I just received an email that someone in the northwest tesla owners club found a supercharger site all marked and ready for installation in Burlington WA in the Fairfield Inn parking lot. Sweet! Looks like it will be time for a trip to Vancouver soon!
Wow! How neat is that. That makes Vancouver BC and return a piece of cake for me. And, looks like a pretty decent burger joint and espresso stand right there. And for the Portland folks, a stop at the Centralia Roadster HPC makes that trip very easy. Time to get busy and renew our expired passports.
What email, is this a list that I can subscribe to? I will have to head up there tomorrow for some recon and photos.
Please do. That would be great to see some photos. I'm salivating - that looks like such a great location for many in the northwest, or for those traveling through.
Yes, it is a google group - the Northwest Tesla Owners Club. Here is the link https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/ntoc You just need your VIN number to sign up. This group is not just online. There are occasional get togethers etc in the Seattle area.
Just went up and scouted around the Fairfield Inn in Burlington. It is indeed just up the road from the Burlington Outlet stores. There is a great place to eat and hang out, Bob's Burger's N Brew, they have wifi and excellent eats. There is also a Jack N the box and an espresso stand. There is also a Shell with a convenience store. It is also interestingly enough about equidistant from there to Centralia and there to Whistler, about 150 miles. We looked extensively around the entire area and there is several 112KVA pad mounted transformers as well as a 300KVA transformer. However the 112KVA ones are not large enough for a Supercharger and the 300KVA one is more than likely just enough to run the Fairfield Inn itself. There is no evidence of any construction or ground breaking and no signage etc. I also checked on the LNI site and see no electrical permits in the area that would be adding 300KVA of service both inside and outside the city limits of Burlington. So I would say that is an unsubstantiated rumor at best for now.
What the heck? I'll see if I can get any more info but here is an exact copy of the email: "I just stumbled on an upcoming Supercharger location. It's in the Fairfield Inn parking lot in Burlington, WA, on the Jack in the Box side. All the markings are on the ground for the electrical work, and locals confirm that it's about to go in, with 500 kW service. Work has not yet begun. Food options are Jack in the Box and Bobs Burgers & Brew." That's pretty specific but I suppose it could be a hoax. I doubt it though.
We looked thoroughly at that part of the lot, didn't see any pavement markings beyond the normal spaces. There were a couple of ISO containers over there but they looked like they had been there a while. We didn't talk to any "locals", figured they wouldn't know the difference between a Supercharger and a Cuisinart so didn't bother to ask. I look though the LNI database again for 500 KVA service. A single Supercharger head is 120KW so that would require 144KVA of transformer capacity each. Each head can do 2-4 spaces. 500KVA would be enough for 3 heads, seems a little overkill, 300 KVA would be more likely. - - - Updated - - - The only thing I found in that class (500 KVA) going in across the street from the outlet mall in Burlington. 600 Amp service: [TR="bgcolor: #F2F5F8"]2233011E5/14/2013 Mike Fohn 1645 S Walnut stBURLINGTONSKAGITActiveNew 600 amp service and light fixtures[/TR]https://fortress.wa.gov/lni/epis/frmViewInspection.aspx?Permit=2008837511 http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?encType=1&where1=1645+S+Walnut+St%2c+Burlington%2c+WA+98233%2c+United+States&cp=48.4546852111816~-122.331460118294&qpvt=1645+S+Walnut+st+burlington%2c+wa&FORM=MIRE
Talking to locals can be suprisinging informative. Workers in Tesla shirts and trucks can get a buzz going in the shops.
I was the one who posted on NTOC (Northwest Tesla Owners Club). The "locals" I spoke with were the owner of the property on which the supercharger station is being installed, and his employee who is managing the installation. They initially thought I was from Tesla, because of my Model S. They told me that it would have approximately 500 kVA service. The clerk at the Shell station nearby was also aware of the supercharger station coming in, and commented to me about it (unprompted) when he saw the Model S. (BTW, the Shell station has 75 cent refills on any size soda - far more important for us than their gas prices.) So I think this is much more than a rumor. Andy
HOLY COW! It sounds like there are bigger issues other than the Burlington Supercharger. The I-5 bridge over the Skagit river collapsed!
I'm so glad that nobody seems to have been seriously injured. However, this appears to be no big deal... according to the WA DOT at least: Uh... So what exactly would qualify as HIGH impact??
There are three relatively nearby alternate routes over the river. South of Seattle are more critical bridges. If the Nisqually bridges were to go, THAT would be high impact.
Must oppose taxes for infrastructure maintenance. Must oppose taxes for infrastructure maintenance. Repeat Repeat etc.
Just crossed the alternate bridge. Early early in the morning, about 15 minute delay. Charging at Ferndale event center right now.
Just the highway 99 bridge next to it. Delay is due to bunch of cars and bunch of stop lights along the way. I would look on the map and long circle it if it was later on in the day.
While slower, Hwy 9 is a great alternative - a much nicer drive, and it uses less energy. When headed North, I normally cut West on 538 just before the missing bridge, but it's easy to go on past that and cut across later.