This is HUGE for me as well. I live in Charlotte NC and the lease is done on my Chevy Volt in 9 months. I need SC installed in Commerce, GA and the Greenville/Spartanburg SC area to cover travel to Atlanta, and I need one in Asheville, because....Asheville.
BUT, Charlotte is a much smaller market for EVs than Atlanta (the metro is 1/3 the population, the state tax breaks don't exist like in Georgia etc.) The fact that from Atlanta you can't go to Charlotte, Augusta or Birmingham is a real marketing problem. In fact, I still don't see an SC planned for Birmingham AL on the map.
Commerce, GA, would be an excellent location.
My mother-in-law recently told me that she sees five or more cars charging at the Atlantic Station in Atlanta. This has 12 stalls in an upscale mall serving largely high risebdwellers in Midtown Atlanta. I suspect the demand is mostly coming from local residents who otherwise have limited residential charging options.
I've got family living in a close by luxury high rise where residents are trying to work this out. One resident is buying a Model S, but there is no charging in their building. They claim it will cost $15000 to equip a stall that multiple residents may share and are trying to negotiate this with the HOA. It sounds very frustating. We need better options now. 90% of the residents in this building could appreciate and afford a high end Tesla, but charging infrastructure is a major road block. It was this precise situation that got me thinking about auto-park-charge solutions. Any ideas?
In any case, the Atlantic Station SC could be the answer for many in this market. You can shop there for your weekly groceries or go to the gym or even go to the Bodies exhibit, and get your car charged at the same time. Once or twice a week is all it would take. It's not ideal, but it could work. Auto-park-charge solutions could make it work even better. If Tesla sells twice as many cars in the Midtown market, which would only take 10 to 20 months, it could easily swamp the 12 stalls they currently have in Atlantic Station. I'd also point out that Tesla now has three stores in the Atlanta area. Two have opened within the the last two months! They obviously want to grow this market.
So getting back to a Commerce, GA, station, this would give distance commuters and longer trip travelers good entry to the Atlanta area and help avoid congestion around urban charging outlets like Atlantic Station. Both problems need to be solved.
I'm hoping that Tesla will want to grow the Charlotte and surrounding markets. I think we'll see some solid SC devolopment happen in the region in that case. Regarding the $5000 GA tax break, it's pretty awesome right now, but I expect it to be cut back or eliminated this year. So Tesla needs to make hay while the sun shines, but getting the infrastructure in place will have a more lasting impact on this market. As frustrating as it all can be, it is very exciting to see it come together.
