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Supercharger - Columbia, MO

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I'm curious why so many people think that the Columbia, MO SC is essential to I-70 travel. I've driven that route from Independence to St Charles 3 times, twice Eastbound and once Westbound and had no problem in an S85. Yes if you have an S60 you need it, otherwise no. All that said, Columbia will make it more relaxing.

Winter.

I agree that the route is doable in fair weather, and I have done it a few times. However, I would not attempt it during the midst of winter or any other extreme weather (strong headwinds, severe storms) without a midway top off. I've pulled into Normal, IL with 0 after starting at full from STL. when driving at speed in sub freezing temps.... and that is far less than the mileage between STL & KC.
 
I'm curious why so many people think that the Columbia, MO SC is essential to I-70 travel. I've driven that route from Independence to St Charles 3 times, twice Eastbound and once Westbound and had no problem in an S85. Yes if you have an S60 you need it, otherwise no. All that said, Columbia will make it more relaxing.

Doable, but a bit tight, esp. if you have heavy rain, very cold weather, a fully loaded vehicle, bad head winds, etc. I make the "kessel run" from Nixa to St. Louis fairly routinely (231 miles give or take), but it is a nail biter every time. There's almost nothing in the way of charging options (a new 30 amp HPWC destination charger in Rolla, but that's slow and their ad says only for customers staying at the hotel, and an old J1772 on the Missouri S&T campus in Rolla) where you can top up. In winter it is very sketchy and I have had to use the bail out option and find that I have to drive below the posted speed limit and draft (at a safe distance you fear mongers) behind semis to strectch my charge in anything but ideal conditions. I think that Independence to St. Charles leg is similar.
 
I'm curious why so many people think that the Columbia, MO SC is essential to I-70 travel. I've driven that route from Independence to St Charles 3 times, twice Eastbound and once Westbound and had no problem in an S85. Yes if you have an S60 you need it, otherwise no. All that said, Columbia will make it more relaxing.

You point out the 60 issue, others have mentioned the problems in bad weather, but even in good weather, total charge time can be reduced. Doing a full, 100% charge can take 90 minutes or more. As an example, assume that it will take 90 minutes to charge in Independence and the drive will take an extra 15 minutes (after subtracting the time to get to the Columbia Supercharger) because of "careful" driving to conserve the battery, "hypermiling." If I only charge to what I need plus some reserve to drive "with traffic," I probably need about 25 minutes of charging in Independence and 20 minutes in Columbia, that is a total of 45 minutes of charging versus 90+15 minutes going direct or a 60 minute saving.

Using both Independence and Columbia with an efficient Supercharge charging strategy can save about 60 minutes, an hour, on this route. Columbia will be very welcome on I-70!
 
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I'm curious why so many people think that the Columbia, MO SC is essential to I-70 travel. I've driven that route from Independence to St Charles 3 times, twice Eastbound and once Westbound and had no problem in an S85. Yes if you have an S60 you need it, otherwise no. All that said, Columbia will make it more relaxing.

Right there is part of the answer. The trip needs to work for S60. But even for S85, it's a stretch.

For me, I make regular business commutes from KC to Columbia and then back to KC, and there can be a good 20 miles of just driving around Columbia before heading back. And there is no reasonable destination charging for me in Columbia. The route, assuming I don't use the Independence SC, is 129 miles one way. That can add up to a total of 129+129+20 = 278 miles. That's not counting vampire loss for overnight stay (at a pre-designated location that has no charging). If using the Independence SC, which seems kind of silly to me, it would reduce the one way trip to 118 miles. That's still 118+118+20 = 256 miles. Any way you slice it, it's either inconvenient, impossible, or scary close to exceeding range. So I won't buy a Tesla until there is a reasonable refueling option in or around Columbia.

For cross state travelers, it's not that it can't be done, it's more that it can't be done comfortably. If the trip is scary close to exceeding range and you have to potentially drive under the limit or draft or something, then it's just not living up to the Tesla promise. To make it as good or better than any other car, the Columbia supercharger needs to be there.
 
I'm curious why so many people think that the Columbia, MO SC is essential to I-70 travel. I've driven that route from Independence to St Charles 3 times, twice Eastbound and once Westbound and had no problem in an S85. Yes if you have an S60 you need it, otherwise no. All that said, Columbia will make it more relaxing.

Aside from the defunct S60 I suspect the M3 wouldn't be able to make it non-stop either.
 
Hey Folks!

My name is Scott, I'm the Sales Manager here, and a huge fan of the Tesla Cars and what they have become.

We received a few calls from Tesla Owners calling and asking about our charging station. So I did some investigating and found this thread and decided to make an account!

Yes, I am confirming that we will be hosting a charging station at our location. With very simple access from I-70 and a stone's throw away from the congested US-63/I-70 interchange, the Tesla team contacted us with interest to put a Supercharger at our location. I'm not sure how much I can say at this point, but everything is in the works and we should be starting construction soon! Also, if you all don't prefer Jimmy Johns, we do have a Restaurant on site in our building for Breakfast and Dinner! Kem's is opened in the morning from 6AM to 10:30AM for breakfast, and Dinner with bar is open from 5PM to 10:30PM! Once our charging station is up and running, we will be offering promotions to Tesla owners on site for room discounts and restaurant discounts once finally open!

I'm appreciative of the feedback on how much you folks love our location. We enjoy being right of I-70 for quick easy access, and only 10 minutes from downtown! If you have any questions related to our property, don't hesitate to email me @ [email protected]

Have a great day!
 
Wow!! Nothing like having Range Anxiety 'before' you buy the car. If you think its that close, plug into a 110 (they're everywhere) overnight. 12 hours will get 36 miles.
Skotty seems to have made an entirely reasonable calculation to me. Why on earth anyone would spend $70k plus for a car that will require them to make an overnight stop in some specific place, for a frequent trip that is easily doable round trip with no anxiety in even the cheapest ICE, is beyond me. Columbia should have been built last year, even before the rest of I-70 was completed, as having it makes KC-STL trips possible (with destination charging) year round. Instead it's the very last gap.
 
Hey Folks!

My name is Scott, I'm the Sales Manager here, and a huge fan of the Tesla Cars and what they have become.

We received a few calls from Tesla Owners calling and asking about our charging station. So I did some investigating and found this thread and decided to make an account!

Yes, I am confirming that we will be hosting a charging station at our location. With very simple access from I-70 and a stone's throw away from the congested US-63/I-70 interchange, the Tesla team contacted us with interest to put a Supercharger at our location. I'm not sure how much I can say at this point, but everything is in the works and we should be starting construction soon! Also, if you all don't prefer Jimmy Johns, we do have a Restaurant on site in our building for Breakfast and Dinner! Kem's is opened in the morning from 6AM to 10:30AM for breakfast, and Dinner with bar is open from 5PM to 10:30PM! Once our charging station is up and running, we will be offering promotions to Tesla owners on site for room discounts and restaurant discounts once finally open!

I'm appreciative of the feedback on how much you folks love our location. We enjoy being right of I-70 for quick easy access, and only 10 minutes from downtown! If you have any questions related to our property, don't hesitate to email me @ [email protected]

Have a great day!

Great news, thanks for joining up and confirming the information. I'll be sure to make a point to stop by and say hello. Please do, when you are able, provide us with updates of the installation process and when you expect to go live.
 
Hey Folks!

My name is Scott, I'm the Sales Manager here, and a huge fan of the Tesla Cars and what they have become.

We received a few calls from Tesla Owners calling and asking about our charging station. So I did some investigating and found this thread and decided to make an account!

Yes, I am confirming that we will be hosting a charging station at our location. With very simple access from I-70 and a stone's throw away from the congested US-63/I-70 interchange, the Tesla team contacted us with interest to put a Supercharger at our location. I'm not sure how much I can say at this point, but everything is in the works and we should be starting construction soon! Also, if you all don't prefer Jimmy Johns, we do have a Restaurant on site in our building for Breakfast and Dinner! Kem's is opened in the morning from 6AM to 10:30AM for breakfast, and Dinner with bar is open from 5PM to 10:30PM! Once our charging station is up and running, we will be offering promotions to Tesla owners on site for room discounts and restaurant discounts once finally open!

I'm appreciative of the feedback on how much you folks love our location. We enjoy being right of I-70 for quick easy access, and only 10 minutes from downtown! If you have any questions related to our property, don't hesitate to email me @ [email protected]

Have a great day!
Awesome and thanks for your support. It will be rewarded with business for sure.
 
Hey Folks!

My name is Scott, I'm the Sales Manager here, and a huge fan of the Tesla Cars and what they have become.

We received a few calls from Tesla Owners calling and asking about our charging station. So I did some investigating and found this thread and decided to make an account!

Yes, I am confirming that we will be hosting a charging station at our location. With very simple access from I-70 and a stone's throw away from the congested US-63/I-70 interchange, the Tesla team contacted us with interest to put a Supercharger at our location. I'm not sure how much I can say at this point, but everything is in the works and we should be starting construction soon! Also, if you all don't prefer Jimmy Johns, we do have a Restaurant on site in our building for Breakfast and Dinner! Kem's is opened in the morning from 6AM to 10:30AM for breakfast, and Dinner with bar is open from 5PM to 10:30PM! Once our charging station is up and running, we will be offering promotions to Tesla owners on site for room discounts and restaurant discounts once finally open!

I'm appreciative of the feedback on how much you folks love our location. We enjoy being right of I-70 for quick easy access, and only 10 minutes from downtown! If you have any questions related to our property, don't hesitate to email me @ [email protected]

Have a great day!

Thanks for posting. I should be buying a Tesla within another year. I won't need a room, but as long as you are happy to have the business, I'd be happy to periodically grab dinner from your on site restaurant. I'll be stopping there pretty much once a week when that day comes.

- - - Updated - - -

Wow!! Nothing like having Range Anxiety 'before' you buy the car. If you think its that close, plug into a 110 (they're everywhere) overnight. 12 hours will get 36 miles.

No range anxiety here because I haven't bought the car. :p There really are no good plug in options for me. My overnight stay location is the same fixed place every week, and I can't plug in there; not even 110. Day-time work site also has nothing, nor are they willing to provide. The only thing that would make sense is stopping somewhere briefly for a fast charge. Columbia Supercharger for the win!
 
Checked site today (7/23/2015). No signs of equipment or construction yet.

Initial thoughts -- great exit for cross state travelers; other Columbia exits can get ugly sometimes. Easy access. The hotel looks really nice, but oddly, the parking lot seems a little run down (lots of poor condition concrete), despite being new. The lot is smaller than I'd like to see. Just a single lane, though it does run all the way around the building. Most likely locations in the lot are front right and back left. Nice area. Some empty lots nearby that might fill in over time.

I'll check back weekly and post pictures when construction starts.
 
Hey Folks!

My name is Scott, I'm the Sales Manager here, and a huge fan of the Tesla Cars and what they have become.

We received a few calls from Tesla Owners calling and asking about our charging station. So I did some investigating and found this thread and decided to make an account!

Yes, I am confirming that we will be hosting a charging station at our location. With very simple access from I-70 and a stone's throw away from the congested US-63/I-70 interchange, the Tesla team contacted us with interest to put a Supercharger at our location. I'm not sure how much I can say at this point, but everything is in the works and we should be starting construction soon! Also, if you all don't prefer Jimmy Johns, we do have a Restaurant on site in our building for Breakfast and Dinner! Kem's is opened in the morning from 6AM to 10:30AM for breakfast, and Dinner with bar is open from 5PM to 10:30PM! Once our charging station is up and running, we will be offering promotions to Tesla owners on site for room discounts and restaurant discounts once finally open!

I'm appreciative of the feedback on how much you folks love our location. We enjoy being right of I-70 for quick easy access, and only 10 minutes from downtown! If you have any questions related to our property, don't hesitate to email me @ [email protected]

Have a great day!

Thanks so much for keeping us all informed. I am planning a trip though in mid-September, and sure hope you are up and running by then!

It is really great that you have a restaurant in the hotel. That will ensure that many of us patronize you, even if our timing does not accommodate an overnight.
 
Earlier in July my wife and I crisscrossed the country from Buffalo, NY to Pasadena, CA. The St. Charles to Independence MO gap is one of two long gaps we encountered in the current SC network. The other is the Buffalo to Macedonia, OH run. Trying to go at median traffic speed (80+ MPH) on the St. Charles - Independence run quickly gets the, "Slow down to reach your destination" warning. I was hypermiling behind the fastest trucks available to have about 30 miles left on the battery at the end of the run. I wouldn't even consider doing it in the winter. Glad to see the Columbia SC now seems to be in the pipeline. In buffalo, our SC permit was issued November of 2014. SC opened up early in July of 2015. Adjust your expectations accordingly. Then again, that was New York. Things might start sooner in MO, especially in the warmer weather.
 
I shot that gap on Thursday at 73mph average and made it into St Charles with a couple % left in the tank. I'd been averaging closer to 80mph on the rest of the trip from Northern CA to Ottawa so it felt sloooow and no Tesla really wants to be passed too many times! My trip East was a total of just 4 days driving! I'm at it again in the other direction on Aug 12th when I'd love to report construction underway... or better... But as others have noted, may be a bit too pie in the sky. Tessie is now quite the SC ho with some 30 different SC locations under her skirt!

Great to have Scott in Columbia ready to welcome us soon! Thanks Scott!!