Supercharger - Fort Stockton, Texas

[Electroman]

nd it hasn’t been an easy area for us, for several reasons

.. and the reasons are..?

let the speculation begin. I suspect aliens are actively blocking.

 

[jbcarioca]

Wow, 600 posts for a supercharger that isn’t even under construction. This has to be some sort of record . I wish the supercharger team could tell us what the real problem is so we could try to help. Keep charging guys, that windmill has to give up eventually. I’m willing to chuck in a few bucks for the cause if the crowdfunding gets off the ground. I may never use it, but others will, and that will make it worth it.

I completely agree. So far I have contributed to a half dozen that I am certain I'll never use. Five years from now such steps will certainly not be needed but in the meantime they are essential. That is why Tesla usually supplies a J1772 together with Destination Chargers. At the moment there is only Bolt that might have long enough range to travel along this I10 route coast to coast but others are on the way. Anything to advance BEV practicality benefits us as Tesla owners and/or shareholders.

With even minimal luck this thread will wither away because Fort Stockton will cease to the the only impediment to coast-to-coast I10

 

[jbcarioca]

The typical Tesla Destination Charger will do me, personally, no good. If they install one at a hotel requiring a stay to use it, that is no help at all. Do they understand this?

Actually, I have used Destination Chargers at hotels, restaurants and municipal parking. At no time have I been told I could not use the charger unless I stayed in a hotel or dined at the restaurant. Normally I patronise the establishment anyway. Only once I was told there would be a $15 charge to use the charger, I agreed and after the charge completed I came to pay and they declined payment. That said, I have been told that some Select Registry locations do charge. I know teh one in Asheville, NC does but there is a Supercharger ten minutes away so it does not matter.

So, my point is that "...it does me, personally, no good" is a categorical statement. So, no, Tesla does not understand that, I suspect, because I certainly do not.
I do not wish to be rude, but please do think about the alternatives. The more remote teh location the higher the probability of a payment. After all our hosts do need to be paid for their accommodation fo our needs. Have any of us ever seen gasoline stations give away free gasoline? Why should our 'fuel' be free?

 

[BerTX]

Actually, I have used Destination Chargers at hotels, restaurants and municipal parking. At no time have I been told I could not use the charger unless I stayed in a hotel or dined at the restaurant. Normally I patronise the establishment anyway. Only once I was told there would be a $15 charge to use the charger, I agreed and after the charge completed I came to pay and they declined payment. That said, I have been told that some Select Registry locations do charge. I know teh one in Asheville, NC does but there is a Supercharger ten minutes away so it does not matter.

So, my point is that "...it does me, personally, no good" is a categorical statement. So, no, Tesla does not understand that, I suspect, because I certainly do not.
I do not wish to be rude, but please do think about the alternatives. The more remote teh location the higher the probability of a payment. After all our hosts do need to be paid for their accommodation fo our needs. Have any of us ever seen gasoline stations give away free gasoline? Why should our 'fuel' be free?

I don't ask for the charge to be free. I DO ask that the charge be available to all. Your experiences are helpful, but if a location publishes that charging is only available to patrons and they are in the hotel business, then I consider them as not available to me if I am not in need of accommodations. On a one-time situation they may allow charging, but the more that happens, the less likely it is that they will continue to allow it .

We need a location where we definitely can charge -- free or not does not matter. Not a situation depending on my powers of persuasion or who happens to be working the desk that day. And just showing up and plugging in to see if you get caught is just not an option.

 

[jbcarioca]

I don't ask for the charge to be free. I DO ask that the charge be available to all...
We need a location where we definitely can charge -- free or not does not matter. Not a situation depending on my powers of persuasion or who happens to be working the desk that day. And just showing up and plugging in to see if you get caught is just not an option.

Obviously I agree with everything you just wrote.

 

[GWord]

I wish the supercharger team could tell us what the real problem is so we could try to help.

We're the mob. We mean well, but our version of help isn't always organized in a way that is useful to the specific problem at hand.

 

[charliepmayer]

Anything faster than a 14-50 is a step in the right direction.

Hey Tesla: please install full 100-amp HPWCs in this area. HPWCs sharing that breaker won't be any faster than the 14-50s we're stuck with now. I'm told that Pecos county does not require electrical permits. I am also told the the FS RV Park is in the county. If there is a spare slot for a 100 amp breaker there, we could have an HPWC installed tomorrow. City of Balmorhea: same scenario - no permits.

 

[GWord]

Anything faster than a 14-50 is a step in the right direction.

Hey Tesla: please install full 100-amp HPWCs in this area. HPWCs sharing that breaker won't be any faster than the 14-50s we're stuck with now. I'm told that Pecos county does not require electrical permits. I am also told the the FS RV Park is in the county. If there is a spare slot for a 100 amp breaker there, we could have an HPWC installed tomorrow. City of Balmorhea: same scenario - no permits.

Encouraging response from them honestly. That was a lot more information that you got in the email than I have typically seen. It is usually a somewhat canned response.

 

[Twiglett]

We're the mob. We mean well, but our version of help isn't always organized in a way that is useful to the specific problem at hand.

Exactly this.
Desk clerks getting call after call from entitled Tesla owners doesn’t count as helping and just ruins it for everyone else.

 

[charliepmayer]

I am just thrilled that we received the letter in post #595. Thank you SC Team!

Twiglett, the "desk clerk" can tell you who the manager and/or owner is.
Once you get to that level you can actually get something moving.
It was time to get proactive. Just waiting on Tesla didn't work in this case.

 

[Graffi]

Now it seems that our best shot may be the FS Campground. Charlie, the next time you pass through and have time to talk to the owner again, see if he is able to find a used Trailer or RV, per my previous post below, that could be used as a Tesla Lounge with a dedicated 100a service for a Tesla HPWC, or two. If so, then maybe we could keep the Electricity and Trailer paid for by paying by the hour, or if someone wants to spend the night, pay a different rate for that. It could even be on the honor system with a "donation box" on the counter to slip in our $5, $10, $20 ($5 per hour, $20 for overnight Bedroom). As was suggested above, we could all make a one-time donation to help pay for the set-up. Also, as long as all of us users leave it cleaner than it was when we arrived, the campground staff would not have to clean the trailer. It would just be a Tesla owner thing.

Gosh, maybe Tesla would even offer to pay for the Trailer space and the electric bill, along with supplying the Destination Charger (or better yet, an Urban Supercharger) until they are able to get a permanent Supercharger operating in Fort Stockton. I say pay for the space, not the Trailer. I am sure they would not want the liability of owning the trailer, but if we, as a group, paid for the trailer, then it has nothing to do with TESLA except to be parked in space they rent.

Charlie, see if the park owner has any ideas of how this could work.

After this many years, if we can offer TESLA a short term solution until they are able to complete the Supercharger, they should be happy to help. We could raise the funds to acquire the trailer and install it, they provide the charging and pay the on-going electric and space rent. Sounds like a simple solution to me. Again, we do not need a $100,000 + trailer, an old, cheap one with working sink and toilet, as well as a bedroom, that can be cleaned will work. They may even have one in their park that they would be willing to use. Suggestions???

I like the idea of having the HPWC at the campground with a dedicated rental trailer. At least here in San Diego it is easy enough to find a used travel trailer or non-working RV, for cheap or even free, that could be easily cleaned up to provide a clean bed and shower. Not sure about west TX. We really do not need a kitchen. Those who only wish to stop for 1 or 2 hours could use it as a lounge, those wishing to stay overnight could rent the bedroom.

For me, we would only need to stay long enough to get the charge needed to make it to Van Horn. We could even just recline the seats in the car to sleep there, but a sofa in the "Lounge" would be better.

I understand why others are thinking of purchasing our own HPWC, but do not understand why the Tesla Destination Charger group would not supply one. Knowing that they have been unable to get a Supercharger in the Fort Stockton area in all this time I would think they would jump at the chance to find this Temporary solution until they are able to actually get the SC in service. Heck, why not foot the bill and set up their own meter just to make it easy for the campground owner so they are happy to let Tesla owners use this site. After all, they are willing to spend a great deal more money installing the Supercharger station and pay all of that bill. By doing this Tesla would be able to keep so many owners from being as disappointed as they are now (I almost said make us happy, but spending 2 hours instead of 10 minutes could make a big difference for some).

Just a thought. Not sure how to contact the correct people at Tesla to find out, but maybe someone here knows.

 

[charliepmayer]

Graffi - I'll propose it to the RV manager on the 12th if he is there. Will report back here.

 

[swegman]

Instead of one or two 100 Amp (at best) HPWC's, I would hope that Tesla could install one or two Urban Superchargers. Even if they can't supply the full 72kWh due to an electrical supply issue, they would charge significantly faster than the HPWC.

 

[LCR1]

And a wall charger is all but useless to everyone without high amp charger in the car.

 

[GWord]

Instead of one or two 100 Amp (at best) HPWC's, I would hope that Tesla could install one or two Urban Superchargers. Even if they can't supply the full 72kWh due to an electrical supply issue, they would charge significantly faster than the HPWC.

It requires the same equipment and service as a standard supercharger. Might as well install the full thing at that point.

 

[LCR1]

The urban draws 200amps compared to the full 330A, They're always installed in pairs that I've seen so that's 230a smaller requirement and much easier on infrastructure.

 

[Chuq]

Actually, I have used Destination Chargers at hotels, restaurants and municipal parking. At no time have I been told I could not use the charger unless I stayed in a hotel or dined at the restaurant. Normally I patronise the establishment anyway. Only once I was told there would be a $15 charge to use the charger, I agreed and after the charge completed I came to pay and they declined payment.

There was a similar situation in Australia before the superchargers between Melbourne and Adelaide had been built. There were hotels in two of the towns along the route which had destination chargers (and they were the highest spec ones too - 32 amp 3-phase, equivalent to a 22kW charge rate). The hotels were very accommodating to Tesla owners who were not hotel guests but wanted to use the chargers - they charged a flat $15 rate.

The two towns mentioned now have superchargers, but the hotels have generated a lot of goodwill with Tesla owners!

 

[nwdiver]

The urban draws 200amps compared to the full 330A, They're always installed in pairs that I've seen so that's 230a smaller requirement and much easier on infrastructure.

That would only be an issue if Tesla is tapping into the hosts service... which I've never seen for a Supercharger.

 

[LCR1]

All the power comes from the same poles, regardless of who's paying for it.

 

[nwdiver]

All the power comes from the same poles, regardless of who's paying for it.

True... the pole is very very very rarely the weak link. 500kVA is a rounding error for secondary service especially for a small town like Fort Stockton.