Supercharger - Buford, GA

[ChrisC]

I have heard through the grapevine that Tesla is pursuing a supercharging location in Buford, Georgia.

This is in Atlanta's northeast exurbs, so would help travelers that are just passing through to avoid having to come all the way into town (inside the Perimeter aka ITP) just to reach one of the two existing SC sites in metro Atlanta. Birmingham AL to Buford GA would be 181 miles, so you could skip the downtown/ITP route, although it might be faster anyway, depending on time of day. Similarly, if crossing between I-85 North and Chattanooga, you'd be able to skip driving all the way into Atlanta ITP, and maybe even not bother taking I-285.

On that I-85 corridor, it's about 150 miles from Atlanta to the Greenville SC superchargers, so this will help chop up that leg.

Here is the APPROXIMATE location, near the Mall of Georgia. Start looking for construction permits ...

Google Maps

 

[ChrisC]

This area is unincorporated Gwinnett County, so I would expect a construction permit to appear here:

Building Permits

 

[ChrisC]

Still nothing.

 

[cwellsatl]

While Buford does not help me much in my travels. Im all for it. Atlanta superchargers are in bad locations. They might as well be at the airport like the Savannah one. We need options for OTP. Especially now that 85 has collapsed. Those passing thru the area don't venture in-town. I think we will eventually need superchargers at all of major interstate spokes from the city. Such as Buford/Gwinnett, Marietta/Cobb, Stockbridge, Fairburn, Douglasville and even Lithonia. Those would be my order of preference.

 

[sdorn]

While Buford does not help me much in my travels. Im all for it. Atlanta superchargers are in bad locations. They might as well be at the airport like the Savannah one. We need options for OTP. Especially now that 85 has collapsed. Those passing thru the area don't venture in-town. I think we will eventually need superchargers at all of major interstate spokes from the city. Such as Buford/Gwinnett, Marietta/Cobb, Stockbridge, Fairburn, Douglasville and even Lithonia. Those would be my order of preference.

I can't imagine a scenario where I would ever need to use a supercharger in Atlanta, given that I live here and always charge at home. I'd have to drive 300 miles in a single day and still be in Atlanta and need to drive more. Just not going to happen to most people.

If I were designing a nationwide system from the ground up meant to serve long-distance travelers, putting superchargers in the center of Atlanta first makes sense because a single location can effectively serve all the various major interstates (I-75, I-85 and (I-20). Once I began to grow my network into secondary locations as Tesla is doing now, I wouldn't put them in Atlanta at all. I'd put them 30 - 50 miles outside Atlanta on each major interstate somewhere that there is plenty of room for a lot of chargers and good amenities with easy on/off access from the interstates. Basically I'd follow the same model as large truck stops. You don't normally see them right in major metropolitan areas, but rather 30 - 50 miles outside where land is cheaper and on/off access to the interstates is easier for their customers. In fact, it wouldn't be the worst idea for Tesla to partner up with some of the large travel stop chains and install superchargers right there. You've already got natural places for travelers to stop, eat, use the rest room, etc.

 

[rlawson4]

We need a charger in Alpharetta, Dahlonega, Blairsville, Columbus, Cartersville, Brasleton, Bremen, Metter, Valdosta, and Stockbridge. These locations make statewide travel possible for Model S drivers with any battery size.

 

[sdorn]

We need a charger in Alpharetta, Dahlonega, Blairsville, Columbus, Cartersville, Brasleton, Bremen, Metter, Valdosta, and Stockbridge. These locations make statewide travel possible for Model S drivers with any battery size.

You should add Waycross, Millegeville, Sandersville, Bainbridge and Douglas as well, and eventually a bunch more places so people don't have to drive 60 miles out of their way to get to a supercharger. I don't think Tesla will be the one to provide that level of saturation though. I think companies like ChargePoint and EvGo and similar will build out their DC fast charging infrastructure to serve a lot of those places. There are already quite a few Georgia Power / ChargePoint ChaDeMo stations in a bunch of locations, including several more rural locations like Dublin, GA.

 

[rlawson4]

You should add Waycross, Millegeville, Sandersville, Bainbridge and Douglas as well, and eventually a bunch more places so people don't have to drive 60 miles out of their way to get to a supercharger. I don't think Tesla will be the one to provide that level of saturation though. I think companies like ChargePoint and EvGo and similar will build out their DC fast charging infrastructure to serve a lot of those places. There are already quite a few Georgia Power / ChargePoint ChaDeMo stations in a bunch of locations, including several more rural locations like Dublin, GA.

I agree. I have also used some of the Georgia Power locations. I would add LaGrange to my original list plus your list.

 

[ChrisC]

Still nothing.

 

[ShredBurn.DPT]

I live in Buford myself, right behind (North-West of) the Mall of Georgia. I frequently travel to Jacksonville, FL and St Augustine, FL in my Model S, so I charge to 100% the morning of and I can make it to Tifton, GA if I take it easy and don't give in to temptations that Corvettes, Mustangs, M3's, etc like to throw my way along the route! HA!

Often times I catch myself forgetting to charge appropriately the night before or a last minute trip into the city/up into the mountains may arise and I don't have 2-3 hours to charge at home before hitting the road so having a supercharger nearby would be IMMENSELY beneficial to me! Not to mention North I-985 and North I-85 join together to create I-85 Southbound right here in Buford so that would be beneficial to many travelers coming and going through North Georgia.

I hope they put the Supercharger near the mall here in the middle of I-85 and I-985 to prevent travelers from having to detour too far off of the highways, which would be inconvenient for them, but wouldn't matter too much for me. This would also bring more people through Buford and help this already fast growing section of N. GA. I feel like it will be one more catalyst in accelerating construction of more exits off the existing bridges that cross both of the highways and once the expansion of 85 right here is complete, Buford will have more room to accommodate the influx! I'm excited!

 

[ItsMyS]

I live in Buford myself, right behind (North-West of) the Mall of Georgia. I frequently travel to Jacksonville, FL and St Augustine, FL in my Model S, so I charge to 100% the morning of and I can make it to Tifton, GA if I take it easy and don't give in to temptations that Corvettes, Mustangs, M3's, etc like to throw my way along the route! HA!

Often times I catch myself forgetting to charge appropriately the night before or a last minute trip into the city/up into the mountains may arise and I don't have 2-3 hours to charge at home before hitting the road so having a supercharger nearby would be IMMENSELY beneficial to me! Not to mention North I-985 and North I-85 join together to create I-85 Southbound right here in Buford so that would be beneficial to many travelers coming and going through North Georgia.

I hope they put the Supercharger near the mall here in the middle of I-85 and I-985 to prevent travelers from having to detour too far off of the highways, which would be inconvenient for them, but wouldn't matter too much for me. This would also bring more people through Buford and help this already fast growing section of N. GA. I feel like it will be one more catalyst in accelerating construction of more exits off the existing bridges that cross both of the highways and once the expansion of 85 right here is complete, Buford will have more room to accommodate the influx! I'm excited!

I am in Buford too, and anxiously awaiting some signs of life of this Buford location. My wife called me yesterday to say they were laying very large gauge cable behind the Starbucks near the Mall, but I drove by there today and that cable may have been for some type of development on the access road down the hill. Thanks ChrisC for the original post a while back. I have been checking the building permits with your link - still no signs.

 

[jfe_md]

I live in Virginia and frequently visit my mom who lives in Suwanee. I was very happy to see this site on the Tesla map for 2017. Although I have no problems getting there from Greenville, it would be great to be able charge upon arrival or departure. As an aside, I wish they had chosen Dublin instead of Metter--would be nice to be able to bypass Macon when travelling from Savannah.

 

[sdorn]

I live in Virginia and frequently visit my mom who lives in Suwanee. I was very happy to see this site on the Tesla map for 2017. Although I have no problems getting there from Greenville, it would be great to be able charge upon arrival or departure. As an aside, I wish they had chosen Dublin instead of Metter--would be nice to be able to bypass Macon when travelling from Savannah.

I'm sure finding a spot was easier and cheaper in Metter as the exit isn't as heavily built up as Dublin. Metter's proximity to Statesboro probably also played a factor.

 

[Homekeys]

Still no word??

 

[jelloslug]

I keep looking at the building permits but I have not seen anything yet.

 

[ChrisC]

Still no permits, but I'm still being told that it is in the works.

 

[jelloslug]

Still no permits, but I'm still being told that it is in the works.

Any idea where?

 

[Homekeys]

Any idea where?

Yes! Any idea where??

 

[jelloslug]

It may be completely unrelated, but, there was a permit pulled for the Mall of Georgia on 7/25 for an "Outdoor amenity area" valued at $850,000.

 

[jfe_md]

I will be down in Suwanee next weekend and will have to run by the Mall of Georgia.