is not a place people generally travel THROUGH; it is place people travel TO. Having a supercharger there allows people to fill up on their way in and on their way out.

I'm not here to suggest to anyone this is a great location. I'm merely saying I'll take what Tesla gives me anywhere, every time. Any new supercharger is a GOOD supercharger, no matter where it is. Holding out for woulda coulda shoulda maybes isn't something I'm personally interested in.

I also imagine there will be signs that say must be plugged in and charging and that the city will hand out parking tickets like they would for any other types of violations.

 

[BrownOuttaSpec]

It is already in process. If the council approves it at the next meeting it WILL happen.

They can approve it all they want. If Tesla wont give them the equipment then it doesn't matter what the town council approves. I'm sure there are hundreds of business (or even people with large properties) out there that have applied to get a SuC on their property (website) but were declined by Tesla for various reason or put at the bottom of a very long list of "upcoming" locations.

Do I think there will be a SuC location in Boone, NC? Yes
Do I think it will be installed soon? Unfortunately, No
Do I want it at the proposed location? No
Could I easily be wrong about everything? Yes

I'm not here to suggest to anyone this is a great location. I'm merely saying I'll take what Tesla gives me anywhere, every time. Any new supercharger is a GOOD supercharger, no matter where it is. Holding out for woulda coulda shoulda maybes isn't something I'm personally interested in.

I'll also take a SuC at any location, but it needs to be built/online and not just in the "Target opening 202X" phase. I think that Tesla would be much quicker to prioritize the supply/install/approve a SuC at an ideal spot than non-ideal spot. Let's suggest a great location that meets the 'Tesla requirements' so that we can get a SuC in Boone installed sooner rather than later and not be the next Supercharger - Phillipsburg, NJ

 

[Jeremy3292]

They can approve it all they want. If Tesla wont give them the equipment then it doesn't matter what the town council approves. I'm sure there are hundreds of business (or even people with large properties) out there that have applied to get a SuC on their property (website) but were declined by Tesla for various reason or put at the bottom of a very long list of "upcoming" locations.

I'm not sure I follow your train of thought as Tesla themselves are the ones applying to host it on city property...

Do I think it will be installed soon? Unfortunately, No

Tesla regularly installs superchargers that never appear on their map as "coming soon." Orangeburg, SC and Lexington, SC are two recent examples.

I'll also take a SuC at any location, but it needs to be built/online and not just in the "Target opening 202X" phase. I think that Tesla would be much quicker to prioritize the supply/install/approve a SuC at an ideal spot than non-ideal spot.

Tesla themselves are the ones proposing this location to the city.

 

[mechrock]

I also imagine there will be signs that say must be plugged in and charging and that the city will hand out parking tickets like they would for any other types of violations.

This is not the case, as stated City of Boone stated they would not enforce towing. As a previous student at ASU, I know for certain student will park there. They regularly park in meter spots with out paying, they will certainly parking the Supercharging spots. Just please don't complain when it does happen.

 

[Jeremy3292]

This is not the case, as stated City of Boone stated they would not enforce towing. As a previous student at ASU, I know for certain student will park there. They regularly park in meter spots with out paying, they will certainly parking the Supercharging spots. Just please don't complain when it does happen.

I didn't say towing; I said parking tickets.

 

[mechrock]

And when did a parking ticket ever stop a college student from parking where they shouldn’t?

 

[BrownOuttaSpec]

.....
Tesla themselves are the ones proposing this location to the city.

Oops!!!! I was only looking at the meeting notes and didn't see the first sentence on the FB image that this was brought to Boone from a representative from Tesla. You're right , I thought the town was voting if they wanted Tesla to come, not that they were being asked to host a SuC location.

I did a little more digging and found some more info from this article from 2 hours ago (3/25/22 @ 2:30pm):
"David Abernathy, a project developer for the Tesla Supercharging team, presented information on Tesla Supercharging stations.
.......
While Tesla’s are currently the only car that can use the Tesla Superchargers, Abernathy said that they would offer to install infrastructure that other electric vehicles could use to charge.

The proposal is to take 16 parking spaces on Queen Street across from Lost Province and turn them into eight Tesla Supercharging stations and level 2 chargers for other electric cars that aren’t Tesla’s. According to Abernathy, the entire project would be funded and maintained by Tesla.

“I'm definitely kind of excited about this opportunity,” said council member Dalton George. “I’m for it. It's an exciting prospect.”
Futrelle proposed the potential problem of people who don’t drive electric cars parking in the spots designated for charging, and Abernathy responded by saying that it’s difficult to enforce that, but that they could be notified if it became a recurring issue. He said that they work to install appropriate signage to prevent non-electric cars from parking in those spots."

 

[RTPEV]

I'm with @Jeremy3292 on this one. Yes, all the sites suggested by @mechrock are probably far better locations, but they are all also private locations, and I have to believe that Tesla would rather site a Supercharger in one of those locations, if the owner was willing to host it, and thus I suspect that lack of interest from those landowners is the issue and why Tesla has approached the town itself to host the Supercharger on public property.

It is interesting that @mechrock indicated that the owner of Makotos had expressed interest in hosting a Supercharger, and what, if any, the issues were surrounding the fact that it didn't happen.

All I know is that people have been complaining forever about the lack of a Supercharger in Boone. It's not because they are passing through and this is a gap in a common travel corridor, but almost exclusively because they want to go to Boone as a destination. For sure, this would not be convenient for travelers, but for everyone who says they can't get to Boone because they have no way to charge, it at least seems workable.

True, it would certainly be better to have a more accessible (and less likely to be ICEd) location, but if this is the only option (unless someone can finally convince Circle K to install charging stations like they say that are doing), is it better than nothing? Or should we just wait a few more years and listen to countless more complaints that there is no Tesla charging in Boone?

 

[Jeremy3292]

While Tesla’s are currently the only car that can use the Tesla Superchargers, Abernathy said that they would offer to install infrastructure that other electric vehicles could use to charge.

The proposal is to take 16 parking spaces on Queen Street across from Lost Province and turn them into eight Tesla Supercharging stations and level 2 chargers for other electric cars that aren’t Tesla’s. According to Abernathy, the entire project would be funded and maintained by Tesla.

Interesting. I wonder if the L2 chargers will be Tesla branded J1772 chargers aka destination chargers.

 

[mechrock]

I'm with @Jeremy3292 on this one. Yes, all the sites suggested by @mechrock are probably far better locations, but they are all also private locations, and I have to believe that Tesla would rather site a Supercharger in one of those locations, if the owner was willing to host it, and thus I suspect that lack of interest from those landowners is the issue and why Tesla has approached the town itself to host the Supercharger on public property.

It is interesting that @mechrock indicated that the owner of Makotos had expressed interest in hosting a Supercharger, and what, if any, the issues were surrounding the fact that it didn't happen.

All I know is that people have been complaining forever about the lack of a Supercharger in Boone. It's not because they are passing through and this is a gap in a common travel corridor, but almost exclusively because they want to go to Boone as a destination. For sure, this would not be convenient for travelers, but for everyone who says they can't get to Boone because they have no way to charge, it at least seems workable.

True, it would certainly be better to have a more accessible (and less likely to be ICEd) location, but if this is the only option (unless someone can finally convince Circle K to install charging stations like they say that are doing), is it better than nothing? Or should we just wait a few more years and listen to countless more complaints that there is no Tesla charging in Boone?

All I can say is I tried, if this location does goes through, I will point every person who complains back to this post. Hind sight is 2020. Even if towing was enforced I would never want to go through king street on game days or move in weekend, this is when it'll be most utilized and the most pain to get to.

Edit:
I'd also like to point out that, eating isn't doable for most places in 40-60 minutes on King street. The car would be done charging by time you got your food and which case you wouldn't just find another parking spot close by, it might be a couple blocks down the road or just fork over paying the idle fee, Please consider these things.

 

[mechrock]

In full transparency, this is what I just sent to the Town of Boone:

Hi, I hope this finds you well.

I am contacting you regarding Council Matter 6 on the Tesla Supercharger Station.

https://boonenc.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=14&ID=1695&Inline=True

I like many Tesla owners would love to have a Supercharger in Boone, but having lived in Boone for 6 years and 4 going to ASU, I can assure you that Queen St. is not in the best interest of the Town of Boone or Tesla Owners.

If you are interested, I made a rebuttal post here:

Supercharger - Boone, NC

This was posted in the Tesla Owners - North Carolina Facebook page on 3/23/22: Link to post: =AZXx1gvo7LQKb0OOda4F6Xi5rydcYNHkF-SD8uqNE82XNN1kw_bZdj7a7zxdIbJuXqPi08AiHAY_lrjiz9hf8mEeO91kpIBD_xp617BTMk6QneEJ9b2UQ9eQ2VFRtDn0tG7ob3sEHMK3TfsqsycW2FXo&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R"]Tesla Owners - North...

teslamotorsclub.com

In short, a row of 8 or more lvl2 car chargers would be much more beneficial in this location. Superchargers are meant to charge in 20-40 minutes and leave, lvl 2 chargers keep visitors on King street for hours while they shop and eat. My request is that this request by Tesla is countered with the option to put in place lvl2 charging compatible with all electric cars on Queen Street and relocate the Supercharger option to one of the larger shopping centers with in Boone.

Thank you for your consideration,

-Rocco Speranza
VP Tesla Owners Club Western North Carolina

 

[Penny Pitstop]

And when did a parking ticket ever stop a college student from parking where they shouldn’t?

Or a college student's parent?

 

[MarcoRP]

BOONE!!!!

Yup. There will be a 30 day public comment period (starting next week) and council will make the final decision on May 11th.

Also, apparently there are 12 stalls. Found this file buried deep in the agenda packet...

 

[BrownOuttaSpec]

Snipped from the pdf packet from @MarcoRP ( THANKS!!!) :

Those look like "pull-in" spaces. I used those in the SuperCharger - Metairie, LA location and they are very awkward to pull into and use. Maybe they will be a little better since they are angled but the ones in LA sucked and were very scratched up from people hitting them (presumably from pulling it to charge).

Maybe they will be normal "back-in" spaces and you'll just have to hope the person behind you isn't riding your bumper?

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

The biggest problem I see with a SuC location showing up in Boone is that it isn't near a major highway so I don't think it will happen soon. If you look at the map on supercharge.info you will see almost all of the locations are along major "red" highways and not the "orange" highway that is 221/321/421/194.
View attachment 785744

I don't live in the area but I have visited a few times and I agree with @mechrock that the proposed area for a SuC is a bad idea. I feel as though Tesla would want it as an easier stop to get in/out of and back on the road and close (as possible) to a major road to follow the precedent set by previous locations. The locations @mechrock suggestions align with the places I was looking at as well (Large parking lots near the largest roads). It would be really cool if Makotos got a SuC location on their property since they have had a wall charger for public use for ~10 years! (Plugshare link)

Tesla is adding in NC quite rapidly, and in the VA/MD area as well, filling in holes.
A permit for Winston-Salem on US-421 was very recently found, and Boone, NC very clearly fills a hole.

College town is a bonus.

Bit it appears that the Supercharger coordinator may not have that local knowledge needed to get the best site, as @mechrock does. As much as downtown sites are the most pleasant, it's not good in a busy town. (Our comparison would be Camden, ME, where people don't want the prospective Supercharger downtown.)