Supercharger - Fargo, ND

[BobC]

Do you have a source for that? Cause the data sure seem to disagree with that assertion.

It may be a rather strong statement for me to make, but it really seems to have gotten a lot slower in the past month. I cannot find any new construction cones or blue dots on supercharge.info since June. Let me go back and look again...

Okay, I do see a new cone (4 days old) in Florida, a 19-day old cone in Baltimore, and 28 days old in Chicago. Maybe not suspended, but I recall seeing more cones in the mid-U.S. at this time last year. It appears there are no new blue dots in the past month.

 

[MP3Mike]

It appears there are no new blue dots in the past month.

That doesn't mean that they aren't doing it, it just means that nobody has found it and reported it to supercharge.info. (Plenty of sites have been fully built with nobody finding permits or construction before it opened.)

 

[PLUS EV]

That doesn't mean that they aren't doing it, it just means that nobody has found it and reported it to supercharge.info. (Plenty of sites have been fully built with nobody finding permits or construction before it opened.)

This is a pretty weak argument.

Sure there is the occasional supercharger that opens without anyone noticing, but those are far and away the exception to the rule.

There has obviously been a significant slowdown in supercharger construction during the month of July, which is a time of year that typically sees higher than average construction activity. If you don't believe me, just consult the "Changes" or "Data" page on supercharge.info.

 

[Peteybabes]

It may be a rather strong statement for me to make, but it really seems to have gotten a lot slower in the past month. I cannot find any new construction cones or blue dots on supercharge.info since June. Let me go back and look again...

Okay, I do see a new cone (4 days old) in Florida, a 19-day old cone in Baltimore, and 28 days old in Chicago. Maybe not suspended, but I recall seeing more cones in the mid-U.S. at this time last year. It appears there are no new blue dots in the past month.

i'm in columbus ohio, and there is one set to open any day now in Dublin ohio about 20 minutes from columbus. there are 2 other dots shown on tesla's website that haven't even been spotted on supercharger.net...so you're probably right.

 

[Luvmyblueev]

Unfortunate this is happening. I grew up in grand forks and my in laws are still there. Live near milwaukee and waiting to take my model x home. Could make the trip but in the dead of winter after depleting my charge could be a long ride home with 3 girls and a wife. Hopefully this will be addressed soon. I know my closest supercharger near milwaukee just went operational this spring and took longer than expected.

It in the grand scheme of things, it is amazing what Tesla has accomplished with their network. This is their ace in the hole regarding the quickly approaching competitor ev’s.

 

[DJDubbs]

I delayed getting a Model X in 2016 due to insufficient Superchargers along I-94. Finally broke down in 2017 but still couldn’t comfortably make the journey from Southern MN to Grand Forks, preventing me from bringing my kids to see their grandparents for two summers (they do visit us on occasion though). This summer I promised I would make the trip despite the lack of chargers. My initial route stated I’d have to fill in Clearwater & then Baxter in order to get to Grand Forks. My parents agreed I could unplug the dryer in order to use a 220 while at home. I decided to take my husband’s 100D Model S since the range is slightly better than my Model X. I was able to reach Grand Forks without additional charging with 6% charge remaining but had nearly ideal driving conditions. I used the Wall charger overnight which gets 1% charge per hour. When I went to plug into the dryer outlet in the morning I had a terrible surprise. Homes built before 1996 usually have a three prong outlet not a 220. The Tesla adapter cannot plug into this. I tried multiple stores looking for an adaptor. No luck.

In a near panic I checked PlugShare. There are three J1772 chargers listed in Grand Forks. Turns out the Best Western gets 10% charge per hour. Disaster averted! The other two chargers listed are only available during business hours. I’m relieved to see Moorhead is getting a level three charger this fall which should allow me to make this journey in the winter despite Tesla’s multiple year delay in installing chargers along I-94. I’m disappointed that Fargo hasn’t been built yet though & wish Tesla could have found a way to keep the promise they have back tracked on several times.

 

[DanL3]

It in the grand scheme of things, it is amazing what Tesla has accomplished with their network. This is their ace in the hole regarding the quickly approaching competitor ev’s.

I agree SuperChargers make Tesla the best overall EV solution. I need to get from Washington state to Roosevelt Mn. the Big chunk of I-94 still missing makes my trip very difficult.

 

[lightfoot3b]

I delayed getting a Model X in 2016 due to insufficient Superchargers along I-94. Finally broke down in 2017 but still couldn’t comfortably make the journey from Southern MN to Grand Forks, preventing me from bringing my kids to see their grandparents for two summers (they do visit us on occasion though). This summer I promised I would make the trip despite the lack of chargers. My initial route stated I’d have to fill in Clearwater & then Baxter in order to get to Grand Forks. My parents agreed I could unplug the dryer in order to use a 220 while at home. I decided to take my husband’s 100D Model S since the range is slightly better than my Model X. I was able to reach Grand Forks without additional charging with 6% charge remaining but had nearly ideal driving conditions. I used the Wall charger overnight which gets 1% charge per hour. When I went to plug into the dryer outlet in the morning I had a terrible surprise. Homes built before 1996 usually have a three prong outlet not a 220. The Tesla adapter cannot plug into this. I tried multiple stores looking for an adaptor. No luck.

In a near panic I checked PlugShare. There are three J1772 chargers listed in Grand Forks. Turns out the Best Western gets 10% charge per hour. Disaster averted! The other two chargers listed are only available during business hours. I’m relieved to see Moorhead is getting a level three charger this fall which should allow me to make this journey in the winter despite Tesla’s multiple year delay in installing chargers along I-94. I’m disappointed that Fargo hasn’t been built yet though & wish Tesla could have found a way to keep the promise they have back tracked on several times.

The travel story, I can totally relate. The charging, was exactly as was to be expected.

The 3 prong is a 220v (really 240, but that just depends who you ask) can be adapted to the Tesla 240V.

Here is a solid document about adapters (you can make completely at your own risk)
The 14-30NEMA the dryer is using can be adapter to use the 14-50NEMA (camper plug).
http://cosmacelf.net/Home Made Adapters.pdf
**important** set the car at 24Amps or less on the touchscreen when using these types of adapters since the car will think you are on a 14-50 not a 14-30 because it is a homemade adapter. **please do not burn anyone's house down!**

While waiting for my house to have a 14-50 installed I used a friend's garage that had a 30 amp breaker where we simply attached the 14-50 plug plug to the wiring (meets zero codes on the planet) and set the car to 20 some amps so I at least could drive more than 35 miles a day!

Keep complaining to anyone at Tesla who will listen. It's the only way we are going to keep pressure on them that we actually do want superchargers and bought (or haven't bought) these vehicles for use up in this area!

 

[VIKING26]

I received confirmation from West Acres, they are still in talks with Tesla, but Tesla has pushed it out to 2019.

 

[lightfoot3b]

I received confirmation from West Acres, they are still in talks with Tesla, but Tesla has pushed it out to 2019.

Well that settles it. Two independent entities confirmed yet another very cold winter of being... left out in the cold. I don't regret the purchase, but this sure does bug a guy who was told they would be in years ago and it seriously is messing with travel plans now.

 

[CarpetMan]

Anybody ever received a reply from emailing the Tesla supercharger email address?

Can’t remember how many emails I’ve sent them over the last couple years and never had a response.

 

[XHabjab]

Anybody ever received a reply from emailing the Tesla supercharger email address?

Can’t remember how many emails I’ve sent them over the last couple years and never had a response.

I think I've sent 3 messages (all about North Dakota), no response.

 

[Phantom3]

Has anyone tried the Tesla charger at the Element hotel in Fargo? Trying to make the trip from Toronto to Winnipeg in my LR M3

 

[XHabjab]

Has anyone tried the Tesla charger at the Element hotel in Fargo? Trying to make the trip from Toronto to Winnipeg in my LR M3

Yes.

I didn't make a reservation, but planned to stay there. [You see where this is going...] Of course, the hotel was full when I got there. They took my phone number but let me charge over night. I stayed at a neighboring hotel across the street - about a half mile walk.

Both hotels are very nice by the way. I think they (ie. The Element) have 2 dest chargers. There was an almost continuous flow of Teslas charging one after the other. I unplugged when mine was charged up and somebody else appeared from nowhere and plugged in a few minutes later. Somehow there didn't appear to be a line.

If that doesn't end up working for you, the hospital across the freeway has about 6 J1772s that can be used. When I was there, they were not properly described on Plugshare. But they were there, and worked well.

 

[Ledge]

Has anyone tried the Tesla charger at the Element hotel in Fargo? Trying to make the trip from Toronto to Winnipeg in my LR M3

I just arrived in Winnipeg on Thursday doing the exact same trip in my Model S.

There was a conference of some sort going on at the Element Hotel in Fargo when I called to reserve a room last week prior to leaving Toronto, so I had to change plans. I ended up booking a room at the Best Western Harvest Inn in Grand Forks. They have an 80A J1772 charger that worked great for an overnight stop.

If you do go the Grand Forks route, I would recommend using the Baxter, MN supercharger instead of the Clearwater one the nav will route you through. The route the nav in the car wanted me to take would have only left a 5% buffer upon arrival in Grand Forks. If you head north to the Baxter supercharger, the trip will be 30km or so longer, however the Baxter supercharger is closer to Grand Forks.

Also, I would recommend crossing the border in Port Huron rather than Detroit on your way out from Toronto. The Port Huron supercharger makes a great first charging stop, and has an excellent restaurant in the hotel with a patio overlooking the waterway.

 

[XHabjab]

Has anyone tried the Tesla charger at the Element hotel in Fargo? Trying to make the trip from Toronto to Winnipeg in my LR M3

By the way, I did this in both directions. On the Northbound route, I charged in the Minneapolis area (forgot where), stayed overnight at the Timberlake Lodge in Staples MN. They have 208V @ 72A. Nice independent hotel at good price. Tesla friendly. Next I topped off at BW Grand Forks (not sure I needed to) then on to Winnipeg. Bypassed Fargo.

On the return trip I went Winnipeg to Fargo et al as I described in my previous msg.

Both routes work well, but I'd probably prefer the Timberlake again if the overnight timing was right. The Timberlake is a little nicer than the BW Grand Forks, but there are no bad choices in this short list.

Make sure you tell them you're there because of their dest charger (either place).

 

[lightfoot3b]

Yes.

I didn't make a reservation, but planned to stay there. [You see where this is going...] Of course... were there, and worked well.

All of that x 2. They let me park in the handicap spot (they have a lot of them) when there was no way to charge without being in the middle of the road on the non-tesla plug. Great hotel (green). I was the first to ever try to charge there... it has been wired wrong by the electrician. Luckily the J1772 worked for an overnight (almost full) charge.

 

[WinterDragoness]

Well that settles it. Two independent entities confirmed yet another very cold winter of being... left out in the cold. I don't regret the purchase, but this sure does bug a guy who was told they would be in years ago and it seriously is messing with travel plans now.

This situation is definitely one of Tesla's larger failings. The future chargers map has continually claimed there would be chargers on this route starting in 2016 or earlier. What makes it worse is Elon claimed last year that you can reach anywhere in America on the supercharger network. That's a flat out lie unless he's trying to spin it by assuming you're using a 100kWh battery and you only want to reach some area and then be stranded or wait for an overnight charge. In my MS 60 there are lots of areas I can't reach around North Dakota and northern parts of states to the west of there. Love Tesla, but mad about this ongoing situation.

I also wonder if oil-infested North Dakota government is putting up as many roadblocks as possible.

 

[Fulkth]

This situation is definitely one of Tesla's larger failings. The future chargers map has continually claimed there would be chargers on this route starting in 2016 or earlier. What makes it worse is Elon claimed last year that you can reach anywhere in America on the supercharger network. That's a flat out lie unless he's trying to spin it by assuming you're using a 100kWh battery and you only want to reach some area and then be stranded or wait for an overnight charge. In my MS 60 there are lots of areas I can't reach around North Dakota and northern parts of states to the west of there. Love Tesla, but mad about this ongoing situation.

I also wonder if oil-infested North Dakota government is putting up as many roadblocks as possible.

I'd wonder about that, but Alexandria apparently put a hold on things too? I just wish some of this was a bit more transparent, I wonder if we might be able to make a difference by petitioning or something if we knew what the actual issues were. I don't think they had many issue getting a permit for Dickinson, and that is the closest to the oil patch. I know a few people who work in the oil industry alongside me that are hoping to get a Tesla, but I could see the pushback against it too from the industry at large.

As for the 'reach anywhere" issue I agree with you. There are some larger cities in northern North Dakota (Grand Forks, Minot, I'd throw in Devils lake due to tourism too) and other northern states like Montana, Idaho, and Michigan that are multi day trips or impossible due to complete lack of charging outside of standard wall outlets. For example, Minot, ND only has 1 wall outlet on Plugshare, pretty sure that is the best you will get there too. It is also where the North Dakota state fair is.. not sure how I will get to the fair and back with a model 3. I think North Dakota is the worst population wise currently though for non-supercharger-access.

I'm just hopeful to have I-94 complete mid 2019, they made decent progress this year and almost got started on completing the route. Looking at it customer wise North Dakota is just a tiny fraction of what other large population states offer, I can understand the lack of financial incentive to get things up and going here. With the oil lovers around here too the percent of the population willing to purchase a Tesla is probably smaller than most other states.

 

[lightfoot3b]

This situation is definitely one of Tesla's larger failings. The future chargers map has continually claimed there would be chargers on this route starting in 2016 or earlier. What makes it worse is Elon claimed last year that you can reach anywhere in America on the supercharger network. That's a flat out lie unless he's trying to spin it by assuming you're using a 100kWh battery and you only want to reach some area and then be stranded or wait for an overnight charge. In my MS 60 there are lots of areas I can't reach around North Dakota and northern parts of states to the west of there. Love Tesla, but mad about this ongoing situation.

I also wonder if oil-infested North Dakota government is putting up as many roadblocks as possible.

2015 was the original date. Missing Jamestown originally. Myself and a Minot owner (we didn't know each other yet) wrote detailed letters to Tesla bout why Jamestown was required on i-94.

The other "worse" part is Elon Tweeted we would have them in 2018 directly! Elon Musk on Twitter

Oil has nothing to do with it. The permit was silky smooth in Dickinson, heck it's completed and ready for pickup by Tesla (even paid for). The spot is ready to go and the Mall is disappointed they are not putting it in this summer(or year).

I'd wonder about that, but Alexandria apparently put a hold on things too? I just wish some of this was a bit more transparent, I wonder if we might be able to make a difference by petitioning or something if we knew what the actual issues were. I don't think they had many issue getting a permit for Dickinson, and that is the closest to the oil patch. I know a few people who work in the oil industry alongside me that are hoping to get a Tesla, but I could see the pushback against it too from the industry at large.

As for the 'reach anywhere" issue I agree with you. There are some larger cities in northern North Dakota (Grand Forks, Minot, I'd throw in Devils lake due to tourism too) and other northern states like Montana, Idaho, and Michigan that are multi day trips or impossible due to complete lack of charging outside of standard wall outlets. For example, Minot, ND only has 1 wall outlet on Plugshare, pretty sure that is the best you will get there too. It is also where the North Dakota state fair is.. not sure how I will get to the fair and back with a model 3. I think North Dakota is the worst population wise currently though for non-supercharger-access.

I'm just hopeful to have I-94 complete mid 2019, they made decent progress this year and almost got started on completing the route. Looking at it customer wise North Dakota is just a tiny fraction of what other large population states offer, I can understand the lack of financial incentive to get things up and going here. With the oil lovers around here too the percent of the population willing to purchase a Tesla is probably smaller than most other states.

Alexandria is the reason for the whole i-94 hold. I really wish they would have just skipped them when it went South and put it somewhere that would appreciate the increase in business/travelers.

As far as population and location don't forget about Medora, that's a huge tourist area with the Medora Music, Pitchfork Fondue, and TR National Park (South unit) being right at Medora. Medora is 35 miles from Dickinson and has friendly EV campgrounds.

The campground "Minot / Swenson RV KOA Journey" was super friendly when I called to see about "what if I was in an emergency situation needing charging" and they wanted to discuss how they could be "the" Tesla charging point as far as 40Amp camper plug options are concerned. Just call around on campgrounds and typically you find multiple good ones in ND for that. The trouble is finding one in the winter that is open or having to reserve a spot way out if you want to go during the fair. The other option is of course contacting owners which most people don't want to do for the hassle of both parties, but if it isn't constant it's enjoyable and most of the people who will go out and travel like that are super friendly and fun.

EST ND Teslas : 30
Knowing incoming Model 3s to Dickinson alone, 2.