Supercharger - New Haven, CT

[Tdreamer]

@tinkererguy thanks for the updated photo. I guess the crew finished what they could including the pedestal bases and parking lot work before mothballing the site. I can't tell from the pano if the supercharger and switchgear cabinets are installed on concrete pads, or are just there in storage waiting for that work to occur. My guess/hope is they are installed on pads, with work upstream to the utilities as the outstanding work on hold.

 

[tinkererguy]

Sorry I didn’t get more angles, but these additional photos should help a little.

 

[CorynNC]

scored off facebook

 

[tanker5]

Finally looks like they are making progress. Area fenced in again. Stalls in place. Cabinets look ready to be installed. No transformer on site yet.

 

[tinkererguy]

Not sure who took the photo, but here’s a nice view from Hotel Marcel, along with some more info in this new article:

New Haven Cluster of EV Chargers at Hotel Marcel | EV Club CT

The net zero Hotel Marcel is home to Tesla Superchargers and EVConnect level-2 chargers.

evclubct.com

 

[Tdreamer]

I guess we have the same problem in New Haven as has been observed in a few other parts of the country. Apparently 7 pedestal cables cut.

(not my photos)

 

[dhkaufman]

 

[petershi24]

Any Model S owners in New Haven? I will be staying for 1 year and Im wondering how is it like in the winter.

Will it snow a lot?

Thanks!

 

[tanker5]

Cabinets installed. Transformer not on site yet. Cables still cut.

 

[tanker5]

As of 9/3 still no transformer. Cables not repaired yet either.

 

[tinkererguy]

Same status when I stopped by yesterday, sadly.

 

[Tdreamer]

I've not heard any back-channel updates on this for a while - they may still be waiting for the utility vault to be delivered/installed. Until that is done, there isn't much point doing any work on the site. It definitely doesn't make any sense to repair the cut cables until they get close to completion (and perhaps the hotel has installed security cameras?).

 

[HankLloydRight]

Tesla should design new SU cables to carry some high-voltage, low current, always-on conductors on the perimeter of the cable, so if anyone tries to cut into them, they get lots of sparks, but not cause any injuries.

Or more sane ideas, trigger lines that when cut, loud police-like sirens and bright spotlights lights shine on that stall. A loud voice "YOU ARE BEING RECORDED, POLICE HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED AND ARE EN-ROUTE". And of course, 24/7 video surveillance.

 

[tanker5]

No change as of 9/17.

 

[kayak1]

Tesla should design new SU cables to carry some high-voltage, low current, always-on conductors on the perimeter of the cable, so if anyone tries to cut into them, they get lots of sparks, but not cause any injuries.

Or more sane ideas, trigger lines that when cut, loud police-like sirens and bright spotlights lights shine on that stall. A loud voice "YOU ARE BEING RECORDED, POLICE HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED AND ARE EN-ROUTE". And of course, 24/7 video surveillance.

As they have thermisters on the charging handle, they are able to sense if they don't get a valid reading. If two or more go offline in less than X minutes, they could have someone check the video feed (assuming they install cameras) and cass the local police to hopefully catch them in the act.

 

[HankLloydRight]

As they have thermisters on the charging handle, they are able to sense if they don't get a valid reading. If two or more go offline in less than X minutes, they could have someone check the video feed (assuming they install cameras) and cass the local police to hopefully catch them in the act.

I was thinking more about this... any signal wires like that are well within the cable. I'd like to see a low-voltage conductive layer right below the insulation that can detect as soon as a cable was being cut through the insulation. I don't know what tools these thieves are using, but from the photos it looks like a hacksaw (or possible a sawzall for a quick getaway).

 

[EdisonFire]

Wondered as I exited I-95 and saw this supercharger location why it didn't show up on navigation map. I'm from NJ so I'm not a usual CT user. Seeing the forum, I see it's a new build not yet operational. Wondering though why the cables appear cut.

 

[Tdreamer]

The site has been delayed, waiting for some key electrical supply components delayed by supply chain problems. While waiting, the site was vandalized. I think Tesla will not make the repairs to the vandalized cables until the construction is completed and the site is ready to be brought online. I've not heard any updates on the site in a few months - in theory, the delayed components should be showing up soon... in theory.

 

[tanker5]

Transformer installed. However the cables on the stalls are still cut. I guess now we are just waiting on Tesla to repair the cabinets and activate the site.

 

[tinkererguy]

In happier news, I convinced "Undecided with Matt Ferrell" that filming the very nearby extremely high tech Hotel Marcel would be worthwhile, and happily, he agreed! Once opened, this Supercharging location will be quite special, with the hotel lobby's bathrooms and self-service snacks and drinks available 24x7 to EV travelers, amenities that are rarely so close to DC fast charging locations. A little further walk across the adjoining lot, and you can also get Swedish Meatballs or other food and drink from IKEA's food court.

We got to see a preview of the Rivian R1T at this very same site way back in May of 2021, and I made the (longshot) plea to the Rivian employees to consider offering DC fast charging here too, which would make this quite the spot for all sorts of I-95 EV travelers.

If you don't already watch Matt's work, note that he regularly exceeds 1M views with his high quality videos that frequently include deep dives into various green technologies. Enjoy!

For those interested in the backstory/tech, see also my article including photos documenting our visit.