Supercharger - Inyokern, CA (4 V2 stalls)

[cpa]

Agree with all your points, PW. Double wide solar array would be awesome.
Maybe a heavy duty structure like Barstow, but tilted down from stanchions towards south.
(Store owners would probably see major savings on AC with entire southern exposure shaded by large array)
Jumbo array pumping juice into the grid day after day in the midweek when hardly anyone is charging could make InyoKern first cash positive SC for tesla.

You could quite possibly be right. But then again, we do not know who actually is the owner of the solar panels under the terms of the lease. It is also possible that the landlord is the owner, and the surplus electricity is in lieu of rent. Regardless, it is fabulous!

 

[fstech]

Hard to tell from the photos, but there is probably a 4" to 6" drop from the top of the concrete to the top of the rust colored earth/dirt.

It looks like most of the soil has been replaced and compacted around the bases of the charging stanchions, and for all the electrical conduit runs.

If the two new piers are located close to where the square wood forms are, they will then probably be hand-dug for a bit (to ensure no conduit runs are damaged), and then a drilling rig will come to finish boring the piers.
The frame at the left has a stake in the middle of it, so that might be the desired location of the pier.
The rebar cages will be lowered into the holes and the concrete will be placed almost immediately to prevent earth sliding in from the walls of the newly dug piers.
Top caps on the piers may be either circular or square.
Circular shape would be formed inside of a sonotube.The three or four conduit stub-up on the left next to the raised concrete platform (with electrical equipment) will probably feed up to the PV/solar panels on the roof of the canopy.

Another Option might be that the piers will be dug right next to the existing building at the rear of this area.
If so, the piers may be located very close to the front edge of the existing paving, or possibly even removing additional paving and drilling through undisturbed soil to get best results.
In that case, the electrical stub-ups might be reworked/relocated to coordinate with the pier cap and column location.

After the pier caps are poured and set, there will probably be some sort of additional rebar grid laid out and tie-wired together which will be embedded into and re-inforce the new paving area.
There is a site drain half-in/half-out of the existing paving: the Contractor will need to ensure that the new concrete is tapered with proper slope for good drainage.

Lastly: in the middle picture I do notice a third wood frame on the far left.
I wonder if there will only be two piers or possibly three?
Previous photos indicated only two rebar cages, but stuff happens.
If so, the extra canopy area could shade the Electrical equipment (keeping it cooler), and the extra roof area could have substantially more PV panels installed to generate electrical power.

Here's a picture from a different angle that gives more detail near the third square wood form.
Great points purplewalt.

 

[Tyl]

They may do a core drill in front of the pedestals for the solar foundation. The shadows (post 35) may tell the story.

 

[C10cruiser]

Thanks again FSTech, for photos. I agree shadows tell the story.
My guess is that the stanchions will probably be against the building, away from traffic (like new Barstow canopy) to reduce fender benders. The array could tilt down from them (unlike Barstow) towards South.

With regard to who owns the panels or gets the solar produce, I don't really know, but I'm guessing all the electricity used or generated stays within Tesla's account.
I imagine the SC pitch is along the lines of:
"Looks like you have more than enough parking at your business, how'd you like to get a return on those unused spots you're paying for ?
We'll bring approximately X number of well-heeled potential customers per month to your door for the next 10 years and it won't cost you a dime. Just let us use 6 of your least used parking spots"

 

[agkirk]

More progress on the SC station.

 

[C10cruiser]

Thanks AG

 

[rallykeeper]

Anyone have any guesses on opening date?

I'm very much a glass-half-full type and would like to think it would be ready by next Thursday for our trip to Mammoth. Lone Pine alone won't cut it...

Guess it depends on whether it could open prior the installation of a canopy.

 

[fstech]

Update 02/06/2015

Getting closer....

 

[purplewalt]

Outstanding pics on the progress.

Looks like the transformer (or inverter equipment for PV panels) has yet to be set.
There are massive conduit stub-ups at the far end of the site in the last photo, and that probably requires a raised concrete pad.

There are three leave-outs in the concrete flat-work, but no indication that the rebar cages have been set or that the piers were drilled.

Note:
The concrete steps on the side of the fenced enclosure may be problematic for an un-suspecting Supercharger user as they back up to charge.
Some striped caution tape might be applied so that they are "visible".

 

[Gear]

Anyone have any guesses on opening date?

I'm very much a glass-half-full type and would like to think it would be ready by next Thursday for our trip to Mammoth. Lone Pine alone won't cut it...

Guess it depends on whether it could open prior the installation of a canopy.

There are so many factors at play here that it's anybody's guess. It seems getting the transformer installed tends to be the most common delay once construction has begun. I wouldn't count on being able to use this on Thursday if I were you.

 

[markb1]

There are three leave-outs in the concrete flat-work, but no indication that the rebar cages have been set or that the piers were drilled.

Also, I don't see any conduit coming out of those spaces. I would expect one of the footings for the solar canopy to have conduit in or next to it.

Note:
The concrete steps on the side of the fenced enclosure may be problematic for an un-suspecting Supercharger user as they back up to charge.
Some striped caution tape might be applied so that they are "visible".

Those steps are a really weird feature. Must be a code requirement.

 

[purplewalt]

Also, I don't see any conduit coming out of those spaces. I would expect one of the footings for the solar canopy to have conduit in or next to it.

In one of the previous pics (#35) there was some conduit coming up next to the wood formwork.
You're correct: I don't see the conduit near the leave-out either.

 

[4SUPER9]

At Barstow, I could not find any evidence of conduit at either of the solar canopy footings. I found that strange. Maybe it was trenched after?

 

[C10cruiser]

If you zoom in to the middle leave-out in FSTech's 1st or 2nd new pic (post 48, thank you FSTech), you can see a small concrete vault (hand hole) set flush in the new slab, just in front of the leave out, where PurpleWalt remembered the electrical conduits sticking up in post 35. I was at Barstow a couple of weeks ago when the crew was finishing the canopy. The steel legs were being enclosed in rectangular columns with a foot print roughly 10" x 18". I'm guessing that the conduits running to (power for lighting) and from the canopy will run down the steel post inside the column, briefly underground to the small vault and on to inverter inside fenced area.

Agreed steps are odd. There is a similarly placed concrete ramp at San Juan Capistrano that is chipped and smeared with tire rubber and rim paint(!)

Is InyoKern is supposed to have any batteries ?

 

[4SUPER9]

There are only 4 stalls here, and while probably sufficient given the traffic and remote location, one of these is permanently designated as handicapped. I'm sure that was a local code requirement. While I am personally aware of some handicapped Tesla drivers, how many will be taking this route? Essentially, that leaves only 3 usable spots. Now, I have never parked in a handicapped space before, but if I was to arrive at a SC and it was the only spot left, I may be tempted, and just stand right there and be ready to jump out and move if someone needed the spot, or move to a legitimate spot if one opens.

 

[C10cruiser]

The sign for new handicap/SC spot at Barstow isn't a regular handicap warning. It says "please give priority" or something along that line.
I would definitely charge while hovering if other three spots were full.

 

[fstech]

Update 02/09/2015

Busy day, crews were out installing new pole mounted transformers, concrete parking stops and the last door for the equipment room.
I have tried to find out if they're going go live without the solar canopy but lips are sealed. :wink: I'll post any significant updates.

 

[4SUPER9]

I am hitting Mammoth mid-March. Crossing my fingers that this will be live by then.

 

[purplewalt]

Looks like concrete wheel stops have been added to the site.
So the steps on the left side are out of harms way, as are the current (framed-up) leave-outs in the concrete paving (and the future frame structure for the canopy columns).
And the rest of the fencing around the enclosure appears to be completed and stained.

I don't see the rebar cages on site -- so maybe the piers are already installed?

And the HP large green transformer is still not installed, or at least evident.

 

[Cottonwood]

Update 02/09/2015

Busy day, crews were out installing new pole mounted transformers, concrete parking stops and the last door for the equipment room.
I have tried to find out if they're going go live without the solar canopy but lips are sealed. :wink: I'll post any significant updates.

I have not seen a Supercharger site fed by pole mount transformers yet, but with a 4-stall site, maybe three 100 kVA pole mount transformers might do the job. There is always a first...