Supercharger - San Juan Capistrano, CA (7 V2 stalls)

[Teriyaki88]

Thanks for your updates Mr SDGE! Keep'm coming. I believe this was a legal issue between Tesla and Union Bank. Bottom line is it stunk but it's been corrected. I can't as this will be the most important SC for me for my road trips.

Now lets get San Diego Supercharger built!! This location already has a theme song

Sam,
It's a great country we live in with all that free speech stuff going on, rectum and all. But it is too bad that polite discourse has slipped a bit in public forums with posts like yours. I'm just going to chalk it up to a bad day for you, and I hope you enjoy charging your S60 at San Juan Capistrano for many years to come when it goes live (I know I will)...A lot of people have done great work to place that charging station there, and I appreciate their efforts......

 

[callmesam]

Sam,
It's a great country we live in with all that free speech stuff going on, rectum and all. But it is too bad that polite discourse has slipped a bit in public forums with posts like yours. I'm just going to chalk it up to a bad day for you, and I hope you enjoy charging your S60 at San Juan Capistrano for many years to come when it goes live (I know I will)...A lot of people have done great work to place that charging station there, and I appreciate their efforts......

@RandyS,

Glad that you value free speech. If you notice, I did NOT post my snarky comment on this thread. That was done by another poster. I simply linked to the picture of the progress.

- - - Updated - - -

If you want to blame anyone for the extended delay, blame our overlawyered society. The delay was due to an easement grant. Now who can you blame for that. Tesla? The Bank? SDG&E? Even with perfect knowledge of everything that went on, I don't know if anyone could apportion blame properly...

Not true. The delay was due to SDGE not allowing Tesla to have the power needed for the Supercharger. This is according to the Project Manager that has been building these throughout California. SDGE claims that they could not provide the necessary power to site since the power requirements were equal to the entirety of the shopping center. I cannot independently confirm this, but considering the problems I have had in dealing with SDGE, I found it entirely believable.

It's also consistent with work being done presently which is trenching, conduit and wiring to connect main power to Supercharging site. This is not consistent with an easement problem since the work is being done entirely on Bank or public property.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Huh, callmesam? Yes, the work IS being done on bank property so SDG&E absolutely needs a utility easement from the bank. Tesla may be renting property for their Superchargers, but SDG&E will own the utility conduit. They are separate things. The Supercharger lease may run out and Superchargers removed in 10 years, but the conduit will remain. SDG&E isn't in the habit of "renting" the ability to place conduit in the ground, hence they needed an easement. Also easements survive through ownership changes, so when Union bank sells that property, the conduit will still be legally allowed to remain.

And it has nothing to do with SDG&E "allowing" or not allowing Tesla to use the existing electrical hookup for the shopping center. There simply wasn't enough power available at that location with existing lines to power the Superchargers. You can't power a Supercharger with an undersized electrical feed. So SDG&E again NEEDED to trench and install new conduit to reach the higher current/voltage line.

 

[callmesam]

Huh, callmesam? Yes, the work IS being done on bank property so SDG&E absolutely needs a utility easement from the bank. Tesla may be renting property for their Superchargers, but SDG&E will own the utility conduit. They are separate things. The Supercharger lease may run out and Superchargers removed in 10 years, but the conduit will remain. SDG&E isn't in the habit of "renting" the ability to place conduit in the ground, hence they needed an easement.

And it has nothing to do with SDG&E "allowing" or not allowing Tesla to use the existing electrical hookup for the shopping center. There simply wasn't enough power available at that location with existing lines to power the Superchargers. You can't power a Supercharger with an undersized electrical feed. So SDG&E again NEEDED to trench and install new conduit to reach the higher current/voltage line.

Tesla had already negotiated utility easements with the bank prior to beginning work. Not sure how you think this work is done, but Tesla isn't stupid. Not sure if you understand how Tesla Supercharger deals are structured but, other than at one airport, Tesla doesn't pay "rent".

Are you saying that SDGE couldn't put conduit into the ground or wire a site unless a tenant promised to be there and use that power forever? That's the job of a utility. That's the reason they get a monopoly for providing power. They MUST provide power.

Again, SDGE could have trenched and installed new conduit 3 months ago to reach the main trunk. If you have some KNOWLEDGE about this, please elaborate. I've disclosed my source. The PM doesn't have a dog in the fight. They could just as easily have pushed the blame onto the bank for failing to grant the necessary easement.

But his claim was that SDGE threw sand into the gears claiming they needed to "evaluate the power requirements" due to high draw.

I was very specific with my questions, and again, based on my experience with SDGE (my business uses power equal to this Supercharger) SDGE is subject to huge amounts of institutional inertia.

I'm done arguing back and forth. Unless you have evidence that there was no utility easement initially, then I'll assume that the PM was telling the truth.

 

[RandyS]

By the way, I have copies of a couple of different utility electrical design options for the project that are dated last year before the easement delays. There was a closer 12kV tie point that didn't work out due to another property owner refusing a connection easement to the SC (if I remember correctly). But that's just how things work. You come up with options and narrow them down to the best one, which was done in this case. I think that our Planner did a good job of fleshing out all of the available options and working with the customer on the best one to move forward with...

New load requests coming into the system happen every day, and work is continually being done to do whatever upgrades are necessary to accommodate them. The only example I can think of when a utility would refuse a request is when it is outside the normal tariffs (like requesting 3-phase power in a residential neighborhood).

 

[spentan]

Aside from all the blame apportioning, is there an ETA for completion?

 

[Teriyaki88]

Blaming Game: Let it go!

Thank you!

 

[Gear]

Changing topics, I was really hoping the Inland Empire one would be going in closer to the Cajon Pass, like in San Bernardino or Ontario. I live in the mountains and it takes me about 65 miles of range to cover the last 25 or so miles of driving to get home. When I run errands in LA, it'd be really nice to add a few miles before taking the huge climb up the mountain. I've arrived home with as little as 2 rated miles before, which is a bit uncomfortable as that likely means I had half a mile of actual range before I hit 0. It'd be a more comfortable option for making it up the pass for Vegas traffic too. Oh well, it'll still be better than going all the way to Hawthorne for my charge. I would have thought it'd be right on the 215 or 15 though. When I talked to them, they said they were looking in San Bernardino and Ontario.

 

[Teriyaki88]

@Gear Me too! Ontario Mall would have been perfect! Major freeways, shopping, food, etc.

 

[ERon]

I may be driving to San Diego next week. With a SC @San Juan Capistrano I could skip Hawthorne. Any ETA for this?? Days or weeks??

 

[callmesam]

By the way, I have copies of a couple of different utility electrical design options for the project that are dated last year before the easement delays. There was a closer 12kV tie point that didn't work out due to another property owner refusing a connection easement to the SC (if I remember correctly). But that's just how things work. You come up with options and narrow them down to the best one, which was done in this case. I think that our Planner did a good job of fleshing out all of the available options and working with the customer on the best one to move forward with...

New load requests coming into the system happen every day, and work is continually being done to do whatever upgrades are necessary to accommodate them. The only example I can think of when a utility would refuse a request is when it is outside the normal tariffs (like requesting 3-phase power in a residential neighborhood).

I have no first person knowledge so I am deleting the tweet.

This Supercharger would make my life much easier and when I heard the PM's side of the story, I was flippant.

I hope that SDGE continues to work with Tesla to make future projects go more smoothly.

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Aside from all the blame apportioning, is there an ETA for completion?

PM said they would be there "another week" and then SDGE would do the pull and make the connection.

 

[pxx865]

Eagerly waiting for it to be live. Will be there in a week and would love to be able to use it

 

[ERon]

Yes, this would make trips to San Diego faster by skipping Hawthorne. Wish it would be up and running next Friday.

 

[pxx865]

Any recommendation on charging places near San Diego. I will be going to Carlsbad from Bay Area next weekend

 

[RandyS]

Plugshare has a comprehensive list of charging stations. The public stations in that area will be 30 amp J1772. What memberships do you have? Most choices will be Blink and eVgo Level 2...

If you wanted to go south about 20 miles to the San Diego Service Center, they have several 80 amp HPWC mounted outside that are available...

 

[Cosmacelf]

If you are up for a guided trail ride while down here, our riding stables in Encinitas, just south of Carlsbad, has a 15 kW charger for anyone to use. I am hoping someone with a dual charger Model S will stop by sometime to test out the full 15 kW charging - I only have a single charger. Willow Creek Stables Home

 

[pxx865]

Thanks RandyS and Cosmacelf!
I have blink and chargepoint

 

[liuping]

Thanks RandyS and Cosmacelf!
I have blink and chargepoint

I also recommend an eVgo Flex card (http://www.nrgevgo.com/san-diego-county/). They are installing a lot of chargers in California, with both J1772 and CHAdeMO, which will be handy when the Tesla's CHAdeMO adapter is ready.

There are already 8 sites in San Diego, including the Carlsbad Outlet Mall (5620 Paseo del Norte), FlowerHIll Mall and Fashion Valley Mall.

 

[ggr]

If you are up for a guided trail ride while down here, our riding stables in Encinitas, just south of Carlsbad, has a 15 kW charger for anyone to use. I am hoping someone with a dual charger Model S will stop by sometime to test out the full 15 kW charging - I only have a single charger. Willow Creek Stables Home

I'll stop by next time I have a chance. I head up to LA every couple of weeks.

 

[bradhs]

Any recommendation on charging places near San Diego. I will be going to Carlsbad from Bay Area next weekend

I charge there all the time.

Blink chargers at:
2081 Faraday Ave
Carlsbad, CA 92008-7230

Only one is available, hopefully it is in working order.

PM me and I will tell you of a residence that would be willing to let you charge, he's got 240V.