Supercharger - Giddings, TX

[SammichLover]

Buc-ees apparently has no interest in attracting EV drivers - we might hang around too long or start asking for seats.
I still go there, but just to use the rest rooms without buying anything just as a mini protest

"Some people protest using signs. My preferred medium of communication is urea."

Lucky you here, it is on the same side of the highway. No need to cross.

P.S. When I drove through last weekend I noticed the post speed limit on this portion of the highway is down to 45mph from the 70-75mph typical on that stretch of 290, but still not something you'd want to try cross on foot.

 

[Ampere_90D]

"Some people protest using signs. My preferred medium of communication is urea."

Lucky you here, it is on the same side of the highway. No need to cross.

P.S. When I drove through last weekend I noticed the post speed limit on this portion of the highway is down to 45mph from the 70-75mph typical on that stretch of 290, but still not something you'd want to try cross on foot.

There’s a light and crosswalk at the Buc-ees if your aim is to reach the food and shopping area across the street. If you don’t want to cross the street, then there’s a new Starbucks that opened next to Buc-ees.

 

[SammichLover]

There’s a light and crosswalk at the Buc-ees if your aim is to reach the food and shopping area across the street. If you don’t want to cross the street, then there’s a new Starbucks that opened next to Buc-ees.

Half a mile down the road. No exaggeration there. Literally 1 mile round trip through raw ditch, as there is effectively no shoulder, to get coffee. Further if you want to sit down to eat.

Admittedly that's about the same distance for San Marco SC during the hours that the mall is closed but Zaxby's et al is open (Cracker Barrel is pretty close to a mile one way on foot!), but there's only a short stint of ditch you have to walk for that, and mall hours you're right there.

But if that's what it took to get siting, that's what it took I guess. Better than no SC.

 

[mociaf9]

Better than no SC.

And at least here, there's the CEFCO convenience store which is 24 hr. So, guaranteed bathrooms and something to eat and/or drink without the walk. The walk is just about expanding options.

 

[Time0ut]

Wish they did Brenham first. Gidding is kind of do legged from the route I'd take to get to my folks.

And walking distance is relative. it's a half mile to the strip center down the road.

Hi, new member here.

I travel from Austin to Houston twice a month using US-290 East and I'm considering the Model 3 LR. Besides this Giddings project, are there other EV stations planned along US-290? I don't seem to find information about the Brenham project anywhere.

Thanks

 

[SammichLover]

Hi, new member here.

I travel from Austin to Houston twice a month using US-290 East and I'm considering the Model 3 LR. Besides this Giddings project, are there other EV stations planned along US-290? I don't seem to find information about the Brenham project anywhere.

Thanks

Rumbling is that Hempstead area (6 & 290) SC will also happen this year, but I don’t think any permits for it have surfaced, yet?

 

[TexasEV]

Hi, new member here.

I travel from Austin to Houston twice a month using US-290 East and I'm considering the Model 3 LR. Besides this Giddings project, are there other EV stations planned along US-290? I don't seem to find information about the Brenham project anywhere.

Thanks

Why would you need any with the Model 3 LR? No need to stop at all on that route if you charge at each end in Houston and Austin. If you don’t have charging at your destination, stopping one way at the Rudy’s on 290 or this new Giddings one is all you need.

 

[SammichLover]

Why would you need any with the Model 3 LR? No need to stop at all on that route if you charge at each end in Houston and Austin. If you don’t have charging at your destination, stopping one way at the Rudy’s on 290 or this new Giddings one is all you need.

I had assumed it was to do with whether the SR+ would be adequate? In which case there's going to be less than 100 mi between Giddings and the 290 Rudy's. It does sorta depend on where "Houston" is for them, as Spring version of Houston is about 100 mi with no SC between there and Giddings, so the SR+ would work in all but the most drastic of headwinds (in which case turn around because the Hurricane lane is in the other direction ). Still Hempstead would be a bit of piece of mind for cold, windy days.


P.S. Still totally get the LR if you have the means.

 

[PLUS EV]

I had assumed it was to do with whether the SR+ would be adequate? In which case there's going to be less than 100 mi between Giddings and the 290 Rudy's. It does sorta depend on where "Houston" is for them, as Spring version of Houston is about 100 mi with no SC between there and Giddings, so the SR+ would work in all but the most drastic of headwinds (in which case turn around because the Hurricane lane is in the other direction ). Still Hempstead would be a bit of piece of mind for cold, windy days.


P.S. Still totally get the LR if you have the means.

"I totally regret getting the EV with longer range!" said no one ever.

 

[Time0ut]

Why would you need any with the Model 3 LR? No need to stop at all on that route if you charge at each end in Houston and Austin. If you don’t have charging at your destination, stopping one way at the Rudy’s on 290 or this new Giddings one is all you need.

My son lives in Houston and I bring him to Austin once a month. The round trip is roughly 300 miles and I'd prefer not to do a pit stop on my way back home. I was originally looking at Model S 100D CPOs but, they costs too much money.

The max range of the M3 LR is 310 miles however, this range is under "ideal" conditions. Most friends who own Tesla have said to me that I wouldn't be able to do the entire round trip on a full battery unless, I drive on "Chill" mode, not faster than 60mph, keep the HVAC usage to a minimum and I encounter perfect traffic conditions. I don't know about you but, I don't see myself doing 60mph on US-290 while everybody else is doing 75mph.

 

[SammichLover]

I don't know about you but, I don't see myself doing 60mph on US-290 while everybody else is doing 75mph.

Well you say that now but wait until that day you've badly misjudged and need to eke out a few more miles to get to that SC. Sub-optimal and decent chance it never happens unless you go looking for an edge to push (that's EV, he's an edge pusher! not me, no sir, no idea why these things happen to me ). Just saying don't rule it out in case that day comes.

But yes, do not plan on getting a 300 mile trip out of the car. Your friends are mostly right there.

I would also suggest you not plan on driving 4+ hours without break. May I ask what your aversion is to a "pit stop" somewhere along this trip?

 

[PLUS EV]

My son lives in Houston and I bring him to Austin once a month. The round trip is roughly 300 miles and I'd prefer not to do a pit stop on my way back home. I was originally looking at Model S 100D CPOs but, they costs too much money.

The max range of the M3 LR is 310 miles however, this range is under "ideal" conditions. Most friends who own Tesla have said to me that I wouldn't be able to do the entire round trip on a full battery unless, I drive on "Chill" mode, not faster than 60mph, keep the HVAC usage to a minimum and I encounter perfect traffic conditions. I don't know about you but, I don't see myself doing 60mph on US-290 while everybody else is doing 75mph.

You most certainly will not be doing that round trip without stopping at a supercharger. Unless maybe if you get the new 370 "rated mile" range S100D. Even then, you would probably be cutting it close in summer and making a stop in winter.

 

[Time0ut]

I would also suggest you not plan on driving 4+ hours without break. May I ask what your aversion is to a "pit stop" somewhere along this trip?

It's 5+ hours and I've been doing it for few years already.
I usually do a quick 5 mins pit stop to fill up the tank at that Bucee's in Giddings (LOL). So, I guess I'll be doing pit stops on that new SC next door. However, these new pit stops are going to add 30+ mins to my trip.

Thanks for the input.

 

[SammichLover]

I usually do a quick 5 mins pit stop to fill up the tank at that Bucee's in Giddings (LOL). So, I guess I'll be doing pit stops on that new SC next door. However, these new pit stops are going to add 30+ mins to my trip.

Not my experience. You'll be charging at over 100kW the whole time for what you'll need to get home. I'd be surprised if it is more than 15 min, which means it'll be maybe 5 min slower than before.

Go in, take your bio-break. Get a coffee (<edit> just kidding, coffee is a trap, don't drink it when you drive). Relax, you'll come out and think "wait, it's already charged that much?"

 

[Time0ut]

Not my experience. You'll be charging at over 100kW the whole time for what you'll need to get home. I'd be surprised if it is more than 15 min, which means it'll be maybe 5 min slower than before.

Go in, take your bio-break. Get a coffee (<edit> just kidding, coffee is a trap, don't drink it when you drive). Relax, you'll come out and think "wait, it's already charged that much?"

A 15 mins pit stop is doable. Is there an ETA on when this SC will be operational?

Thanks for all the info.

 

[brkaus]

Not even a guess when it will be open.

Also note, you will want to pit on the way back. Your battery will be pretty full on the way there.

Edit to add : a battery charges slower when it is closer to full.

 

[Time0ut]

Not even a guess when it will be open.

Also note, you will want to pit on the way back. Your battery will be pretty full on the way there.

Edit to add : a battery charges slower when it is closer to full.

Anyone knows what happened to the Brenham SC project? Tesla website still shows it as coming in 2019.

Thanks for the tip about charging on the way back.

 

[SammichLover]

Anyone knows what happened to the Brenham SC project? Tesla website still shows it as coming in 2019.

All those "coming 201x" pins have been rolling over to the next year, every year, for several years. Every year a handful more become real but the rest, come start of January, get flipped to the new current year. Those gray pins are just collectively "plans for the indefinite future".

More reliable are permits, that are talked about in each thread in this sub-forum. Those can, and occasionally do, get held up in bureaucratic limbo for years. I believe the record is very close to 3 years from the first detected paperwork filed, Texas' very own Fort Stockton SC, which actually changed physical addresses part way through its permit process.

After that, if they break ground and start putting gear on site it is extremely rare for it not to be wrapped up and operating within a couple months. There has been occasional exceptions, one Northern California interior somewhere, for example, has been mid-construction for a very long time.

 

[SammichLover]

BTW in a pinch if something goes sideways there are a number of 11kW Destination Chargers in Brehnam, at two different hotels.

 

[Time0ut]

BTW in a pinch if something goes sideways there are a number of 11kW Destination Chargers in Brehnam, at two different hotels.

Yeah, I just found them but they aren't public chargers, are they?

How come there are no more Destination Chargers along US-290? This is getting frustrating. I might have to consider a PHEV instead.