Supercharger - Fort Stockton, Texas

[GroundForces]

In 1970 - what was left of Hurricane Celia went right thru El Paso dumping an inch of rain. Not much?

Not processing, dude. I said .84 inch is a lot for West Texas.

 

[charliepmayer]

So..........how should we celebrate?

Golden Spike ceremony: what day of the week? what time?

After the champagne and photos, what next? (To put it kindly, we may wish to celebrate somewhere that is not Fort Stockton.)

(FYI: Fort Davis, Alpine, and Marfa form a nice triangle, about 25 miles per side, about 60 miles from Fort Stockton to FD or Alpine)

Drive to Fort Davis for a Tesla rally? Marfa? Alpine? How about all three?

Cool old courthouses in Marfa and Fort Davis: the Ford, Porsche, and 'Vette clubs all park at the courthouses for photos - now it's our turn!

Hotel Limpia? El Cosmico? Chihuahuan Desert Research Center? McDonald Observatory?
Museum of the Big Bend? Gage Hotel in Marathon? Railroad Blues? Harry's Tinaja? Fort Davis Library?

I suggest my all-time favorite bar: Planet Marfa (on sale now for $1.1m - owners are retiring, somebody please buy it!)

I'll be happy to start with the details - what do you suggest?

 

[Twiglett]

I really want to try out El Cosmico, but Alpine is much bigger.
If a bunch of us turn up it will be entertaining getting power

 

[TaoJones]

So..........how should we celebrate?

Golden Spike ceremony: what day of the week? what time?

After the champagne and photos, what next? (To put it kindly, we may wish to celebrate somewhere that is not Fort Stockton.)

(FYI: Fort Davis, Alpine, and Marfa form a nice triangle, about 25 miles per side, about 60 miles from Fort Stockton to FD or Alpine)

Drive to Fort Davis for a Tesla rally? Marfa? Alpine? How about all three?

Cool old courthouses in Marfa and Fort Davis: the Ford, Porsche, and 'Vette clubs all park at the courthouses for photos - now it's our turn!

Hotel Limpia? El Cosmico? Chihuahuan Desert Research Center? McDonald Observatory?
Museum of the Big Bend? Gage Hotel in Marathon? Railroad Blues? Harry's Tinaja? Fort Davis Library?

I suggest my all-time favorite bar: Planet Marfa (on sale now for $1.1m - owners are retiring, somebody please buy it!)

I'll be happy to start with the details - what do you suggest?

Those are great recommendations, bar included.

The extent of my vision for a Golden Spike Ceremony is as follows. By all means, please do enhance and expand beyond this as you like.

There will be a Supercharger ribbon cutting, if previous SC openings are any guide. It would be exceptionally helpful if the Supercharger Team representative could share that date and time. Of course, that would mean finding out who that person is. The Flying J manager(s) will know, presumably.

Prior to the ribbon cutting, there will be a box of 50 golden spikes for distribution. In my mind, I've got 5 reserved for 'dignitaries' including the SC team rep, whoever represents Flying J (seniormost), the president of the local Chamber of Commerce (who presumably will lead the ribbon cutting), the mayor of FS, and another guy in particular. 1 golden spike is also reserved to drive into the ground for posterity (adjacent the SCs) 10-15 minutes after the ribbon cutting. If anyone happens to own a sledgehammer and doesn't mind bringing it, that would be helpful. The rest of the golden spikes (44) would go to attending Tesla owners* on a first come, first serve basis (look for the guy with the box of clanking golden spikes), with any remaining after that going to curious locals after the ribbon cutting and spike sledging, and/or to the Chamber if any are left over.

Adjourning to a nice location or locations thereafter for food and beverage sounds like an excellent idea for sure.


* by attending Tesla owners, I mean those who have driven their Teslas to the event.

 

[XHabjab]

If you're doing roll call, sign me up. Actual attendance will depend on when it happens. I think we likely have some time to prepare for it. I don't want to drive there unless I know that I can Supercharge back.

A Golden Spike will look good in my trophy case.

 

[jbcarioca]

I really hope for October 7 or 8. I will be passing Fort Stockton about then with an Australian fellow Tesla owner. We will have just completed Florida-Halifax-trans-Canada- Victoria-Fremont-Santa Monica -I10-FortnStckton then on to Jacksonville.

After all this time the Fort Stockton golden spike seems only fair

 

[GroundForces]

What's also great about this location is that this is a very central location in Ft. Stockton not some hidden out-of-the-way place. I would say probably the best location in town in terms of visibility.

As others have stated, local towing companies are going to be busy towing away non-Tesla vehicles from the spots. That's for damn sure.

 

[donauker]

As others have stated, local towing companies are going to be busy towing away non-Tesla vehicles from the spots. That's for damn sure.

Is there any indication that this location will enforce towing? I have been at superchargers from coast to coast and I don't recall ever seeing any that are marked for towing enforcement. In fact many of the locations have half of the stalls marked as general parking with some time limit.

 

[brkaus]

Is there any indication that this location will enforce towing? I have been at superchargers from coast to coast and I don't recall ever seeing any that are marked for towing enforcement. In fact many of the locations have half of the stalls marked as general parking with some time limit.

I would doubt towing would be enforced. Most places don't want to upset their other customers.

Plus, it isn't like a shopping mall, business, or a movie theater where people will disappear for a long time. It's a truck stop so cars would be turning over frequently. Employees are the biggest risk, but they are trainable.

 

[GroundForces]

Is there any indication that this location will enforce towing? I have been at superchargers from coast to coast and I don't recall ever seeing any that are marked for towing enforcement. In fact many of the locations have half of the stalls marked as general parking with some time limit.

I remember a while back at the Midland location there was a printed paper sign on all of the chargers stating that towing was going to start if non Teslas kept parking in the spots. They were from the hotel but could have been an empty threat.

 

[PLUS EV]

I would doubt towing would be enforced. Most places don't want to upset their other customers.

Plus, it isn't like a shopping mall, business, or a movie theater where people will disappear for a long time. It's a truck stop so cars would be turning over frequently. Employees are the biggest risk, but they are trainable.

Some people seem to "hang out" at these truck stops for quite a while actually.

 

[GroundForces]

Imgur

As of not even 15 minutes ago.

There didn't appear to be any activity at the location today due to the rain.

 

[Graffi]

I will be driving from San Diego to Corpus Christi, TX sometime during the last half of January, 2019. It is either that or pay almost $900 airfare. I sure hope this is finished by then.

 

[bkp_duke]

I will be driving from San Diego to Corpus Christi, TX sometime during the last half of January, 2019. It is either that or pay almost $900 airfare. I sure hope this is finished by then.

The drive is doable west-bound in a 75D, but it would be VERY tight. There is an RV Park at Fort Stockton with a NEMA 14-50 (PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You) that you could use to get a few extra miles ($10 flat rate), if this supercharger isn't done by then.

East bound with the wind at your back, the drive is still tight, but not as hair-raising.

 

[bkp_duke]

Imgur

As of not even 15 minutes ago.

There didn't appear to be any activity at the location today due to the rain.

Pedestal bases look installed. If they keep going at this rate, might be open by Nov.

 

[kk7p]

Those are great recommendations, bar included.

The extent of my vision for a Golden Spike Ceremony is as follows. By all means, please do enhance and expand beyond this as you like.

There will be a Supercharger ribbon cutting, if previous SC openings are any guide. It would be exceptionally helpful if the Supercharger Team representative could share that date and time. Of course, that would mean finding out who that person is. The Flying J manager(s) will know, presumably.

* by attending Tesla owners, I mean those who have driven their Teslas to the event.

Here in Tucson we just did the ribbon cutting ourselves, sponsored by the club. The local Tesla service people showed up (unoffically) as did a person who was a "solar city" salesperson. No local pols bothered to attend though they were invited.

I hope to make it from Tucson.

I also hope that they get reliable power. Our trip through Texas earlier this year was beset by dead or barely functional Superchargers once we got east of El Paso until we go to east of San Antonio. Not fun to have 4 vehicles queued up at a place with 6 or 8 stalls but only 1 working...

 

[charliepmayer]

Graffi: naval aviator perhaps? If so, thank you for your service!
If you detour through Fort Davis you can charge at my place or the Hotel Limpia if you wish.

Fort Stockton EDC I think in Fort Stockton the Economic Development Council is first chair over the C of C.

kk7p: I've reported uncommanded SC slowing at Ozona and Junction several times. If anyone else experiences this, please call the SC people.

Perhaps I did not speak to the right people, but in my experience the SC project in FD was supported only by the FJ people and the Best Western manager.

Anyway, I'm ready for a celebration!

 

[Chuq]

Imgur

As of not even 15 minutes ago.

There didn't appear to be any activity at the location today due to the rain.

Looks like only 4 stalls?

Almost unheard of in the US - but not impossible. Here in Australia most non-urban ones are 4 stalls.

 

[PLUS EV]

Graffi: naval aviator perhaps? If so, thank you for your service!
If you detour through Fort Davis you can charge at my place or the Hotel Limpia if you wish.

Fort Stockton EDC I think in Fort Stockton the Economic Development Council is first chair over the C of C.

kk7p: I've reported uncommanded SC slowing at Ozona and Junction several times. If anyone else experiences this, please call the SC people.

Perhaps I did not speak to the right people, but in my experience the SC project in FD was supported only by the FJ people and the Best Western manager.

Anyway, I'm ready for a celebration!

Midland is also bad and Van Horn has probably been the worst. It's brutal crossing West Texas in a Tesla and it isn't just because of the Pecos and Fort Stockton gaps.

 

[nwdiver]

Looks like only 4 stalls?

Almost unheard of in the US - but not impossible. Here in Australia most non-urban ones are 4 stalls.

I count six;



And there's 3 Cabinets...