Supercharger - Hooksett NH Rest Areas

[ToddRLockwood]

Great dedication event today at the new Hooksett NH Northbound Welcome Center! Five Tesla owners showed up and one of the sales crew from the Natick MA Tesla store. We had all six slots of the Supercharger humming. I got there first and achieved a charge rate of 379MPH!

New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan spoke, as well as a number of NH state officials. There were 200+ attendees and a gaggle of media. For me, the takeaway is that this is one of the most elaborate state welcome centers in the U.S., and Tesla is very fortunate to be part of it. This facility will likely be studied and replicated by many other states, including the Superchargers.

 

[EdA]

Glad it went well, sorry I had to miss it.

 

[PeterK]

Glad it went well, sorry I had to miss it.

Same here. Thanks for flying the flag, Todd et al.

 

[sbanks]

At this event there were two women from the NH state government that came out to the superchargers and chatted with us for a while. Did anyone get their names and contact info? I would like to talk to them about putting a HPWC at the Salem, NH Park and Ride.

 

[Pollux]

Jessica and I found Peter as he was gliding in for a charge at Hookset Southbound, on a hot afternoon that must have been sweltering in a car full of kids, a dog and... a broken air conditioner! It was a welcome surprise to run into Peter and invite him personally to the Big Tesla Party & Environmental Fundraiser we are holding on Saturday, September 26, 4-7 p.m., at our home near Boston. Consider this an ominous foreshadowing for those of you who are Tesla owners, Tesla fans, environmentally minded, and/or live in the Boston / New England area! More on this in a completely separate thread sometime soon.

We also ran into Steve S and his wife Sheila doing a surprising, cool, over-the-fence charging thing at Hookset Northbound. I'm starting to view the Superchargers as a social opportunity.

Stopped by again yesterday afternoon on my way home. As expected, connection did not happen over the long weekend, so went on to Hooksett. Bonus was running into Pollux and his wife charging her P85+ there, whom I hadn't seen since April - nice catching up with you guys!

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People like @mnox and @robert.boston have firsthand experience with electric power so know this well, but one of the things Tesla gets about the Supercharger network is that it is a utility, and as such it must be reliable and always on. We all agonize over the time it takes to get the SC transformers in and connected, but once connected, tested and signed off, we can depend on them. I read an article that was marveling at the fact that when the Harris Ranch SC went down, Tesla organized flatbed trucks on standby to be there in case a Model S arrived with too little charge to make it to the next SC. I don't know how many had to make use of them, but just knowing they go to such lengths while monitoring all stations' status 24/7 provides peace of mind. And a competitive advantage vs. every other EV.

Remarkable Customer Service at Tesla Superchargers | Plug In Sites EV Charging Stations

 

[Robert.Boston]

We also ran into Steve S and his wife Sheila doing a surprising, cool, over-the-fence charging thing at Hookset Northbound. I'm starting to view the Superchargers as a social opportunity.

Pictures or it didn't happen!

 

[Pollux]

Pictures or it didn't happen!

 

[PeterK]

View attachment 86465

He'll be getting one of those notes from Elon soon...

 

[Nikxice]

He'll be getting one of those notes from Elon soon...

In this instance, Elon might just pass, no note. Who doesn't appreciate the creativity? I might be wrong, but my recollection of the parallel Hooksett town road is that it is not accessible from the northbound rest stop. Perhaps only of use to locals, someone may have figured out a way to supercharge and beat the NH state tolls.

 

[Fiver]

In this instance, Elon might just pass, no note. Who doesn't appreciate the creativity? I might be wrong, but my recollection of the parallel Hooksett town road is that it is not accessible from the northbound rest stop. Perhaps only of use to locals, someone may have figured out a way to supercharge and beat the NH state tolls.

This will be tough in winter, but then again the X is coming....

 

[Pollux]

I'm told it's 12 additional miles to go around to access those chargers via the highway rest stop. I think that might be 12 each way. A pretty big issue w.r.t. practicality, IMHO.

This will be tough in winter, but then again the X is coming....

 

[tga]

I might be wrong, but my recollection of the parallel Hooksett town road is that it is not accessible from the northbound rest stop. Perhaps only of use to locals, someone may have figured out a way to supercharge and beat the NH state tolls.

When they built the new northbound rest area building, they added a parking lot behind the building (on the east and north sides) which is isolated from the main lot, with an access off of 3A (the local road). Presumably for employees or locals who want access the liquor store and bank branch. I tried to grab a picture from Google Maps streetview, but they have the old, pre-construction view.

 

[Robert.Boston]

Bing Maps shows the new configuration (at least in its aerial imagery). This trick is actually really interesting for me, because the shortest (not fastest) route from my house to the Hookset North station has me driving down US-3 through Hookset; I'd save time and toll money with this trick. Doesn't look like it will work once the snows begin, though.

(Shortest route: I-95 to ME-111 to US-202 to NH-28 to US-3, saves 19 miles and $6 in tolls, while adding 30 minutes of drive time).

 

[Pollux]

Well... I've heard that there is a gate from that road into the rest area, and that it has no lock, and is deliberately available for local access.

Bing Maps shows the new configuration (at least in its aerial imagery). This trick is actually really interesting for me, because the shortest (not fastest) route from my house to the Hookset North station has me driving down US-3 through Hookset; I'd save time and toll money with this trick. Doesn't look like it will work once the snows begin, though.

(Shortest route: I-95 to ME-111 to US-202 to NH-28 to US-3, saves 19 miles and $6 in tolls, while adding 30 minutes of drive time).

 

[tga]

Bing Maps shows the new configuration (at least in its aerial imagery). This trick is actually really interesting for me, because the shortest (not fastest) route from my house to the Hookset North station has me driving down US-3 through Hookset; I'd save time and toll money with this trick. Doesn't look like it will work once the snows begin, though.

That Bing link still shows the old rest area (no gas pumps, old roof w/out cupola, etc). The old "local access" was further south than it is now. I went back to Google street view, and it's there (I just wasn't looking far enough south). The driveway has now moved further north (closer to the building, and a bit steeper approach).

Well... I've heard that there is a gate from that road into the rest area, and that it has no lock, and is deliberately available for local access.

Actually, that's the southbound side. There's definitely a gate at the end of Springer Road, where it dead-ends at the southbound rest area. It was open during much of the construction, but I've never looked at it close up to see if it's locked since then - Google Maps

There's no gate restricting access to the "local back lot" on the northbound side, but there is curbing separating the "local" and "I-93" parking areas; you can't drive between the two.

 

[ToddRLockwood]

I'm told it's 12 additional miles to go around to access those chargers via the highway rest stop. I think that might be 12 each way. A pretty big issue w.r.t. practicality, IMHO.

If you can't handle the $1 toll, you're driving the wrong car. This is likely a local owner trying to save a few dollars on electricity. Not an issue.

 

[Robert.Boston]

If you can't handle the $1 toll, you're driving the wrong car. This is likely a local owner trying to save a few dollars on electricity. Not an issue.

I didn't get to be rich by throwing away dollars. :wink:

 

[tga]

I didn't get to be rich by throwing away dollars. :wink:

30 min to save $6... Sounds like you're just being stubborn! :biggrin:

(My Father-in-law does this all the time - rt 9 from Metrowest into Boston to save the Pike toll)

Do you even need to go to Hooksett anyway? You should be able to go Portland->West Leb directly, passing Winnipesaukee and picking up I89 around New London, <150 miles

Anyone stopping by anytime soon? This is getting kind of silly. All that gear just sitting there useless because of one connection.

I'll post an update tomorrow or Sat.

 

[Pollux]

Hi, @ToddRLockwood,

I was referring to the time.

Alan

P.S. I'm really, really sorry I posted anything about this issue. It was not my intent to start yet another variant of the seemingly-endless discussion of who should charge and when and why. I have met the person whose Tesla was charging in the picture I sent; I have great respect for him and his wife; and he does great things for the Tesla community. I hope this thread will turn back towards a more productive discussion. Thanks.

If you can't handle the $1 toll, you're driving the wrong car. This is likely a local owner trying to save a few dollars on electricity. Not an issue.

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I was forced to accumulate my savings the old-fashioned way, one dollar at a time, stuffed into my dancing "outfit".

I didn't get to be rich by throwing away dollars. :wink:

 

[PeterK]

Hi, @ToddRLockwood,

I was referring to the time.

Alan

P.S. I'm really, really sorry I posted anything about this issue. It was not my intent to start yet another variant of the seemingly-endless discussion of who should charge and when and why. I have met the person whose Tesla was charging in the picture I sent; I have great respect for him and his wife; and he does great things for the Tesla community. I hope this thread will turn back towards a more productive discussion.

I agree, and apologize for the sarcastic comment about a note from Elon. I know the Signature (and Roadster) owner in question has a significant solar array so this is not about saving money. (The Sig red looks beautiful in the photo, btw).

For my part I'd like to see a post that West Leb's been connected. Every time there's an update posted that's what I'm hoping to read.