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Supercharger - Redondo Beach (LIVE 20 Jan 2015, 8 stalls)
- Thread starter Matt M
- Start date
FredTMC
Model S VIN #4925
I have a feeling that grand opening will be after the site has already been energized. That seems to be typically what happens
wow incredible find OP! i feel like TMCers and supercharge.info are so on top of these things, it's wild to realize that Tesla permitted - and built - this without anyone noticing.
of course it does beg some questions....
1- is this the closest set of superchargers? it's 4.3 miles from the Hawthorne SC, and both are only 8 miles from the Culver City SC.
2- are they building for demand, or as suggested above, are they building to help out apartment owners? another theory - each of these three SCs is about 5-6 miles from LAX, so maybe that's a big factor?
3- where ELSE are they building SCs that we don't know about?
of course it does beg some questions....
1- is this the closest set of superchargers? it's 4.3 miles from the Hawthorne SC, and both are only 8 miles from the Culver City SC.
2- are they building for demand, or as suggested above, are they building to help out apartment owners? another theory - each of these three SCs is about 5-6 miles from LAX, so maybe that's a big factor?
3- where ELSE are they building SCs that we don't know about?
I have another theory as to why Tesla is building Superchargers so close to each other.
Yes, long term, it is about capacity. I think they've found that 8 stalls per location is typically about all the real estate they can grab from any one location, so eventually they will need many closer together stations.
But it is also about snapping up locations before anyone else does. Tesla has probably learned that it is devilishly difficult to find new locations that have:
- close to 1 MW power available without having to do extensive expensive in ground construction (remember, Tesla pays for the utility access and hookup)
- available parking spots that aren't likely to be ICEd
- a willing owner who will donate the spots for Tesla use.
So I think Tesla is putting Superchargers wherever they can, partly to forestall competitors taking the best locations for themselves.
Yes, long term, it is about capacity. I think they've found that 8 stalls per location is typically about all the real estate they can grab from any one location, so eventually they will need many closer together stations.
But it is also about snapping up locations before anyone else does. Tesla has probably learned that it is devilishly difficult to find new locations that have:
- close to 1 MW power available without having to do extensive expensive in ground construction (remember, Tesla pays for the utility access and hookup)
- available parking spots that aren't likely to be ICEd
- a willing owner who will donate the spots for Tesla use.
So I think Tesla is putting Superchargers wherever they can, partly to forestall competitors taking the best locations for themselves.
Ok, fair. But are you telling me the best locations are all along the 405 freeway through the congested west side and there are no good locations along the 5 freeway which is actually more useful to people traveling through LA?
Cottonwood says there's going to be a SpC in Fountain Valley. I say enough already Tesla.
Cottonwood
Roadster#433, Model S#S37
It seems to be mostly about capacity. After the problems with queueing at Hawthorne, it is nice to see Tesla working to stay ahead of the curve on capacity in Southern California, and the Bay Area, the largest concentration of Teslas in the world. Now, Tesla just needs some Superchargers to off-load San Juan Capistrano.
Adding a Supercharger transformer is not a big deal is any but the most remote of places.
Finding host sites is a big deal, but I don't think competition for those sites from other standards is a big deal yet.
Although Tesla is working on other routes outside of California, I will just quote a farmer that I worked for as a teenager and address it to Tesla: "Don't wanna rush y'all none now, but every little chance y'git, hurry up!"
BTW, surprises like Redondo Beach and Needles are very nice!
I misspoke: my image is from the iOS Maps app, not Google Maps. Apple is using obsolete imagery, it appears.
Using Apple maps? A quote comes to mind: "Big mistake. Huge." -- Pretty Woman.
callmesam
Member
absolutely agreed. Fountain Valley would be a 4th along the 405 corridor, and it's certainly good to keep building them, but would be cool if they prioritized the 5 side of town for all those passing through. time saved at a SpC is time lost in traffic on the 405.
maybe they'll build one in Burbank or Glendale off the 5 and 134...
Maybe. As of this moment, there is not a single SpC in the San Fernando Valley, be it the 405, the 5 or 134. Something is likely to happen in that area soon.
In the meantime, if I was in need of a charge on the 405, I would certainly hit this new SpC before Culver City or Hawthorne. Rapid on/off. I bet this is going to be a busy one. We still need to offload SJC though. This may help a tiny bit.
I predict that Tesla is going to close the Hawthorne Supercharger for security reasons, and is building this West Los Angeles Cluster of Superchargers to draw down traffic at Hawthorne and mute criticism before they do so.
Anybody with a Model S (easily rented) can drive onto the SpaceX campus.
It is a high tech facility with obvious defense application that will soon be contracting for the Air Force.
They need the room and they don't need strangers with iPhone cameras wandering around.
Building these WLA sites also makes sense based on the density of Teslas owned in the area and for other reasons mentioned: securing locations, serving condo and apartment dwellers.
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Agreed on SJC. I always thought Oceanside or Encinitas would be ideal for thru- drivers.
Anybody with a Model S (easily rented) can drive onto the SpaceX campus.
It is a high tech facility with obvious defense application that will soon be contracting for the Air Force.
They need the room and they don't need strangers with iPhone cameras wandering around.
Building these WLA sites also makes sense based on the density of Teslas owned in the area and for other reasons mentioned: securing locations, serving condo and apartment dwellers.
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Agreed on SJC. I always thought Oceanside or Encinitas would be ideal for thru- drivers.
But they just spent a fortune increasing the capacity and capability of Hawthorne, so if they were going to decommission it they probably would have known that before upgrading it. I think they are just trying to address the capacity problems in the face of exponential growth. Also, the Falcon rockets are the same for the air force as for commercial loads, so there really isn't anything to protect at that factory. The classified stuff is mostly the payloads.
Teriyaki88
Member
Musk knows how busy 405 is. It makes sense to put more SC's where the drivers are.
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/25/local/la-me-ln-elon-musk-405-freeway-20130425
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/25/local/la-me-ln-elon-musk-405-freeway-20130425
I have some speculation & wild guesses to throw out there.
Glendale\Burbank is getting a new Service Center on the next few months (location unknown) posable SpC?
Van Nuys Service Center is expanding (finally, compared to other SC's its a dump) posable SpC?
Thousand Oaks & Calabasas are both rumored to get SpC's, I have heard Malibu as well.
How about the northern tip of the San Fernando Valley where the 405 & 5 converge, its not the greatest area but convenient, somewhere around 12861 Encinitas Ave, Sylmar, CA 91342?
Glendale\Burbank is getting a new Service Center on the next few months (location unknown) posable SpC?
Van Nuys Service Center is expanding (finally, compared to other SC's its a dump) posable SpC?
Thousand Oaks & Calabasas are both rumored to get SpC's, I have heard Malibu as well.
How about the northern tip of the San Fernando Valley where the 405 & 5 converge, its not the greatest area but convenient, somewhere around 12861 Encinitas Ave, Sylmar, CA 91342?
If there is one thing the 405 definitely has, it is "sufficient traffic". It's always packed.
Think ahead a couple of years when there are far more S's and growing number of X's on the road, and the Model 3 is about to go into production: the LA area is going to need a lot more Superchargers than it needs now sure, at the moment it looks odd to have 3 Supercharges along a relatively short stretch of the 405, but a few years from now there will be many more Superchargers and these 3 locations will be a drop in the bucket.
Think ahead a couple of years when there are far more S's and growing number of X's on the road, and the Model 3 is about to go into production: the LA area is going to need a lot more Superchargers than it needs now sure, at the moment it looks odd to have 3 Supercharges along a relatively short stretch of the 405, but a few years from now there will be many more Superchargers and these 3 locations will be a drop in the bucket.
The number of Tesla that cross the 405 & Sunset Blvd is amazing, next time a College student wants to write a research report on Tesla they should spend a couple hours counting how many pass by, if I had to guess its probably over 600 in a 24 hour period???
Yeah, but in my view it's is packed with locals and commuters, not with folks passing through LA on their way elsewhere. I still disagree with Tesla's strategy of building a crap ton of SpC along the 405 and still think they need a few more along the 5. It's just overkill what they're doing now.
Bet TSLA
Active Member
Tesla is all over the world now. They are taking the opportunity to experiment with different approaches in different places. Some they're enabling routes, some they are trying high density, some they have lots of supercharger location with few stalls, some they are spreading destination charging around. They are monitoring the results and seeing how they work for people. They will optimize their efforts over time so as to best serve their customers.
One thing they will certainly not do is satisfy everybody everywhere. One thing to keep in mind is that the needs and desires of the mass market customer will almost certainly be different from those of early adopters. So as Tesla moves towards Model 3 deployment, their choices are likely to be less and less satisfying to you.
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