Supercharger - Ellensburg, WA

[ReddyLeaf]

FYI, I forgot to mention that I also checked on the 3rd Street downtown EBurg charging stations (Google Maps) for new construction, which is now in progress. A few months back, the local utility added 3-phase transformers to the pole at the SW corner. Now it looks like the concrete forms have been started for the charger placement. It might be done this summer, so check Plugshare. This could be useful overflow for those with a Chademo adapter.

No, unfortunately, this is NOT a SC, but rather an extension of the WA Electric Highways, partially funded through our $150/yr license fee. This will be a single, dual-headed Chademo/CCS DCQC, with service provided for possible future expansion to two stations. There will be nine additional locations in Eastern WA and nine additional stations on I-5. More info here:
https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/0DED5F62-5C83-456A-BD26-6176941A5F29/0/EVIPP_NOPA.pdf

 

[ThortsMD]

When I was charging at Ellensberg on Sunday, a young man under an umbrella was monitoring the number of cars charging, waiting and how long they charged. I asked him about his task, and he stated that his firm was contracted by Tesla to gather that info. He had also set up 6 white and black "EV charging" plastic cone-like barriers for the charging area. Sounds like Tesla is getting ready for expansion.

 

[BerTX]

There have been cones at the Ellensberg SC for a long time...

 

[PLUS EV]

Sounds like Tesla is getting ready for expansion.

Don't think I agree with your conclusion here. If they were going to expand, they would just expand rather than hire some guy to manage the 5 stalls.

 

[ThortsMD]

There have been cones at the Ellensberg SC for a long time...

Look at the photo. These are different. One is in the photo. There were 6 of them, provided by the "EV Valet" contracted for my Tesla. He said Tesla was gathering the data on wait times and charge times. What other conclusion can you reach?

 

[ThortsMD]

Don't think I agree with your conclusion here. If they were going to expand, they would just expand rather than hire some guy to manage the 5 stalls.

Perhaps Tesla is trying to figure out demand. There is no way to know how often or how many are waiting in line without direct observation...like on a holiday weekend. Maybe there are price differences for variously sized second installations?

EDIT: On the stand the young guy is manning you can read "EV Valet". He showed me his logs. He was writing down when each car stared and ended charging, and how long each car waited to charge. Sounds like data-driven decision making.

 

[MarkBrokeIt]

Perhaps Tesla is trying to figure out demand. There is no way to know how often or how many are waiting in line without direct observation...like on a holiday weekend.

Most companies would go off of customer complaints. Seems pretty old school to hire a human to perform this task. Also, the SC's already log the start/end time of every charge session.

 

[ibdb]

Most companies would go off of customer complaints. Seems pretty old school to hire a human to perform this task. Also, the SC's already log the start/end time of every charge session.

They log charge sessions -- but they don't log time waiting, or those who might leave, leave and return, or how many might be waiting at a time. I think there's enough additional information that couldn't be gathered easily another way to justify it. Most of all, I hope they find that adding another Supercharger to the area is warranted.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

This might have been related to the holiday weekend as well. Well, anyway, it seems to indicate that Tesla is taking a bit more interest in Ellensburg. I hope the valet is checking the ICE vehicles that block the chargers from midnight to 8am on busy summer weekends.

 

[Seattle Tom]

I don’t care what the strategy is. Have a kid count cars, plant a video camera in the lot, use a Space X satellite, whatever. But everything I hear about the Ellensburg SC is that it’s undersized for the connection point it serves. If there isn’t room in that lot, add 10 or 12 SCs in another nearby location.

(By the way, Tesla did exactly this in Mount Shasta as I discovered on a road trip recently. The 4 stall SC at the Best Western couldn’t be expanded, so they added 14 across the street in a strip mall parking lot.)

I’ll be traveling to Ellensburg for the rodeo this Labor Day (highly recommended event!) and the SC situation is a prime concern for me given the holiday travel weekend. Would love an expansion to be done by then, though I count it as seriously unlikely.

 

[ThortsMD]

I don’t care what the strategy is. Have a kid count cars, plant a video camera in the lot, use a Space X satellite, whatever. But everything I hear about the Ellensburg SC is that it’s undersized for the connection point it serves. .

Totally agree!

 

[N8DGR8]

FYI, I forgot to mention that I also checked on the 3rd Street downtown EBurg charging stations (Google Maps) for new construction, which is now in progress. A few months back, the local utility added 3-phase transformers to the pole at the SW corner. Now it looks like the concrete forms have been started for the charger placement. It might be done this summer, so check Plugshare. This could be useful overflow for those with a Chademo adapter.

No, unfortunately, this is NOT a SC, but rather an extension of the WA Electric Highways, partially funded through our $150/yr license fee. This will be a single, dual-headed Chademo/CCS DCQC, with service provided for possible future expansion to two stations. There will be nine additional locations in Eastern WA and nine additional stations on I-5. More info here:
https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/0DED5F62-5C83-456A-BD26-6176941A5F29/0/EVIPP_NOPA.pdf

Looks like this is online, anyone had a chance to try it? Only concern is that it is free, people may not move on very quickly.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

Looks like this is online, anyone had a chance to try it? Only concern is that it is free, people may not move on very quickly.

There was a problem posted on PlugShare, but yes, it looks like it's up.

 

[snort]

Perhaps Tesla is trying to figure out demand. There is no way to know how often or how many are waiting in line without direct observation...like on a holiday weekend.

Sure there is: The car knows where it is, and the supercharger knows whether it's in use or not. If you park within a block of a supercharger for a while without charging, and the supercharger is full, and then you move to the charger once there's a space, you were waiting. It can be sent to the home office anonymized, the way waze data is, to track these sorts of overloads.

I'm guessing it's a student doing a school project.

--Snortybartfast

 

[ThortsMD]

He said the company he works for was hired BY TESLA to gather the data. His company provided the "EV Valet" podium and the new black and white EV ONLY cones in the photo.

I don't understand the doubt and animus being displayed on this topic.

 

[PLUS EV]

The cones have been there all along.

 

[ThortsMD]

No, Plus, that's incorrect as far as I know. There have been the conical white, typically-shaped cones there for many months. One is in the photo. The one's I'm referring to are new. One is also in the photo, near the stand. The kid said HE brought those. I travel through E-burg regularly, and had never seen those before. It backs up his story. Look at post #93 in this post...the small conical ones are there, not these new ones. And as for the "use the satellites" conjecture, using a guy being paid minimum wage is a method that is faster, easier and cheaper.

Edit: Maybe we are using the term "cone" differently. I am referring to the new, rather rectangular white and black plastic marker nearer the kid under the red umbrella as opposed to the small conical cone between the two S's.

 

[PLUS EV]

No, Plus, that's incorrect as far as I know. There have been the conical white, typically-shaped cones there for many months. One is in the photo. The one's I'm referring to are new. One is also in the photo, near the stand. The kid said HE brought those. I travel through E-burg regularly, and had never seen those before. It backs up his story. Look at post #93 in this post...the small conical ones are there, not these new ones. And as for the "use the satellites" conjecture, using a guy being paid minimum wage is a method that is faster, easier and cheaper.

Edit: Maybe we are using the term "cone" differently. I am referring to the new, rather rectangular white and black plastic marker nearer the kid under the red umbrella as opposed to the small conical cone between the two S's.

I don't even see the pic to see what you are talking about anymore (most likely the same problem this forum has been having with pictures recently). But it's safe to say the "cones" I was talking about were "conical!"

con·i·cal
ˈkänək(ə)l/
adjective

1. having the shape of a cone.

 

[ThortsMD]

I don't even see the pic to see what you are talking about anymore (most likely the same problem this forum has been having with pictures recently). But it's safe to say the "cones" I was talking about were "conical!"

con·i·cal
ˈkänək(ə)l/
adjective

1. having the shape of a cone.

The photo isn't showing up for me in Safari, but it is in Chrome. I thought we might be talking in cross currents, as there are 2 cone types. There were about 6-8 of these taller, more rectangular "cones" scattered around the parking lot, even out toward the drive to the front door of the hotel.

May I also congratulate you on your supercharger total. You came out of no where and, for someone in one of our nation's corners, have racked up a huge total. I finally got over the Century mark recently.

 

[skitown]

The photo isn't showing up for me in Safari, but it is in Chrome.

View attachment 311298

Try a hard fresh and/or clear your cache in Safari; this worked for me after a mod suggested the same. As you probably know, the site has had image issues the past week, but they seem to be cleared up now. You likely just need to purge the old, dead images now.