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SuperCharger - North Bay, ON

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I suppose we are still dark at the supercharger location. I was so hopeful with the 4 day model X test.
I wonder if something went wrong or the charger is not outputting to Tesla’s standards.

They are doing testing in a bunch of locations along the TCH.

Word is plans for lighting up some of the Superchargers in December.

There are 27 under construction along the TCH, mostly all of them with work complete.

So, my prediction is that Tesla is going to make turning the Superchargers into a December event, with 1 turned on each. The event will be called Advent Canada.
 
I suppose we are still dark at the supercharger location. I was so hopeful with the 4 day model X test.
I wonder if something went wrong or the charger is not outputting to Tesla’s standards.
Based on a convo I had with the technicians running the tests, I gleaned that they will be doing two rounds across the north, and were in the midst of completing the first round. I would be (pleasantly) surprised if they were on line before Christmas, but have my fingers crossed.
 
They are doing testing in a bunch of locations along the TCH.

Word is plans for lighting up some of the Superchargers in December.

There are 27 under construction along the TCH, mostly all of them with work complete.

So, my prediction is that Tesla is going to make turning the Superchargers into a December event, with 1 turned on each. The event will be called Advent Canada.

My first thought upon reading this was "...delaying activating those sites that are physically ready for some grand roll out throughout December would be monumentally moronic. Just activate the stations as they become ready". Upon a bit more reflection I can understand coordinating the sites going from SSM to the lakehead (Thunder Bay) and then from the lakehead to Winnipeg as "opening when ready" could leave a number of the sites as islands until the whole route is active thereby risking stranding drivers part way along the route.

However, Deep River and North Bay have appeared to be ready for quite some time so do the two rounds of tests on them and activate them forthwith. They would open up Ottawa to Sudbury and allows some limited travel north from North Bay which cannot be easily done right now. (The KSI chargers in Deep River and Mattawa don't effectively open up Ottawa to Sudbury due to their poor reliability, pitifully low power output and exorbitant pricing.) Similarly Blind River and SSM are a pair that should be opened together and if Espanola can be added in at the same time so much the better, as Sudbury to SSM forms another discrete and useful portion of the TCH through Northern Ontario. And quite importantly from SSM drivers can easily cross over into the US Supercharger network southbound to Detroit and Chicago. Once Escanaba is built and open, SSM then accesses the westbound US supercharger network.

I had a Ranger visit yesterday for a minor bit of follow-up work on a service from a few weeks ago. I asked if he had any further information on the Deep River and North Bay sites which are important to him as his service area includes these areas and some portions of south west Quebec. Either he is staying very "tight lipped" or genuinely doesn't know any more than we do as he said he didn't know and asked what was being said on the forum. Not terribly comforting either way.

As ever we have to wait on but it is becoming increasingly frustrating when it looks all but certain I'll have to take an ICE for my Ottawa to Sudbury round trip next weekend while a plus $100K car sits on my driveway for the lack of active Deep River and North Bay superchargers. I dare say I'm not the only one becoming exceedingly frustrated, perhaps even irritated by this long lasting saga.
 
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My first thought upon reading this was "...delaying activating those sites that are physically ready for some grand roll out throughout December would be monumentally moronic. Just activate the stations as they become ready". Upon a bit more reflection I can understand coordinating the sites going from SSM to the lakehead (Thunder Bay) and then from the lakehead to Winnipeg as "opening when ready" could leave a number of the sites as islands until the whole route is active thereby risking stranding drivers part way along the route.

However, Deep River and North Bay have appeared to be ready for quite some time so do the two rounds of tests on them and activate them forthwith. They would open up Ottawa to Sudbury and allows some limited travel north from North Bay which cannot be easily done right now. (The KSI chargers in Deep River and Mattawa don't effectively open up Ottawa to Sudbury due to their poor reliability, pitifully low power output and exorbitant pricing.) Similarly Blind River and SSM are a pair that should be opened together and if Espanola can be added in at the same time so much the better, as Sudbury to SSM forms another discrete and useful portion of the TCH through Northern Ontario. And quite importantly from SSM drivers can easily cross over into the US Supercharger network southbound to Detroit and Chicago. Once Escanaba is built and open, SSM then accesses the westbound US supercharger network.

I had a Ranger visit yesterday for a minor bit of follow-up work on a service from a few weeks ago. I asked if he had any further information on the Deep River and North Bay sites which are important to him as his service area includes these areas and some portions of south west Quebec. Either he is staying very "tight lipped" or genuinely doesn't know any more than we do as he said he didn't know and asked what was being said on the forum. Not terribly comforting either way.

As ever we have to wait on but it is becoming increasingly frustrating when it looks all but certain I'll have to take an ICE for my Ottawa to Sudbury round trip next weekend while a plus $100K car sits on my driveway for the lack of active Deep River and North Bay superchargers. I dare say I'm not the only one becoming exceedingly frustrated, perhaps even irritated by this long lasting saga.
The PetroCan stations were reliable and made it possible to travel to Calgary. The only patch that I had to stop for a L2 top up was between Espanola and Wawa. Obviously not as fast as SC, but no complaints. Not to sound like a broken record, but before Christmas may be too optimistic. And believe me, my hope was for some openings before I drove out west.
 
The PetroCan stations were reliable and made it possible to travel to Calgary. The only patch that I had to stop for a L2 top up was between Espanola and Wawa. Obviously not as fast as SC, but no complaints. Not to sound like a broken record, but before Christmas may be too optimistic. And believe me, my hope was for some openings before I drove out west.

I'd expect the PetroCan chargers to be reliable and that is all well and good. But there are none between Ottawa and Sudbury. So unless one is willing to risk getting stranded in Deep River or Mattawa at a non-fuctional KSI charger there is no way to drive electric directly from Ottawa to Sudbury.

Given the recent history of these TCH sites I'm not challenging your expectation of Christmas at the earliest. Like many I'm just getting seriously fed up of these incessant delays. Things would be far less unpalatable if Tesla were to be more communicative of the status of these sites and perhaps even explained the process and general timelines for testing and commissioning of the V3 sites. I know, that's not going to happen but it would be good PR if even a little information was to be forthcoming.
 
My first thought upon reading this was "...delaying activating those sites that are physically ready for some grand roll out throughout December would be monumentally moronic. Just activate the stations as they become ready". Upon a bit more reflection I can understand coordinating the sites going from SSM to the lakehead (Thunder Bay) and then from the lakehead to Winnipeg as "opening when ready" could leave a number of the sites as islands until the whole route is active thereby risking stranding drivers part way along the route.

However, Deep River and North Bay have appeared to be ready for quite some time so do the two rounds of tests on them and activate them forthwith. They would open up Ottawa to Sudbury and allows some limited travel north from North Bay which cannot be easily done right now. (The KSI chargers in Deep River and Mattawa don't effectively open up Ottawa to Sudbury due to their poor reliability, pitifully low power output and exorbitant pricing.) Similarly Blind River and SSM are a pair that should be opened together and if Espanola can be added in at the same time so much the better, as Sudbury to SSM forms another discrete and useful portion of the TCH through Northern Ontario. And quite importantly from SSM drivers can easily cross over into the US Supercharger network southbound to Detroit and Chicago. Once Escanaba is built and open, SSM then accesses the westbound US supercharger network.

I had a Ranger visit yesterday for a minor bit of follow-up work on a service from a few weeks ago. I asked if he had any further information on the Deep River and North Bay sites which are important to him as his service area includes these areas and some portions of south west Quebec. Either he is staying very "tight lipped" or genuinely doesn't know any more than we do as he said he didn't know and asked what was being said on the forum. Not terribly comforting either way.

As ever we have to wait on but it is becoming increasingly frustrating when it looks all but certain I'll have to take an ICE for my Ottawa to Sudbury round trip next weekend while a plus $100K car sits on my driveway for the lack of active Deep River and North Bay superchargers. I dare say I'm not the only one becoming exceedingly frustrated, perhaps even irritated by this long lasting saga.
Stay calm.
 
Stay calm.

Really... Is this your standard or even reflex/automatic response to people who don't incessantly sing Tesla's praises no matter what is happening, be it good or bad? I'm a big Tesla supporter and have been, even years before I was able to afford my car. But that doesn't blind me to the fact that Tesla's communications with its customers/prospective customers is virtually non-existent and their time appreciation is woefully inept - beginning with Elon. While my recent posts certainly have an element of venting (I'm sure there are others who feel the same way but simply haven't expressed their frustrations here) I have also raised a number of valid concerns and alternatives to simply deferring TCH supercharger openings until large portions are ready for a "coordinated roll-out" if that is what in fact is happening. Anecdotal evidence is beginning to support that eventuality. So to your "Stay calm", I'll offer a "Pull your head out of the sand and try to see the reality of life outside of areas with good supercharger coverage such as you have in Seattle".
 
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Based on a convo I had with the technicians running the tests, I gleaned that they will be doing two rounds across the north, and were in the midst of completing the first round. I would be (pleasantly) surprised if they were on line before Christmas, but have my fingers crossed.

2 rounds makes sense for testing. Really can't afford to have one go down in the middle of the winter. It will happen in time(they will go down), but I think the press would be hard if you saw a couple go down. Double checking sounds right as temps start to get cold.

One is at risk stranding 20-50 people before they can show it not working on the maps would be my guess. Or before people in cars notice it. I think they genuinely want to get it done, but Canada is important market to get right. Getting it wrong could be some pretty hard press for all EV's.
 
Really... Is this your standard or even reflex/automatic response to people who don't incessantly sing Tesla's praises no matter what is happening, be it good or bad? I'm a big Tesla supporter and have been, even years before I was able to afford my car. But that doesn't blind me to the fact that Tesla's communications with its customers/prospective customers is virtually non-existent and their time appreciation is woefully inept - beginning with Elon. While my recent posts certainly have an element of venting (I'm sure there are others who feel the same way but simply haven't expressed their frustrations here) I have also raised a number of valid concerns and alternatives to simply deferring TCH supercharger openings until large portions are ready for a "coordinated roll-out" if that is what in fact is happening. Anecdotal evidence is beginning to support that eventuality. So to your "Stay calm", I'll offer a "Pull your head out of the sand and try to see the reality of life outside of areas with good supercharger coverage such as you have in Seattle".
Bon point, mais t’habites à Gatineau, donc en quel sens ça te préoccupe que la Trans-Canada ne soit pas ouverte plus tôt?
 
Bon point, mais t’habites à Gatineau, donc en quel sens ça te préoccupe que la Trans-Canada ne soit pas ouverte plus tôt?

All my posts have been in English but because I live in Gatineau you appear to presume I speak French? For the time being Quebec is not Ms. Marois' French fiefdom where residents of this province have to speak French. I am in fact a uni-lingual anglo who lives in Gatineau because my employment is in Gatineau, the homes are less expensive here than in Ottawa and the cross-river commute is something I did for a number of years but wasted far too much of my day for it to be tenable on an indefinite basis.

Anyway, Google Translate can be a great tool. I care about the TCH supercharger deployment from Ottawa to the west, in my case specifically Sudbury as I have family in Sudbury, round trips to whom I have mentioned several times in this thread. I am tired of using my ICE cars for this trip, in terms of both cost, its associated carbon footprint and the generally lesser driving experience. Additionally, a more complete supercharger and general L3 charging network is a huge point of discussion when I speak to friends, co-workers and even the general public at EV events where I advocate for the adoption of BEVs. The charging infrastructure, or more accurately the currently immature state thereof outside of Quebec and the McDonald-Cartier Freeway, is a significant negative factor for many who are considering adopting an EV, even if they can get by their "range anxiety" concerns,

Even if I didn't have personal reasons for repeated round trips to Sudbury, thorough, effective and readily accessible L3 charging networks are ultimately critical to EV adoption and the resultant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions a greater BEV adoption would facilitate. It is generally accepted that personal vehicles account for approximately 30% of this country's emissions so there is a huge opportunity to make a significant difference. I'd like to think I am beginning to see the "big picture" in this aspect and am becoming a more responsible citizen. So that's why I care about the superchargers on the TCH west of Ottawa and in fact all viable L3 networks in this country.
 
Really... Is this your standard or even reflex/automatic response to people who don't incessantly sing Tesla's praises no matter what is happening, be it good or bad? I'm a big Tesla supporter and have been, even years before I was able to afford my car. But that doesn't blind me to the fact that Tesla's communications with its customers/prospective customers is virtually non-existent and their time appreciation is woefully inept - beginning with Elon. While my recent posts certainly have an element of venting (I'm sure there are others who feel the same way but simply haven't expressed their frustrations here) I have also raised a number of valid concerns and alternatives to simply deferring TCH supercharger openings until large portions are ready for a "coordinated roll-out" if that is what in fact is happening. Anecdotal evidence is beginning to support that eventuality. So to your "Stay calm", I'll offer a "Pull your head out of the sand and try to see the reality of life outside of areas with good supercharger coverage such as you have in Seattle".

I don't think you quite understand the irony of lecturing PLUS EV on Supercharger coverage.

Tesla has a string of 27 Superchargers along the TCH built.
Tesla employees have been spotted testing several of them.

Tesla does not and has never communicated precise dates of openings of Superchargers. When it powers on Superchargers they take time to update the list in the car. Tesla is cautious about it.

He just wants you to stay calm for you own sake. There is progress.
 
Something being unloaded today
 

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Something being unloaded today

Hummm.... Curious to see something that is definitely in a Tesla branded crate being unloaded at a heretofore thought physically complete supercharger. Were we all wrong in coming to that conclusion and this delivery is internal components for one of the already installed cabinets? Or did the Model X testing highlight a problem that needs a hardware fix/replacement? And either way how much more delay will its integration cause?
 
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Hummm.... Curious to see something that is definitely in a Tesla branded crate being unloaded at a heretofore thought physically complete supercharger. Were we all wrong in coming to that conclusion and this delivery is internal components for one of the already installed cabinets? Or did the Model X testing highlight a problem that needs a hardware fix? And either way how much more delay will its integration cause?
I am starting to wonder if these sites are slow to be activated because they are V3 and there are teething problems. There are not many V3 sites up and these are by far the most northerly.
 
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“Christmas gifts from Tesla”

Hi, I made the trip from Kirkland Lake to Ottawa today in my Subaru Forester, not my M3. Didn’t stop to check out the North Bay site but I did stop at Deep River because I saw a White Model S backed up (but not plugged in) to one of the stations. There was a Tesla employee opening up one of the equipment cabinets and a truck also unloading Tesla stamped wooden crates, similar to the photo posted earlier in this North Bay thread.

I talked briefly to the Tesla employee. He mentioned that there were still more components to be installed before the Deep River site would become active — I’m assuming the contents of the crates. He also confirmed that the Model X spotted in North Bay awhile back was part of commissioning tests.

I asked when the Deep River and North Bay sites might be fully operational. He didn’t want to give an exact date (not surprisingly) but did say that they would be “Christmas gifts from Tesla”

Sorry for the lack of photos. I asked him if I could photograph the crates and he politely told me not to.
 
My first thought upon reading this was "...delaying activating those sites that are physically ready for some grand roll out throughout December would be monumentally moronic. Just activate the stations as they become ready". Upon a bit more reflection I can understand coordinating the sites going from SSM to the lakehead (Thunder Bay) and then from the lakehead to Winnipeg as "opening when ready" could leave a number of the sites as islands until the whole route is active thereby risking stranding drivers part way along the route.

However, Deep River and North Bay have appeared to be ready for quite some time so do the two rounds of tests on them and activate them forthwith. They would open up Ottawa to Sudbury and allows some limited travel north from North Bay which cannot be easily done right now. (The KSI chargers in Deep River and Mattawa don't effectively open up Ottawa to Sudbury due to their poor reliability, pitifully low power output and exorbitant pricing.) Similarly Blind River and SSM are a pair that should be opened together and if Espanola can be added in at the same time so much the better, as Sudbury to SSM forms another discrete and useful portion of the TCH through Northern Ontario. And quite importantly from SSM drivers can easily cross over into the US Supercharger network southbound to Detroit and Chicago. Once Escanaba is built and open, SSM then accesses the westbound US supercharger network.

I had a Ranger visit yesterday for a minor bit of follow-up work on a service from a few weeks ago. I asked if he had any further information on the Deep River and North Bay sites which are important to him as his service area includes these areas and some portions of south west Quebec. Either he is staying very "tight lipped" or genuinely doesn't know any more than we do as he said he didn't know and asked what was being said on the forum. Not terribly comforting either way.

As ever we have to wait on but it is becoming increasingly frustrating when it looks all but certain I'll have to take an ICE for my Ottawa to Sudbury round trip next weekend while a plus $100K car sits on my driveway for the lack of active Deep River and North Bay superchargers. I dare say I'm not the only one becoming exceedingly frustrated, perhaps even irritated by this long lasting saga.

I did Ottawa to Sudbury and beyond in August via Huntsville. Slight detour but certainly worked.