Supercharger - Irvine, CA - Michelson Dr. (Park Place, LIVE 19 Oct 2019, 12 urban stalls)

[UTF 26A1]

Park Place local here. There’s light construction back between the Travelers building and the LA Fitness parking structure, outside near the service road entrance.

There’s a fenced-off bit up against the structure’s transformers, and you can see exposed wiring from above (best view is actually from the glass elevator). Right across from that, there’s a bank of 6-8 old handicap spots for the Travelers building that are barricaded off. Seems perfect to me.

The coned-off spots inside seem a little too tricky (spread out across several rows, wedged in a corner near the ramp to the second floor, separated by handicap spots) to be the final site. Just my opinion... although they are the closest inside spots to the construction outside, so who knows.

Either way, stoked to get supercharging within spitting distance of my home! The $0.75 / hr spots in the same structure are already super convenient.

 

[4SUPER9]

Drove through the entire structure today. No fencing or visible construction yet, but spoke to a security guard who was coning off an area to be "pressure washed."

There were ~10 traffic cones blocking parking spaces on the first level nearest the LA Fitness entrance. Very high traffic area, most conspicuous place in the structure and most convenient to retail stuff. The blocked spaces were not continuous, and it seemed like they were adding cones to block more spaces as cars left.

Could be a coincidence, or could be they are pressure washing the area pre-install.

Does not make sense. Why would the pressure wash spots before construction?

 

[miimura]

Does not make sense. Why would the pressure wash spots before construction?

If it's in a parking structure, they usually surface mount all the wiring ducts, so they might as well start with clean concrete because you don't want to pressure wash it after all the wiring is installed.

 

[rckybbby]

Park Place local here. There’s light construction back between the Travelers building and the LA Fitness parking structure, outside near the service road entrance.

Yes! Took some pics and it appears supercharger construction is well underway at this spot.

There is a white cabinet waiting to be placed. A concrete pad with 8 tubes sticking out of it. Directly adjacent to the pad are 4 tubes (and a smaller one?) sticking out of the ground and attached to the parking structure. On the second floor, there is a fenced off area with a bunch of metal hardware and notice the 6 holes drilled in the wall.

The second floor is a lot more chill than the 1st floor and is still a pretty good location imo, considering its a structure.

@BlueShift Thanks for doing all that you do!

 

[TJKR]

Wow, good to see some progress. I spend it alot of time Irvine and have to go to Fountain Valley to charge, its the worst Supercharger station I've been to. I was at Daly City last week and charged at the 40 stall charger, it was great.. plenty of free stalls. What this area needs is one of those but I'll take 8 stalls.

Yes! Took some pics and it appears supercharger construction is well underway at this spot.

There is a white cabinet waiting to be placed. A concrete pad with 8 tubes sticking out of it. Directly adjacent to the pad are 4 tubes (and a smaller one?) sticking out of the ground and attached to the parking structure. On the second floor, there is a fenced off area with a bunch of metal hardware and notice the 6 holes drilled in the wall.

The second floor is a lot more chill than the 1st floor and is still a pretty good location imo, considering its a structure.

@BlueShift Thanks for doing all that you do!

 

[UTF 26A1]

I saw them inside cutting the concrete today on the second floor. They’ve drawn green rectangles behind 12 of the public spots on the floor, and cut 12 holes straight through to the first level behind the AC hotel spots (they’re currently covered by cones).

Certainly looks like it’s gonna be in this area of Level 2. Those handicap barricades I spoke of before across the way are gone now, so probably nothing over there.

I think those spots were blocked on the first level before to make room for the concrete cutting truck and keep debris from falling on cars!

Either way, I’ve found my new nightly hobby...

 

[UTF 26A1]

Level 2 actually makes a lot of sense. This way they can route everything under the floor of level 2, on the ceiling of level 1!

 

[UTF 26A1]

Confirmed. The workers here on the second floor today were wearing Electric Vehicle Infrastructure shirts. I asked if this is where the new Supercharger is going and got a silent nod (but nothing more)!

 

[rxlawdude]

Oy vey. Have you ever tried getting into that complex on a weekend evening, or during rush hour? They have someone directing traffic at a poorly designed intersection once you're in the complex.

And, of course, it's pay to park.

 

[UTF 26A1]

And, of course, it's pay to park.

Nope! Using the west entrance, you can park for free on levels 1 and 2. Paid parking starts just after the new Supercharger spots.

 

[rckybbby]

Irvine - Michelson is really nice for locals, but I'm hopeful about the Irvine - Main location for 405 folks.

No signs of construction yet as of Friday (still in permitting) but there is a fenced off area on the first floor off Gillette Ave. That would be pretty convenient ingress/egress to the 405. Hopefully they have a 30 min grace period for parking or validation. The building was bought by a company that is remodeling and looks like new retail tenants are coming in too.

 

[warrenh]

Stopped by tonight, looks like they have setup the white cabinet on the second floor now in the sealed off area.

 

[UTF 26A1]

A few developments over the last week here.

Both cabinets (upstairs and downstairs) have been installed. Holes drilled through level two are still covered by cones, but are also now surrounded with caution tape. Also, the upstairs construction has some cool new boxes (one has big “AC” and “DC” cutouts) and pipes. It also looks like greenery is ready to go in downstairs.

 

[gaswalla]

Is there anything onsite that is Tesla branded? (cabinets, equipment, etc?)

 

[mociaf9]

Is there anything onsite that is Tesla branded? (cabinets, equipment, etc?)

That last picture shows the base for a supercharger cabinet that Tesla uses when installing in parking garages. It's not branded, per se (i.e. no actual "Tesla" markings on it), but it is a custom part just like the precast concrete pedestal bases they often use for outdoor locations.

 

[UTF 26A1]

Is there anything onsite that is Tesla branded? (cabinets, equipment, etc?)

Nope, no logos anywhere. The only Tesla branded things in this structure are cars!

 

[rxlawdude]

Nope! Using the west entrance, you can park for free on levels 1 and 2. Paid parking starts just after the new Supercharger spots.

This must be a new development, then. Although it never made sense that the "overflow" parking for the free parking lot was pay. The "west entrance" is the one next to Panini Grill, right? Last time I was there, you had to go through a gate with a ticket dispenser.

Is that gone now?

 

[UTF 26A1]

The "west entrance" is the one next to Panini Grill, right? Last time I was there, you had to go through a gate with a ticket dispenser.

Is that gone now?

Yep! Just drive in and turn right immediately. Paid parking is if you keep going straight after entering, or if you use any of the other entrances.

 

[UTF 26A1]

Greenery is in downstairs (looks like there won’t be any visible developments there anymore) and the work area upstairs has a tube bender! They’ve been putting it to good use installing the first wiring channels:

Here’s what the setup is looking like it’s going to be:

- First floor cabinet connects to second floor cabinet by passing under the sidewalk, up the side of the building, and through the wall of the second floor (earlier pics).
- Second floor cabinet cables go back out through more holes in the wall and travel for a few dozen feet along the side of the building (first and second photos above).
-They then drop and pass under the second floor (on the ceiling of the first) until they’re underneath the spots (third photo above).
- Then they go up through the floor to the spots themselves (earlier pics).

Trying to figure all of this out is so interesting!

 

[UTF 26A1]

4 + 4 + 3 + 1 = 12 stalls! Or at least twelve tubes, running laterally under the second floor...