Supercharger - South Hill, VA

[LBMagneto]

I might take a trip down to Charlotte soon (from Maryland), but seriously considering skipping this station if I can help it. Top up in Chester and drive to the Henderson Supercharger, especially if the restaurant is not open. My partner already fusses about the "long charges in creepy spots when I can get gas quicker" and don't need to add any fuel to the fire, LOL. We've stopped at the Love's Truck stop before (in an ICE vehicle) which is about a third of a mile away from this SC along US-1 and it seemed like a hangout for the locals, but got lots of traffic from travelers since it's one of the few stops along that stretch of I-85 between Petersburg and Durham. I thought it could be a more ideal SC site, but I'm sure Kahill's appreciates the traffic from Tesla drivers and wouldn't want to lose it.

 

[Jeremy3292]

I might take a trip down to Charlotte soon (from Maryland), but seriously considering skipping this station if I can help it. Top up in Chester and drive to the Henderson Supercharger, especially if the restaurant is not open. My partner already fusses about the "long charges in creepy spots when I can get gas quicker" and don't need to add any fuel to the fire, LOL. We've stopped at the Love's Truck stop before (in an ICE vehicle) which is about a third of a mile away from this SC along US-1 and it seemed like a hangout for the locals, but got lots of traffic from travelers since it's one of the few stops along that stretch of I-85 between Petersburg and Durham. I thought it could be a more ideal SC site, but I'm sure Kahill's appreciates the traffic from Tesla drivers and wouldn't want to lose it.

You should consider stopping at the Petersburg V3 instead of the Chester V2 and stopping at the Mebane V3 (150 miles from Petersburg) instead of the Henderson V2 also.

 

[LBMagneto]

You should consider stopping at the Petersburg V3 instead of the Chester V2 and stopping at the Mebane V3 (150 miles from Petersburg) instead of the Henderson V2 also.

Duly noted. The Petersburg V3 is a bit out of the way if I'm heading south on I-85 (towards Durham, Charlotte, or Atlanta), but I guess I could make up time with the charging speed there?

 

[Jeremy3292]

Duly noted. The Petersburg V3 is a bit out of the way if I'm heading south on I-85 (towards Durham, Charlotte, or Atlanta), but I guess I could make up time with the charging speed there?

I don’t think it’s that far out-of-the-way, plus the Chester supercharger you still have to get to as well off I-95. You could do either honestly. Depending on when you’re going the Colonial Heights supercharger may be open by then also.

 

[paulkva]

I don’t think it’s that far out-of-the-way, plus the Chester supercharger you still have to get to as well off I-95. You could do either honestly. Depending on when you’re going the Colonial Heights supercharger may be open by then also.

I mapped it, and it's a 10-15 minute detour vs just going straight from I-95 to I-85. As a comparison, stopping at Chester is more like a 5-10 minute detour off the highway vs. just going straight through. So, not much difference. Neither option is quite as convenient as the ones that are right next to the interstate along your intended route, but even a stop like that generally adds at least a few minutes of driving time to your trip.

We drove from DC to the north end of Raleigh as part of a trip this past December, and we charged in Petersburg and Henderson along the way. With an older Model S we don't get any benefit from V3 vs V2, but when I planned it out, it was our best option. Circling back to South Hill -- this portion of our trip was late on a cold Sunday night, so I definitely didn't want to subject my family to a supercharger with no facilities.

 

[BrownOuttaSpec]

With an older Model S we don't get any benefit from V3 vs V2, but when I planned it out, it was our best option. Circling back to South Hill -- this portion of our trip was late on a cold Sunday night, so I definitely didn't want to subject my family to a supercharger with no facilities.

I have an older Model S as well, If there is a chance to do a V3 over a V2 take it every time! Even though we don't benefit from the faster charging speeds it does help speed things up by not splitting power with the stall next to you so you always get the fastest speeds. It sucks to pull into a V2 that is half full (4+ out of 8) and then get the reduced speed and then have to shuffle your car when someone leaves.

 

[RTPEV]

I stopped at Chester about a year ago (it was the most full I've ever seen a Supercharger--I was the 8th car to pull in, but it emptied out very quickly and suddenly it was just me and one other car). It doesn't seem like Petersburg is too much out of the way I guess...certainly only slightly more than Chester, and even that didn't seem too bad. Maybe it could come down to a Sheetz vs. Wawa preference. I'm a Sheetz fan myself, but the Chester Wawa was pretty good too.

Nothing against Kahill's per se (although I've never been inside), but it was built at a time when Tesla couldn't be choosey about where to host Superchargers, and there are several downsides to that particular site. Lack of facilities after hours, and ICEing during business hours.

 

[paulkva]

I have an older Model S as well, If there is a chance to do a V3 over a V2 take it every time! Even though we don't benefit from the faster charging speeds it does help speed things up by not splitting power with the stall next to you so you always get the fastest speeds. It sucks to pull into a V2 that is half full (4+ out of 8) and then get the reduced speed and then have to shuffle your car when someone leaves.

Good point from a crowd / sharing perspective. I've seen minimal difference between V2 and V3 in my car if I'm not sharing though, and that portion of my last trip was VERY off-peak. When my wife's Model Y arrives, we'll definitely favor V3 of course!

Nothing against Kahill's per se (although I've never been inside), but it was built at a time when Tesla couldn't be choosey about where to host Superchargers, and there are several downsides to that particular site. Lack of facilities after hours, and ICEing during business hours.

I ate there once when I charged there, several years ago. It was pretty good from what I remember. It's still a good place to stop if the timing of your trip works out such that you need a meal and a longer-duration charge.