Supercharger - Kayenta, AZ

[GRA]

I agree. That's exactly what I did. Getting a Model S was a little of a stretch for me but there was never a doubt ordering it with the 85 battery as it is my only car. Many many times have I needed the full range or it made my trip just a little more comfortable. On almost all my road trip (using Superchargers) has it decreased my total trip time.

That getting the biggest battery with the longest range will make a road trip more convenient and flexible falls in the "well, duh" category (I'm tempted to use an even more appropriate albeit scatological phrase that makes the same point). By the same token, a $15k Mitsubishi Mirage with an ICE provides even more convenience and flexibility on a road trip than any current BEV at any price, as it has more range regardless of conditions, and also benefits from rapid refueling and a ubiquitous refueling infrastructure, but I digress.

Being able to 'stretch' an extra $10k when you're already paying a minimum of $70k for a car may not be a big deal for the typical new Tesla Model S/X owner (in California, from 2012-2015 48% of Tesla owners claimed family incomes above $300k/yr, and fully 70% above $200k - see EV Consumer Survey Dashboard | Clean Vehicle Rebate Project), but the 2013 U.S. median family income was $51,939. Lots of people who'd like to own a BEV are stretching to afford a used Model S60, and plenty of people will be stretching to afford a Model 3 (Who Can Afford The Average Car Price? Only Folks In Washington, D.C.), which will still fall well short of the road trip range/convenience of the least expensive ICE.

So, while the OP's comment is accurate, it comes off smacking more than a little of "let them eat cake" (supposedly Marie Antoinette, actually Rousseau, who may have made it up. If you prefer a more current reference, cf. Mitt Romney's foot-in-mouth comments ca. 2012), at least if Tesla's Grand Poobah means what he says about bringing long-range BEVs to the masses. In California, at least, as of today we've now got an income cut-off to qualify for the CVRP rebate, even if it is ridiculously high ($250k for an individual filer, $500k for a married couple). I suspect they'll manage to find the extra $2500 somehow, even if they have to look under the sofa cushions for change. And that's enough OT.

 

[napabill]

That getting the biggest battery with the longest range will make a road trip more convenient and flexible falls in the "well, duh" category (I'm tempted to use an even more appropriate albeit scatological phrase that makes the same point). By the same token, a $15k Mitsubishi Mirage with an ICE provides even more convenience and flexibility on a road trip than any current BEV at any price, as it has more range regardless of conditions, and also benefits from rapid refueling and a ubiquitous refueling infrastructure, but I digress.

Being able to 'stretch' an extra $10k when you're already paying a minimum of $70k for a car may not be a big deal for the typical new Tesla Model S/X owner (in California, from 2012-2015 48% of Tesla owners claimed family incomes above $300k/yr, and fully 70% above $200k - see EV Consumer Survey Dashboard | Clean Vehicle Rebate Project), but the 2013 U.S. median family income was $51,939. Lots of people who'd like to own a BEV are stretching to afford a used Model S60, and plenty of people will be stretching to afford a Model 3 (Who Can Afford The Average Car Price? Only Folks In Washington, D.C.), which will still fall well short of the road trip range/convenience of the least expensive ICE.

So, while the OP's comment is accurate, it comes off smacking more than a little of "let them eat cake" (supposedly Marie Antoinette, actually Rousseau, who may have made it up. If you prefer a more current reference, cf. Mitt Romney's foot-in-mouth comments ca. 2012), at least if Tesla's Grand Poobah means what he says about bringing long-range BEVs to the masses. In California, at least, as of today we've now got an income cut-off to qualify for the CVRP rebate, even if it is ridiculously high ($250k for an individual filer, $500k for a married couple). I suspect they'll manage to find the extra $2500 somehow, even if they have to look under the sofa cushions for change. And that's enough OT.

Uh, this deals with Kayenta how?

 

[ZBB]

Depends on where one is coming from, of course. For me Flagstaff is 418 miles via Blanding/Kayenta and 436 miles via Farmington/Gallup/Holbrook. Although the distance isn't that much different, the route via US 191 and US 160 through Monument Valley and Kayenta is a lot nicer to drive than I-40, IME.

The 177 extra miles was "starting" in Monument Valley... We'll be staying there a couple nights, so was planning for the return to Phoenix.

I've been fiddling around with route options on EV Trip Planner. Decided tonight to modify our route to also get a stop at Canyon de Chelly. Monument Valley to Holbrook is right at the limit of a 60s range (slightly over if drive the limit; slightly under at 10 under) -- which is risky since there are no charging options on the route (the only RV parks are pretty close to the Holbrook SC). But MV to Gallup via Chinle and Window Rock is doable with a small buffer, and only adds an extra ~80 miles, so we're now planning to do that route. We'll also spend an extra night at La Posada in Winslow before heading back down via Payson.

 

[GRA]

Uh, this deals with Kayenta how?

See ^^"And that's enough OT.":biggrin:

 

[eyespii]

Any update on this supercharger?

 

[ohmman]

WRT to Williams, AZ: I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which offers two HPWC destination chargers at 40A each. They will bill you $25 to charge on them even if you're staying there. I paid it (it was convenient) but it struck me as a form of gouging. Monopolize the area and charge what you want. Apparently they used to be free, then $15, now $25. I found the hotel to be full of faux hospitality and of course, it's a HIE. In that hotel category, I've had much better experiences at Best Westerns with destination chargers. I plan to call the Best Western in Williams and urge them to install some chargers for free. They'd scoop up the Tesla crowd, anyway.

Sorry for the slightly OT rant.

 

[Bill Lewis]

I see in the future superchargers planned a couple of bubbles in UT that point to AZ. I'm assuming they will be in Page and Kayenta, AZ. I'm hoping and praying since I drive back and forth from Phx to Telluride, CO often, putting a supercharger in Kayenta would make a 12 hour trip down to a 9.5 hour one. I see this on the Tesla motors map of chargers to be completed by 2016. But on supercharge.info I don't see any contruction permits pulled or construction going on in Kayenta Page, or Marana, AZ yet. Nor do I see anything yet on the I-10 from Casa Grande, AZ all the way to San Antonio, TX!!! I sure hope we get there! There are limitations on the I-80 in Wyoming and Nebraska, as well. Does anyone know anything that I don't?

 

[cpa]

I see in the future superchargers planned a couple of bubbles in UT that point to AZ. I'm assuming they will be in Page and Kayenta, AZ. I'm hoping and praying since I drive back and forth from Phx to Telluride, CO often, putting a supercharger in Kayenta would make a 12 hour trip down to a 9.5 hour one. I see this on the Tesla motors map of chargers to be completed by 2016. But on supercharge.info I don't see any contruction permits pulled or construction going on in Kayenta Page, or Marana, AZ yet. Nor do I see anything yet on the I-10 from Casa Grande, AZ all the way to San Antonio, TX!!! I sure hope we get there! There are limitations on the I-80 in Wyoming and Nebraska, as well. Does anyone know anything that I don't?

Bill, generally any Supercharger scoop will be reported here first. There are covert ops everywhere!

That said, every year Tesla announces several Supercharger openings that escaped everyone's attention--we have called them stealth openings. Longer stretches of highway, like I-80 through Wyoming and Nebraska or I-10 east of Tucson will reveal a starting point when Tesla undertakes to fill in that stretch. Next thing you know, owners visit the construction site and speak to the crew. The crew might say something like, "When we finish here, we are headed there." Members of this site will contact building departments to see if Tesla has any permits pending in communities that would be logical locations.

Sometimes outlying locations like Kayenta or Marana won't have any advance knowledge by anyone unless a traveler decides to drive by to do some reconnaissance work. They might stop at a hotel or other establishment and speak with management.

My personal feeling is that by the end of 2016 I-80 will be mostly complete east of Cheyenne, but not between Cheyenne and SLC. Interstate 10 might get some love to Las Cruces, and Interstate 25 could be done between Albuquerque and Las Cruces. I doubt (much to Tao Jones' dismay) that there will be any activity on I-10 east of El Paso.

Kayenta seems like a logical location for a lot of travelers, so it may pop up sooner than we know. Tesla is starting to complete the Pacific Coast on US101 between Eureka and Astoria, which came as a surprise to most of us that it was so soon.

 

[SageBrush]

The 177 miles will use ~213 rated miles per EV Trip Planner -- so out of range for a 60 without a charge stop.

If hell freezes over, drive slower for a couple of hours.

 

[Bill Lewis]

CPA said: "Bill, generally any Supercharger scoop will be reported here first. There are covert ops everywhere!"


Wow, Thanks, CPA. That's the best explanation, I've heard yet. I have met the Hotel owner of the Hampton Inn Gallup, and he also owns the Townplace Suites Marriott in Farmington. He's enamored with Tesla and I wish he would own more hotels so we could get Super Chargers in other needed places! For a while, I thought Tesla was going to put a SC in Cortez, CO, but it's too close to Farmington where that one already exists. Also the reason They haven't put one in Durango. A buddy who runs the narrow gauge RR there would love to have SC's in their parking lot and he would approve it. I know these cost a lot of $, so they have to be judicious with their choice of locations.

 

[SageBrush]

Durango has open access HPWC if I am not mistaken. I would love to see a SC in Telluride since all the choices there are private businesses that restrict access to patrons.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Durango has open access HPWC if I am not mistaken. I would love to see a SC in Telluride since all the choices there are private businesses that restrict access to patrons.

While not quite as fast as an HPWC, the Town of Mountain Village has a free public L2 charge station on the upper level of the parking garage (parking is free while using the charge station). It is only a scenic and free gondola ride from Telluride.

(This public charge station was mostly paid for by the Colorado plug-in vehicle registration fee, as were the charge stations in Ouray and Montrose.)

Downside is that there are only two cords and you don't know if they will be in use until you get there.

As you know, Telluride is a scenic place:

^Bear Creek Canyon from the top of Chair 6.

 

[cpa]

While not quite as fast as an HPWC, the Town of Mountain Village has a free public L2 charge station on the upper level of the parking garage (parking is free while using the charge station). It is only a scenic and free gondola ride from Telluride.

(This public charge station was mostly paid for by the Colorado plug-in vehicle registration fee, as were the charge stations in Ouray and Montrose.)

Downside is that there are only two cords and you don't know if they will be in use until you get there.

As you know, Telluride is a scenic place:

^Bear Creek Canyon from the top of Chair 6.

Two years ago I charged for about 90 minutes at that swanky hotel in Telluride that has an 80A HPWC. The bell captain said that I was the first person to use it. He said that Tesla installed it the previous fall when they had a two-day sales pitch to sell Teslas, and thought it would attract the swells by holding the test drives in Telluride. They refused to charge me to use it, so I bought a couple of beers at the bar and left a generous tip while my car charged about 90 miles. That was enough for me to reach Moab. Just a gorgeous drive!

 

[eyespii]

Planning in early October to go from farmington, NM --> monument valley --> blanding, UT in an MX90D. Doesn't seem like it'd be doable without a charging stop in the middle. No updates yet on the Kayenta supercharger?

 

[ZBB]

We drove through Kayenta on Sunday and saw something interesting.

There was a RV parked at Burger King (which is between the McDonald's and Hampton Inn on Highway 160. The RV had a Tesla logo on the entire passenger side.

We didn't stop to check it out, but I captured it on my dashcam -- see the attached pic; you can see the RV off to the right. Could this be a mobile team from Tesla working to get Supercharger sites locked down?

It would have been nice to have a Supercharger in Kayenta -- would have saved us nearly 4 hours of charging split between Gouldings in Monument Valley and the Moenkepi Inn in Tuba City… We chose to go off the Supercharger highway since even with the 2 slow charging stops, it was just under 8 hours between Blanding and Flagstaff compared about 10 hours to go through the Farmington/Gallup/Holbrook S-curve…

 

[dmdrums]

I just called the Burger King in Kayenta, AZ to see if they have noticed any construction in their parking lot for an electric car charger. The response, "nope, we only see 18 wheelers here. Diesel." followed by a slight chuckle.

Next, I called the Hampton Inn - just next door to the Burger King. The response, "should we be made aware of any upcoming construction to our parking lot *in a worried tone*? We haven't seen anything yet."

The elusive "Tesla RV" remains a mystery. No news from these locations.

Any other ideas?

 

[eyespii]

I just called the Burger King in Kayenta, AZ to see if they have noticed any construction in their parking lot for an electric car charger. The response, "nope, we only see 18 wheelers here. Diesel." followed by a slight chuckle.

Next, I called the Hampton Inn - just next door to the Burger King. The response, "should we be made aware of any upcoming construction to our parking lot *in a worried tone*? We haven't seen anything yet."

The elusive "Tesla RV" remains a mystery. No news from these locations.

Any other ideas?

I think I figured out what the tesla RV is all about! Unfortunately, it's not a mobile supercharger team at all. Apparently it's some guy dribbling a basketball across the country for charity, and he just so happens to be a huge tesla fan, so he plastered a tesla logo on his RV. And you spotting his RV in kayenta also matches with his planned route to the 4 corners as well.

https://m.facebook.com/USADribbleCoast2Coast/

If you watch the video on his facebook page, you'll see the giant red tesla RV throughout, with a full view of it at 3:05.

As cool as this guy's charity seems, I'll be honest I was still hoping it was a supercharger team.

 

[ZBB]

I think I figured out what the tesla RV is all about! Unfortunately, it's not a mobile supercharger team at all. Apparently it's some guy dribbling a basketball across the country for charity, and he just so happens to be a huge tesla fan, so he plastered a tesla logo on his RV. And you spotting his RV in kayenta also matches with his planned route to the 4 corners as well.

https://m.facebook.com/USADribbleCoast2Coast/

If you watch the video on his facebook page, you'll see the giant red tesla RV throughout, with a full view of it at 3:05.

As cool as this guy's charity seems, I'll be honest I was still hoping it was a supercharger team.

Thanks for digging it up. At least I had a plausible theory... but it was just that. We didn't stop and ask -- a supercharger in Kayenta would have been very welcome. We spent a few hours each charging at Goulding's in Monument Valley and at the Moenkepi Lodge near Tuba City in order to make it to Flagstaff. Much shorter distance than making the S-curve through Farmington and Gallup. Even with the slow charging kit was less time too!

 

[Uricasha]

I just called the Burger King in Kayenta, AZ to see if they have noticed any construction in their parking lot for an electric car charger. The response, "nope, we only see 18 wheelers here. Diesel." followed by a slight chuckle.

Next, I called the Hampton Inn - just next door to the Burger King. The response, "should we be made aware of any upcoming construction to our parking lot *in a worried tone*? We haven't seen anything yet."

The elusive "Tesla RV" remains a mystery. No news from these locations.

Any other ideas?

I work for a public utility in Arizona and know that construction permits for Indian Reservations can take a considerable amount of time. Tesla might be hitting a wall in just getting a permit?

 

[PLUS EV]

Took a look around Kayenta as I drove through but didn't spot anything.

I thought the most likely candidate was the Hampton Inn, but nothing was there. Also looked at the Shell and nothing there either. There is no Marriott, Holiday Inn Express or Carls, Jr. in this town. There is one strip mall type place with a grocery store (I think Bashas') that would be a decent location, but I don't recall them ever partnering with Bashas' or any of the other businesses that were present there. I was in a bit of a hurry so I didn't look at any City Hall/Chamber of Commerce type places.

This is a fairly depressed reservation town so it's possible that Tesla will have a hard time meeting all the typical requirements, notably a sense of safety late at night. I mean there was nothing there that would make me feel uncomfortable but I spent a lot of time in a lot of shady places in my younger years so not much bothers me. There are a lot of drunk Navajo panhandlers all around town.