Supercharger - Lima, MT

[4SUPER9]

Hi All,

Look what I just found!

My fiance is from Montana, and I thought how fun it would be to drive her there in my MS. I doubt we ever will, given the time involved, but it is fun to fantasize about it anyway. I saw that there are some pretty good evidence for SC's coming to Idaho Falls, ID and to Pocatello, ID. When Cottonwood thought that these would be too far from Butte, he suggested Dillon, I searched there and turned up nada. So, I zoomed in a little more and decided to search Lima. Low and behold, on Dec 14, 2015, the City Council discussed that a SC is indeed going in! Here is a link to their minutes from their meeting (it is a .doc download). Here is the text itself:

3. Tesla Motors Supercharger Station – Discussion regarding the proposed charging station at Jan’s Café parking lot which is actually owned by Kevin Stosich. The Town doesn’t have any control over these type of plans on private property but this information is being brought to the Council so they are aware of the project.

The address is: 108 Bailey St, Lima, MT 59739

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

That's great. Looking like 15 will have full coverage this year.

 

[4SUPER9]

I just called Jan's Cafe and they confirmed that there is indeed a SC going in there. Construction has not begun yet.

 

[byan1232]

How long does it normally take to go from permit to fully usable?

 

[Cottonwood]

How long does it normally take to go from permit to fully usable?

It is a VERY broad distribution, ranging from a few weeks to a few years. The best guess is several months; sorry, there is no good, much less a precise, answer.

 

[zarkuu]

This is exciting. My wife and I go from Bozeman to Boise a couple times a year to visit the in-laws. Last October we went just after the Twin Falls SC opened by doing some L2 charging in West Yellowstone, Idaho Falls, and Pocatello. I've been looking forward to Idaho Falls SC but Lima to Twin Falls might be close (228 mi) going through Arco/Craters of the Moon. It would be a nice alternative to all the Interstate driving that's for sure. Either way it will cut down on the L2 charging we need and make the trip a lot quicker than last time.

 

[Joel]

And Idaho Falls shortens the gap:
Supercharger - Idaho Falls, ID - Page 2

 

[OlderThanDirt]

That's really good news!! Model S delivery is getting closer and closer :smile: As soon as thats complete it will be road trip again!!!!

It will be interesting what the summer construction season brings.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

Great find! This got me thinking about the connection up into Canada. I think Tesla has some planning work here. The next leg up from Butte to Helena is too short (65 mi), and given the road structure, the next logical location in Great Falls (156 mi) might be too far in the winter. Also, then from Great Falls to Shelby, the next logical location, is too short at only 88 mi. Shelby to either Fort MacLeod or Lethbridge, AB is good for winter (120-130 mi). So where should they locate between Butte and Shelby? Cascade (mid-point but small and no real crossroads), Great Falls (with the long leg), or double up with both Helena and Great Falls?

 

[GRA]

Great find! This got me thinking about the connection up into Canada. I think Tesla has some planning work here. The next leg up from Butte to Helena is too short (65 mi), and given the road structure, the next logical location in Great Falls (156 mi) might be too far in the winter. Also, then from Great Falls to Shelby, the next logical location, is too short at only 88 mi. Shelby to either Fort MacLeod or Lethbridge, AB is good for winter (120-130 mi). So where should they locate between Butte and Shelby? Cascade (mid-point but small and no real crossroads), Great Falls (with the long leg), or double up with both Helena and Great Falls?

Lima's a lot better than Dillon for spacing from Idaho Falls, although Dillon's got better connections.

As for your question, Wolf Creek, the junction for people turning off to Glacier: 101 miles from Butte and 136 from Shelby (a tad long for winter in a 60 on the interstate). There's several restaurants there too. Wolf Creek also gives them the option of putting one in at Browning (139 miles from Wolf Creek, which is a bit long in winter, but off the interstate) instead of Shelby initially - 99 miles to Fort Macleod, or 110 miles to Lethbridge. Ultimately, they'll also want them at Great Falls, Helena and Shelby (plus West Glacier and/or Kalispell), and move the $%#^&*@## Superior SC to St. Regis, where it always should have been, instead of imposing a totally unnecessary 28 mile (RT) detour for eastbound I-90 travellers going to Glacier.

 

[KJD]

Really glad to see some build out on I-15. Have some friends that recently moved to MT and this will make the trip much easier for me.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

... Ultimately, they'll also want them at Great Falls, Helena and Shelby (plus West Glacier and/or Kalispell), and move the $%#^&*@## Superior SC to St. Regis, where it always should have been, instead of imposing a totally unnecessary 28 mile (RT) detour for eastbound I-90 travellers going to Glacier.

Given the cold weather and spacing on I-90, I've decided they will likely do all three. Wow, I agree about Superior, I'd never noticed that. As for off interstate, hmmm, there are some, but not as many especially in lightly traveled areas. I doubt we'll see those until 2018.

 

[gigglehertz]

"The Town doesn’t have any control over these type of plans on private property but this information is being brought to the Council so they are aware of the project."

Is this normal? Why would somebody need to "bring it to their attention?" Is there a GM dealership nearby?

 

[4SUPER9]

"The Town doesn’t have any control over these type of plans on private property but this information is being brought to the Council so they are aware of the project."

Is this normal? Why would somebody need to "bring it to their attention?" Is there a GM dealership nearby?

I know! I think it's hysterical. In California, everyone has to jump through layers of red tape to get anything accomplished. They are so laid back. "Hey, they want to do it. Good for them. Move on"

 

[Cottonwood]

I know! I think it's hysterical. In California, everyone has to jump through layers of red tape to get anything accomplished. They are so laid back. "Hey, they want to do it. Good for them. Move on"

Across the border in Red Deer, AB, I don't think that they needed a building permit...

 

[zarkuu]

Had a chance to drive through Lima this last weekend (Apr 2). No sign of any construction activity yet. One thing I noticed is the location is very close to an MDT rest area which will make nature breaks easy if Jan's isn't open. Not much else in the area.

 

[Villa-Lobos]

Hoping to take this route from East coast up to Whitefish this summer or back in the Fall. Great addition! The SC map gets better every month!

 

[Rownolds]

Hoping to take this route from East coast up to Whitefish this summer or back in the Fall. Great addition! The SC map gets better every month!

I can hook you up with a HPWC in Pocatello - it's on Plugshare.

 

[KJD]

Now that Idaho Falls is online, maybe Lima will be next for construction. Has anyone driven by this location lately?

 

[ModelX]

I called yesterday and no one seemed to know anything about it!