Supercharger - National Harbor, MD

[jdo]

I was in the area and swung by this mysterious lot today.

There are only two logical possibilities I see:
(1) The "Tesla Parking Only" signs were put up erroneously.
(2) The entire lot truly is reserved for Tesla only. You can charge for free and depart, or charge then move to the pay spots if you wish to stay longer. As far as I know, this would be a new experiment. And unless it's vigorously enforced with towing, it will be ICEd to death.

 

[Bumper]

I stopped by today. There was a Model X parked so I had a moment of cheer! But the entry was still blocked. Turns out a Tesla engineer is activating each of the stations. He has the panels off, making the connections inside, then buttoning each one up (yes, with the missing screws). The fence was open as were all the cabinets. He was a very nice guy and was happy to answer some questions:

Q: How soon until the site is open?
A: Very soon

Q: Why are even the non SC parking spots labeled Tesla Parking Only?
A: The entire lot is Tesla only. When you are done charging, you should move to one of the other spots so others can charge, but you can feel free to return to dinner or whatever.

Q: So parking fee is charged for Tesla drivers too?
A: Yes. That price is set by the property developer, not by Tesla. This site is cheaper than some of the other garage style SCs going in at other cites that are $10+ per hour to access.

Q: Do we need to pay to park/charge if we don't leave the vehicle?
A: Not sure, that is between the driver and parking enforcement.

So basically this is the compromise between not getting charged Idle Fees and not freezing out charger spots when you are not charging but still having a premium place to park that the developer carved out and can still collect some revenue. The parking fee of $6 per hour is presumably competitive with other garages but I have not parked in one for a while so I am not certain.

 

[Half Dollar Bill]

The 30 minute General Parking signs on the superchargers don't make sense then if the entire lot is supposed to be Tesla. That might actually encourage icing of the supercharger stalls instead of the regular parking spots. I wonder what the answer is about paying for parking at a supercharger stall as some sessions would go more than 30 minutes and if you're one of a handful of cars there, you wouldn't incur idle fees even when your session ends.

 

[Motorolabizz]

The 30 minute General Parking signs on the superchargers don't make sense then if the entire lot is supposed to be Tesla. That might actually encourage icing of the supercharger stalls instead of the regular parking spots. I wonder what the answer is about paying for parking at a supercharger stall as some sessions would go more than 30 minutes and if you're one of a handful of cars there, you wouldn't incur idle fees even when your session ends.

I think they should of removed the "30 minute" sign notation if it's Tesla only. As for ICE'ing, I think management will be pretty aggressive with not letting that get out of control. It's going to be tough though because it's such a premium spot.

 

[PLUS EV]

I stopped by today. There was a Model X parked so I had a moment of cheer! But the entry was still blocked. Turns out a Tesla engineer is activating each of the stations. He has the panels off, making the connections inside, then buttoning each one up (yes, with the missing screws). The fence was open as were all the cabinets. He was a very nice guy and was happy to answer some questions:

Q: How soon until the site is open?
A: Very soon

Q: Why are even the non SC parking spots labeled Tesla Parking Only?
A: The entire lot is Tesla only. When you are done charging, you should move to one of the other spots so others can charge, but you can feel free to return to dinner or whatever.

Q: So parking fee is charged for Tesla drivers too?
A: Yes. That price is set by the property developer, not by Tesla. This site is cheaper than some of the other garage style SCs going in at other cites that are $10+ per hour to access.

Q: Do we need to pay to park/charge if we don't leave the vehicle?
A: Not sure, that is between the driver and parking enforcement.

So basically this is the compromise between not getting charged Idle Fees and not freezing out charger spots when you are not charging but still having a premium place to park that the developer carved out and can still collect some revenue. The parking fee of $6 per hour is presumably competitive with other garages but I have not parked in one for a while so I am not certain.

View attachment 250377 View attachment 250378

Based on the activity you are seeing I would expect this to be open within the next 48 hours. Possibly even by the end of the day.

Did you catch the name of the Tesla tech working on the site? Or perhaps a physical description? I have run into a couple of these guys in my travels and had a great conversation with one of them about all things Tesla.

 

[Bumper]

Based on the activity you are seeing I would expect this to be open within the next 48 hours. Possibly even by the end of the day.

Did you catch the name of the Tesla tech working on the site? Or perhaps a physical description? I have run into a couple of these guys in my travels and had a great conversation with one of them about all things Tesla.

I did, but specifically didn't include that here or him in the pictures for his privacy.

 

[plumazul]

I was in the area and swung by this mysterious lot today.
(2) The entire lot truly is reserved for Tesla only. You can charge for free and depart, or charge then move to the pay spots if you wish to stay longer.

This is a great idea. I wish I had thought of it.

I think they should of removed the "30 minute" sign notation if it's Tesla only. As for ICE'ing, I think management will be pretty aggressive with not letting that get out of control. It's going to be tough though because it's such a premium spot.

I'm guessing that the 30 min spots are for deliveries. This is common in busy areas.

 

[jdo]

Q: Do we need to pay to park/charge if we don't leave the vehicle?
A: Not sure, that is between the driver and parking enforcement.
View attachment 250377 View attachment 250378

Thanks for clearing up a lot of things. So they still need to clarify what's supposed to happen if you're just charging.

IIRC, you're supposed to pay by the number on the parking spot, but the charging spots aren't numbered. So if they'll have to number those if they want you to pay. And then if you pay to charge then move to a noncharging spot, you'd have to pay again?

Maybe I'm just wrong and you pay for time, hang the ticket in the window, and the spot numbers are superfluous.

 

[jdo]

The 30 minute General Parking signs on the superchargers don't make sense then if the entire lot is supposed to be Tesla. That might actually encourage icing of the supercharger stalls instead of the regular parking spots.

I agree. Those should be the Tesla "Vehicle Charging Only" signs.

 

[Bumper]

Thanks for clearing up a lot of things. So they still need to clarify what's supposed to happen if you're just charging.

IIRC, you're supposed to pay by the number on the parking spot, but the charging spots aren't numbered. So if they'll have to number those if they want you to pay. And then if you pay to charge then move to a noncharging spot, you'd have to pay again?

Maybe I'm just wrong and you pay for time, hang the ticket in the window, and the spot numbers are superfluous.

Actually see my earlier post. When you pay, the KIOSK asks for your license plate number, not the parking spot number. They don't care which spot you are in so feel free to move between SC's for a faster charge, or to the non SC after your top off.

 

[Big Earl]

Thanks for clearing up a lot of things. So they still need to clarify what's supposed to happen if you're just charging.

IIRC, you're supposed to pay by the number on the parking spot, but the charging spots aren't numbered. So if they'll have to number those if they want you to pay. And then if you pay to charge then move to a noncharging spot, you'd have to pay again?

Maybe I'm just wrong and you pay for time, hang the ticket in the window, and the spot numbers are superfluous.

Based solely on the signage, it appears that there is no parking charge while you're Supercharging, and you only have to pay for parking if you decide to park in the lot after you have completed Supercharging (or pay the idle fees to camp out at the Supercharger after you're fully charged).

The 30 minute general parking on six of the stalls is likely for deliveries or for people purchasing tickets to the skywheel or quickly run into a shop. This is likely agreement between Tesla and the property developers to discourage people from blocking the road, double parking, etc.

 

[Half Dollar Bill]

The 30 minute general parking on six of the stalls is likely for deliveries or for people purchasing tickets to the skywheel or quickly run into a shop. This is likely agreement between Tesla and the property developers to discourage people from blocking the road, double parking, etc.

I know the right answer is "Just wait until the lot opens and it'll all be explained" but I really can't help myself here.
To recap:
- There are 24 spots in the lot, 12 supercharger and 12 paid parking (ignoring the possibility that the paid parking may also apply to the supercharger spots).
- There are signs over the paid parking spots indicating the spots are for Tesla vehicles only (shocking, I admit).
- 6 supercharger spots are labeled Tesla only and 6 are labeled 30 minute general parking.
The scarce resource in the lot is the supercharger stalls. If you pull in wanting to charge and the six general spots are iced and the other 6 have cars charging, you're going to have to wait. If the 30 minute general parking spots were a developer requirement, it would make more sense to allocate them to the paid parking stalls and waive the parking fee for 30 minutes. Then there's no reasonable expectation of icing. Granted, the developer probably gets more parking revenue in the current configuration but they do it running the risk of irritating the precise people they created the amenity for in the first place.

 

[Sonny Daze]

My interpretation is that the confusing signs might have been a matter of timing. The plans for a charging station include the red Tesla charging only and time limited parking signs. These plans are created well before the permit is even given. I'm guessing that at some point after the drafting of these plans, which included the 6 reserved and 6 time limited parking spaces, they decided to make the entire lot for Tesla only and then ordered the green/white signs.

 

[Sonny Daze]

IIRC, you're supposed to pay by the number on the parking spot, but the charging spots aren't numbered.

Actually see my earlier post. When you pay, the KIOSK asks for your license plate number, not the parking spot number. They don't care which spot you are in so feel free to move between SC's for a faster charge, or to the non SC after your top off.

Regardless, the charging spots are numbered.

 

[theflyer]

I've received pretty official information that the whole lot will be payment. In other words you will have to pay parking to charge. I've also heard there will be a ribbon cutting, but I'm waiting to hear if I can share those details.

The whole lot is solely for Tesla's.

 

[CatB]

Maybe instead of waiting with your car for a charging spot to be available, all the fully self-driving cars can swap places when charging completes (so do those charging stations look freaky-snake-ready?)

 

[jaguar36]

They better put on the nav that this lot is pay for. I would be infuriated to pull into an unfamiliar supercharger on a roadtrip and find out I had to pay for it.

 

[republic]

I've received pretty official information that the whole lot will be payment. In other words you will have to pay parking to charge. I've also heard there will be a ribbon cutting, but I'm waiting to hear if I can share those details.

The whole lot is solely for Tesla's.

Is that payment required if you remain in the vehicle? That's the pressing question for me, as I'll be relying on this charger heavily.

 

[jdo]

They better put on the nav that this lot is pay for. I would be infuriated to pull into an unfamiliar supercharger on a roadtrip and find out I had to pay for it.

I agree. However, this is definitely a "destination supercharger" rather than a "convenient long distance roadtrip supercharger". If you're just wanting to get through DC there are other options.

 

[glurbie]

I agree. However, this is definitely a "destination supercharger" rather than a "convenient long distance roadtrip supercharger". If you're just wanting to get through DC there are other options.

Is the nav system in my car going to make that distinction when I'm using it for a road trip? I think it will it take me to the most optimal supercharger, even if it's this one.