HankLloydRight
No Roads
Maybe people are using it last when all the stalls were full, and then other people left.
It's like Larry David getting caught using the handicap stall in a full two-stall bathroom.
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Supercharger - Mountain View, CA (12 V2 stalls)
- Thread starter BlueShift
- Start date
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- California Supercharging USA
Maybe people are using it last when all the stalls were full, and then other people left.
It's like Larry David getting caught using the handicap stall in a full two-stall bathroom.
Maybe people are using it last when all the stalls were full, and then other people left.
It's like Larry David getting caught using the handicap stall in a full two-stall bathroom.
No, I don't think the San Diego supercharger has ever been full. The most I've observed is 7 out of 11 occupied.
anxman
Member
I was making a trip from SF to Santa Cruz today and would not have had enough charge to reach. The Trip Planner kicked in and routed me through the new MV supercharger and got me on to my destination with 10 miles to spare. I had no idea there was now an MV supercharger and was surprised to see it today. Awesome!
MarcG
Active Member
I just stopped by Mtn View SpC to supercharge after going on a mountain bike ride down south, and man is it packed already! And that's on a Sat afternoon, I'd hate to see weekdays... Only one non-handicapped spot left when I arrived so I had to share and was capped at 200A, though my SoC was under 30%. Eventually moved and got over 300A. But then someone else parked next to me so it dropped again. New cables are cool though, didn't feel that flimsy at all. I took a photo of the cable with a quarter for reference.
I personally think Tesla screwed up on the location of this SpC. They should have built it off I-280 by 85 or 84, away from densely-populated areas. Then it would truly be a "long-distance travel" SpC, which is what Tesla says their purpose is, and wouldn't be as hogged by locals as Shoreline. Half the cars were full of people waiting in their cars anyway, so it's not like they're coming to visit the computer history museum or something. Color me unimpressed...
I personally think Tesla screwed up on the location of this SpC. They should have built it off I-280 by 85 or 84, away from densely-populated areas. Then it would truly be a "long-distance travel" SpC, which is what Tesla says their purpose is, and wouldn't be as hogged by locals as Shoreline. Half the cars were full of people waiting in their cars anyway, so it's not like they're coming to visit the computer history museum or something. Color me unimpressed...
Thanks for the nice pics! I'm not so worried. There will be many locals during the first weeks just checking it out. That included myself as I wanted to check it out and add it to my collection of "visited chargers" in the Nav...
What you will see in general is that locals looking for a free charge are not willing to wait even 3 minutes if they do not really need a charge and have a good nearby alternative anyway (their house). I think that -with few exceptions, I believe Amsterdam is one of them-, you'll see few SC stations with lines forming, although they may have all stalls full at some points in time.
As I was there, I noticed that there were quite a few people only charging for a few min, i.e. just checking things out...
No matter how you turn it, for long distance travelers, this site adds an alternative option to Gilroy, Fremont and the -still to open- new San Mateo and Dublin sites and makes going S<->N over the peninsula much easier.
MarcG
Active Member
I don't know about you, but when I do a long-distance trip from San Francisco down south (let's say, to Santa Cruz or Monterey or even Paso Robles) I almost always take 280 and avoid 101 like the plague. 280 is much more pleasant, faster, and less accident-prone than 101. Case in point: just after charging at Mountain View, nav routed me through 101 to get home (280 was too out of the way) but I ended up sitting in traffic for 20 min.. on a Saturday afternoon! So why Tesla decided to build not one, but TWO superchargers off 101, is really beyond me.
Every time Tesla opens a Supercharger I am impressed. Tesla is doing an extraordinary thing in building out a global charging network, and doing it so rapidly. I think you are being remarkably ungrateful.
Yeah, I much prefer 280 also. I agree having one of the two alongside 280 would have been even nicer. There must always be more to wish for in life though... :biggrin: For now, I can't wait for the one in Seaside/Monterrey to open...
Merrill
Merrill
I agree with ecarfan, who else do you know that installs charging stations all around the world where you can go and charge up in 30 minutes for free. The fact that Tesla is doing this is very forward thinking puts this company way out front in many ways. My 2$
While Tesla is doing an awesome thing building out this network, I would have to agree that they make some poor placement decisions at times.
For example, the supercharger in South Hill, VA is in the best location ever. It takes seconds to get to from the interstate, and seconds to return to the highway. Best. Spot. Ever.
On the other hand, there is the Woodbridge, VA charger that is sometimes 20 minutes to get to from I-95 and I try to avoid it when possible. Also seems to be a spot locals like to use.
Newark, DE is an awesome location when traveling southbound. A little confusing when traveling northbound, though. Problem is that it is *directly* across from an entrance door and prime for ICEing. There is also only four stalls. Probably should be a duplicate set on the northbound side.
Savannah, GA is an interesting location. In an airport parking garage...? Not sure who thought this was a good idea. Been there a couple of times, and each time there was at least one or two stalls with cars that obviously haven't moved for some time... probably travelers. Seems like a bad idea all around, plus is not the quickest to get to from the highway. Plus have to pay if after hours to get out of the garage. During business hours have to walk probably a half mile to get validation (present key fob).
Overall, I'm glad the network exists. As it expands I'm actually hoping that Tesla goes more towards the gas station type placement. As in, Tesla-owned property.
ken830
Model S 85, Model 3 Performance, Model X LongRange
Every Supercharger location is a good thing. Sure, some strategically-placed ones are necessary, but filling-in the gaps with any other spots that they get can't hurt. Especially in more urban areas. I, for one, appreciate any location on the Peninsula. Helps with emergency-type situations.
What about amenities? I don't like the ones that are like gas stations. I really prefer for some nice restaurants or nice coffee shops to be within walking distance. In that sense, this new Mountain View location is great! It's 1 minute off the freeway and makes it easy to combine the charging with a cup of coffee or a nice meal.
Even the ones closer to the highway have some amenities.
But, unfortunately gas stations have some pretty convenient real estate (near highways) and expected amenities... something Tesla is trying to match by placing the chargers near shopping centers and such.... which is fine by me if they're close to the highway. Unfortunately this doesn't always seem to be the case. My on/off highway time just getting to/from the chargers, not counting time spent charging, for my NJ<->FL round trip was multiple hours. As much as I like the superchargers this doesn't compare to travel in an ICE where even if had to make the same number of stops I could always do so at a gas station that was seconds from the interstate and cut that total on/off highway travel time down to 20 minutes or less probably for the same trip in an ICE, not counting fill-up time savings.
So yeah, kudos for the build out. Love the tech. But definitely going to need some better placement eventually once the whole mass market thing happens. Turning an 18-19 hour road trip into a 25-26 hour road trip might work for some but it won't cut the mustard with the mass market. And like I said, over an hour of that time was just getting to/from chargers, something I think would be easier to tweak vs faster charging tech.
ken830
Model S 85, Model 3 Performance, Model X LongRange
wk057.. It's way too early to make these kinds of judgements because the Supercharger network is nowhere near complete. We're only approaching 3 years into the network's build-out. And you have to admit that we're already way, way, way, way ahead of gas stations at year 3 (circa 1891).
hans
P631
The first time into the lot I was concerned about the steep ramp up from the main driveway because I set my air suspension on always-low. However, yesterday I tried it without raising the level and it clears fine (at least a low speed).
I looked all over the pedestals today and didn't see any labels at all on them.
By the way, still busy:
I think the 101 locations are fine. Soon 280 will have its SCs as the network builds. But it takes time, priorities change due to many factors (permits, Contractor scheduling, local utility schedules...) - probably a big headache for someone at Tesla. However, they are doing a great job and some misunderstood locations only mean more choices, less crowding. When traveling you definitely do not want to cruise into a SC location that is too busy because it is the only viable choice.
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