Supercharger - Falls Creek, PA

[Levichar]

I'll be heading across 80 on Monday, July 3. I,'ll stop and look for the Falls Creek charger. Depending on time and my remaining miles, I'll try to check Bellefonte.

 

[Newscutter]

Couple of our local owners made a scouting run and confirmed the Supercharger is essentially complete-- but still lacking the utility transformer.

Full details here: TeslaPittsburgh.com: DuBois / Falls Creek Supercharger CONFIRMED!

 

[Villa-Lobos]

Thanks for the pics great news. Fills huge hole!

 

[JHWJR]

Just learned that I will be driving Chicago to NYNY at the end of the month. The Falls Creek Supercharger would be soooooo helpful. It's a long, long way from Macedonia, OH, to Bloomsburgh, PA: 296 miles. That's cutting it AWFULLY close in my Model X 100D. I don't want to turn off the air conditioning and cross my fingers. (And I don't want to take the turnpike or detour through Cranberry, PA.)

 

[Villa-Lobos]

any updates from anyone? This will sure beat the PA turnpike?

 

[JHWJR]

Headed there this morning to check it out. Will report back.

 

[CSFTN]

Just learned that I will be driving Chicago to NYNY at the end of the month. The Falls Creek Supercharger would be soooooo helpful. It's a long, long way from Macedonia, OH, to Bloomsburgh, PA: 296 miles. That's cutting it AWFULLY close in my Model X 100D. I don't want to turn off the air conditioning and cross my fingers. (And I don't want to take the turnpike or detour through Cranberry, PA.)

Turning off the AC makes almost no difference. You slow down. The difference in energy consumption comparing 70 mph to 75 mph is 10%+ And its not linear so 75 to 80 mph is much greater than 10%

 

[JHWJR]

Well, Falls Creek is not open at the moment, and the cashier has no idea when it will be. Apparently charging to 100% in Macedonia, OH, and driving slowly to Bloomsburg, PA, 294 miles away is becoming clearer. On the other hand, I got a timing reprieve, so maybe I take a poll of my confidence that night and keep Cranberry, PA, as an option.

I even plugged in just to be sure, and the car suggested that I check the power to the charger.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

The location of these chargers (at a gas station) is hilarious as no one wants to be at a gas station. You don't go to have fun. you go to fill your oil burner with... gas... while your eye catches the sexy lines of a sedan that's plugged in, without any fumes or $3/gallon costs...
I just find this... delicious. lol

 

[azred]

This is brilliant. I was looking at supercharge.info yesterday and noticed that (I think) there are only 4 spots on any east-west interstates left that I cannot manage from coast to coast in my 75D:

1. El Paso, TX - Casa Grande, AZ (I-10)
2. Little Rck, AR - Oklahoma City, OK (I-40)
3. Bloomsburg, PA - Macedonia, OH (I-80)
and
4. the "North Dakota Hole" (I-94)

Other than those, I think I could pick any east-west interstate and drive from Atlantic to Pacific and back, ad infinitum, Forrest Gump electric style.

Then the next day, this thread made its way to supercharge.info and the list was shortened to 3. ;-)

I expect Tesla must be aware of this too, and I hope that means #s 1 and 2 are imminently about to be filled too.

When we might be able to get cross the I-94 may be less certain, but I suppose if Tesla is serious about their alleged "end of 2017" plans, it cannot be too far behind. This is a really cool time to be alive. It's almost like we might get our heads out of our asses and NOT destroy this planet after all.

Unfortunately #2 and #4 haven't even made the huge (overly optimistic?) list of "targeted" 2017 openings, so they could be a few years away. I'm crossing my Arizona resident fingers that the huge El Paso - Casa Grande hole is filled this year as per the plan. It looks like the East Coast is getting most of the new construction currently, but I realize that's also the most populated areas -- so local use could really mess up long distance travelers without many additional sites in those urban areas.

This PA news filling another big hole is welcome news as I travel there often to visit my daughter.

 

[Andrew Berman]

The I-80 and I-86 routes are the most important gaps that matter to me. The Falls Creek SC is thus a big deal: Last Thanksgiving I made the trek out to Chicago and (sigh!) had to take the PA Turnpike. The PA Turnpike's tolls that I could have avoided via I-80 (if only it were available then!) were sufficiently high enough to eat into the savings of not burning fossil fuels on the way to Chicago. And if I go to Toronto, I would much prefer to use I-86 / Southern Tier than go to Syracuse and take the Thruway. The Erwin, NY site will get rid of that problem in a sudden hurry, although I would like one more so as to avoid the Thruway completely.

 

[mudmutt]

I just drove from Ohio to NJ and had to resort to using the PA turnpike again. Between the traffic issues and the construction, I'm also very eager to see this open. I'm hoping to see it open any day, at least so I can take that route home Friday.

 

[BlueRocket]

I just drove from Ohio to NJ and had to resort to using the PA turnpike again. Between the traffic issues and the construction, I'm also very eager to see this open. I'm hoping to see it open any day, at least so I can take that route home Friday.

Hoping as well... Also driving back Friday from Ohio. Probably unlikely but it should be there for the next trip. Hate the PA turnpike and fairly expensive as well.

 

[bak_phy]

The location of these chargers (at a gas station) is hilarious as no one wants to be at a gas station. You don't go to have fun. you go to fill your oil burner with... gas... while your eye catches the sexy lines of a sedan that's plugged in, without any fumes or $3/gallon costs...
I just find this... delicious. lol

At least they get to leave after 5 min. You are stuck for an hour.

 

[realvvk]

At least they get to leave after 5 min. You are stuck for an hour.

I have found that I spend about the same amount of time supercharging as I do getting gas. By the time everyone has gone to the bathroom and we have cleaned the car/windshield and the kids are buckled in, it is easily 20-30 minutes anyway. The only difference is that with my ICE car I have about 50% more range. But I worry about finding open gas stations on rural routes because we usually travel at night.

 

[JHWJR]

You are stuck for an hour.

And Falls Creek is as un-happening a place as it is convenient racing across Pennsylvania. I really hope there are plans to put something more at that location, aside from the Sheetz gas station, which is a reasonably substantial gas station, I'll give you. But you refresh your supply of Mountain Dew or Red Bull and use the bathroom and you're done. Now you are just waiting to finish charging. I think they need a Home Depot or a Target or something...

 

[JHWJR]

I have found that I spend about the same amount of time supercharging as I do getting gas. By the time everyone has gone to the bathroom and we have cleaned the car/windshield and the kids are buckled in, it is easily 20-30 minutes anyway. The only difference is that with my ICE car I have about 50% more range. But I worry about finding open gas stations on rural routes because we usually travel at night.

I think that there are two gems at least in what you have written.

First, most folks, while filling, are stuck with their car, even if it is raining and even if it is 3 degrees. We plug and go inside. Once they are done filling, they get to come inside for the first time.

Second, I will start saying to folks: "Ever get to a gas station that is closed late at night? Superchargers never close." I DO, however, wish they were at established rest stops ON the highway, especially at limited access turnpikes that you have to pay to get on and off of.

 

[mudmutt]

And Falls Creek is as un-happening a place as it is convenient racing across Pennsylvania. I really hope there are plans to put something more at that location, aside from the Sheetz gas station, which is a reasonably substantial gas station, I'll give you. But you refresh your supply of Mountain Dew or Red Bull and use the bathroom and you're done. Now you are just waiting to finish charging. I think they need a Home Depot or a Target or something...

While I agree more amenities would be nice, a Home Depot/Menards/Lowes would be very detrimental to my savings accounts. I need something nice to browse without the temptation to purchase.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

Every time my wife has to pump gas while it's snowing out, she hates me even more...
Hopefully her Tesla will arrive this year

 

[5YJSA]

I DO, however, wish they were at established rest stops ON the highway, especially at limited access turnpikes that you have to pay to get on and off of.

Hear! Hear!

This is a massive missed opportunity for Tesla. ALL roadside rest stops should have superchargers, or at least all superchargers on freeways should be at rest stops. People are stopping there anyway, there is usually ample parking, in Ontario (and some other places), there are often gas stations and food vendors, tourism info, etc.

How could governments say no if Tesla came calling and said let us put a supercharger at your location?

I suppose it's possible that some governments would get push back because that favours one brand of electric car, but that's a trivial fix: just put in a few chademo / CCS chargers too.

Hell, I bet Tesla would even foot the bill for the equipment, given their corporate mission.