SuperCharger - Denton, Tx

[NonChaotic]

Construction. Taken Saturday.

 

[NonChaotic]

From yesterday.

 

[fwgmills]

Not much progress, but it's ongoing. Sorry I couldn't get better pictures (had iPhone6+ but really needed a real camera) but they were full-on working and I didn't want to get in their way. The parking lot was bananas, probably because of the holiday.
Progress: Concrete torn up, dirt dug up, underground conduit is in. I didn't see any charging cabinets or a new transformer. They could be using the existing transformer there or possibly replacing it. I don't know enough about electric load/capacity to know if the current transformer can support the SuperChargers and whatever else is connected to it. Because of the size of the roped off area I couldn't tell if there will be 6 or 8 stalls. I tried to see how many conduit pipes were coming up out of the ground but I know that is not an accurate way to tell. Maybe next Monday when I go up there perhaps the charging cabinet will be installed then we'll know for sure. Plus I'll be sure to take my real camera and get some better shots.

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Ok, clearly iPhone pictures suck. Sorry about that.

 

[JMG]

No worries, thanks for the update!

 

[bollar]

New image shared by our own Stevejust on the DFW Tesla group.

 

[AlbertOnMars]

This is going to be one of the best reported Supercharger stations yet!

 

[fwgmills]

It seems that the people reporting on the site all (mostly) live on the north side of the metroplex so I expect that the updates will be most thorough.
I guess they either had the crates in the shipping containers when I was there (Monday around 2pm) or they were delivered between then and now.

As for my reporting, even though I don't own a Tesla yet (I'm wearing the wife down and Bjorn's videos REALLY help. ) I enjoy taking the pictures and sharing the progress with this community. I am very excited about seeing and test driving a Model X once they become available at the NorthPark Center showroom and when I eventually get a Tesla the Denton SuperCharger will be my first stop from the SC. Drive to Denton, charge, then come back down I-35W to my home.

Now if only we could convince Tesla to put a SuperCharger near Wichita Falls along US 287 and hurry up along I-20 west towards El Paso that would cover anywhere I would want to go for vacations.

 

[bollar]

Always alternative, Denton looks to solar | The Star-Telegram

 

[reddy]

The concept that our cars would be powered by 70% renewable energy source is nice. Right now Amarillo is only 15%, despite the fact that the city is surrounded by wind farms 100 miles in each direction. We are supposed to be up to 18% next year after a New Mexico solar farm comes online.

Most of our panhandle wind energy is being exported downstate to places like Denton since the windmills are on the ERCOT power grid. Amarillo itself, as is most of the Texas Panhandle, is on the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) grid. Thus we are not able to access our own wind power, and you can't typically trade power from one grid to another.

 

[GlennSapien]

It looks like 6 pull through stalls. Pure speculation, based on current progress, looks like at least 4 dedicated stalls.

 

[MrPinrel]

planning on traveling to Dallas from Kansas for thanksgiving. Would be nice to have this station operational by then!

 

[GlennSapien]

This picture was taken on 10/16

This picture, ironically, was taken 10/10 just a few days before Bollar posted a very similar image during the day.
Based on the rate of progress this week I think it is very likely that this station will be online by next weekend.

 

[purplewalt]

planning on traveling to Dallas from Kansas for thanksgiving. Would be nice to have this station operational by then!

Denton's Supercharger is really not necessary to travel to Dallas.
Fill up at Ardmore and you should be set to go.

IF you have a S60 you might need to slow down a bit, but you will make it.
There currently is terrible amounts of construction/diverted traffic North of Denton until South of Farmers Branch right now, so be patient and very alert as you travel those areas in North Texas.

Denton's Supercharger will assist drivers who are headed to/from Corsicana/Houston and Waco who are headed further North on I-35 to Ardmore.

 

[taurusking]

Based on the rate of progress this week I think it is very likely that this station will be online by next weekend.

This is good news...Can't wait for Denton to be completed

 

[reddy]

Denton's Supercharger is really not necessary to travel to Dallas.

Denton's Supercharger will assist drivers who are headed to/from Corsicana/Houston and Waco who are headed further North on I-35 to Ardmore.

I did the Waco to Ardmore segment twice a couple months ago, and I found myself having to slow down below the ambient speed in order to have enough range in an S85 with a 100% charge.

Having Denton will allow full speed, plus we can charge to less than 100% Since the time it takes to go from 80% to 100% charge is way longer than going from 40% to 60% for instance, that saves us some serious time both on driving speed and charging speed.

BTW, it looks like the rain delay last week in Amarillo has caused Denton to pull ahead of Amarillo as far as completion.

 

[purplewalt]

I did the Waco to Ardmore segment twice a couple months ago, and I found myself having to slow down below the ambient speed in order to have enough range in an S85 with a 100% charge.

Having Denton will allow full speed, plus we can charge to less than 100% Since the time it takes to go from 80% to 100% charge is way longer than going from 40% to 60% for instance, that saves us some serious time both on driving speed and charging speed.

BTW, it looks like the rain delay last week in Amarillo has caused Denton to pull ahead of Amarillo as far as completion.

Understood.

However, he is coming from KC toward Dallas, not traveling on to Waco nor Corsicana.
Unless he is really hoofing it and he has a S60, he will easily make it to Dallas.
A full charge at Ardmore would take a bit longer, but if Denton is not open in the next month, it is still very achievable to make it to Dallas.

I have made the Ardmore to Dallas Trip 4 times this year already (S85).
And we still have 2 1/2 months to go in 2015....

 

[K5ING]

It also depends on where in the DFW area you are going. It's pretty big, as shown by it's approximate size in relation to the state of Connecticut. I've circled Denton in red.

 

[MrPinrel]

I knew I could probably make it regardless, although of course worrying about range makes trips a bit more unpleasant. In any case, after reading some of the replies I checked and it is only 120 miles from Ardmore to our hotel, so either way we'll be fine! thanks for the replies. It will still be nice to be able to charge at the new SC if convenient. The pics look like it is coming along nicely.

 

[redi]

I stopped by the Denton location today (Sunday) and the crew was busily working - making a lot of progress.

• I chatted with the lady leading the crew, they are from Alabama and did three others but nothing close (Baton Rouge, Miami, IIRC).
• She said the schedule had them finishing up Denton on the 28th,
• She's not sure where they will go next.
• She was glad someone came by and introduced themselves, and said she has only seen one Tesla the whole time. Come over and bring your cars when you say Hi.

That location in Denton is a bit of a traffic nightmare/mess on the weekends, but there are tons of eateries and shopping nearby. Looks like some are the nose-in spots. Maybe those are less succeptible to the oblivious ICEing them?

- - - Updated - - -

It also depends on where in the DFW area you are going. It's pretty big, as shown by it's approximate size in relation to the state of Connecticut. I've circled Denton in red.

And Connecticut has 5 superchargers now. Sheesh. The entire state of Texas is going to close the year with 9? That same overlay on this wider metroplex area has 2-3x the population of Connecticut. TX has around 7x the people and 50x the area of CT in total. Last numbers I saw had more MS in the DFW metroplex than the entire state of CT too.

 

[Bet TSLA]

And Connecticut has 5 superchargers now.

Effectively four, as two of them are just different sides of the same highway.