Supercharger Speculation: Large New One Coming to Central California along 101?

[Chuq]

King City is certainly a good spot and in the middle of a gap. But is it too close to the bay area to suit a large Kettleman City style station? (in the same way that they built additional sites at, e.g. Gustine, Bakersfield, Santa Clarita etc, but also built Kettleman City as their "flagship", they could build a smaller one at King City and have a "flagship" site at Paso Robles)

Of course I could be totally wrong, they might be mixing it up a bit. The volume of M3 SR+ cars on the road might justify two big stations at the 1/3 and 2/3 points instead of the 1/2 way point.

 

[miimura]

King City is THE logical place for a Supercharger between San Luis Obispo and Salinas. Now, whether it will be a Kettleman-style site or not is another matter. Paso Robles is too close to SLO and especially Atascadero. King City is also the mid-point between Gilroy and SLO.

With so many Tesla cars in California, we just need more sites so that people can stop when and where it suits their schedule and SOC without choke points.

 

[gnguyen]

I like the idea of multiple new stops and one major anchor at the half way point between the Bay Area and LA. Soledad for Pinnacles visitors, King City/San Lucas for the 198 connection to Coalinga, Paso Robles for another major east/west travel point across the 46. More is better for lots of options! Paso Robles seems like the best spot for a large supercharger, with there being a lot for visitors to do with the winery tourism. With that picture complete, the cadence along the 101 feels pretty natural and pleasant.

 

[kwoo4424]

According to supercharge.info it seems 12 stalls now under construction at Goleta.
And 8 stalls planned for Santa Barbara by State St.
While this helps southern 101, I’m in agreement for a King City SC mega-complex ala Kettleman City style
to fill in the gap between Salinas and SLO.

 

[ucmndd]

Paso Robles real estate is just too expensive. I don't see this as a viable option for a big mega site where Tesla seems to prioritize (rightly IMO) easy freeway access and cheap dirt.

 

[smilepak]

Except for the older ones.

I agree with the planning part, last week we left Sacramento at 1am and there were very few teslas at the Chargers we stopped at.

Agree there. Still tons of pre V3 supported cars out there. Mine at best can get 40-50 kw.

 

[Zorg]

Apparently it will be soledad and paso robles

 

[Chuq]

Apparently it will be soledad and paso robles

Interesting! Any more info (sources, addresses, timing, stall count etc)

 

[Zorg]

Interesting! Any more info (sources, addresses, timing, stall count etc)

Check Tesla newest supercharger map

 

[Axtrader]

Interesting! Any more info (sources, addresses, timing, stall count etc)

The new 2020 Tesla Supercharger Map was released today with new sites to be located in Soledad and Paso Robles,

Tesla updates 2020 Supercharger map with new locations - Electrek

 

[Chuq]

The new 2020 Tesla Supercharger Map was released today with new sites to be located in Soledad and Paso Robles,

D'oh, I spent most of yesterday looking at that map but I wasn't looking at California! :-/

 

[Axtrader]

Paso Robles real estate is just too expensive. I don't see this as a viable option for a big mega site where Tesla seems to prioritize (rightly IMO) easy freeway access and cheap dirt.

While I agree that Paso Robles real estate is expensive, the new 2020 Supercharger has one listed there. If you look at the Zillow map below for the area where 101 intersects 46W, those two prime lots sold recently for $2.75M and $2.5M. Those are ideal locations with fast and easy access to the 101 with an area slightly larger than the Kettleman site and numerous fast food/restaurants within walking distance. Does anyone know how much the property at Kettleman cost? One can hope that Tesla was the purchaser of one of those two lots recently.

 

[Chuq]

Great find! My guess is the Alexa Ct one is the most likely - currently a hotel. Already developed (i.e. has required services) and the number of existing parking spaces on site appears to be 40 exactly:

The hotel area can be redeveloped into a lounge as with Kettleman City. It might even suit multiple tenants. There is a little bit of grassed area out the front with a fountain and a few trees.

It just has the vibe of a possible supercharger. All very speculative at the moment, of course. The address is 1955 Theatre Dr, Paso Robles, CA 93446.

 

[Shirt4878]

I looked here through the last 6 months of approved permits and saw no mention of the site in Paso Robles. Unfortunately it looks like they only update the data once per month so maybe we'll see something for Dec 2019 soon.

Paso Robles, CA

 

[Chuq]

alternatively, I've just wasted my time... how recent is that sale data, @Axtrader ?

Or

 

[Axtrader]

Zillow says rhe property sold on 30 October 2019, so not too long ago. Supercharger Station would look great next to the 101.

 

[Fredneck]

More capacity is coming, as Tesla is really ramping up the Supercharging stalls. The existing ones are getting faster as well, in addition to the cars themselves being ablle to charge faster.

"Really ramping up"??? If you look at the actual data you will see they have grown the number by about the same as the last several years. Expect 2020 to be the same again.

On the other hand I don't imagine that Tesla will ever have enough Supercharger capacity to handle the infrequent surges that happen when all their customers get on the road at the same time, and pull into charge about the same time.

Both "infrequent" surges and frequent surges. I understand there are many areas in CA where there are nearly daily backups. I see this sort of thing at Costco gas pumps where people are trying to save $0.10 a gal. But otherwise gas pumps fill a tank in around 5 minutes and EVs will never be that fast. Charging at home is the only practical way to use an EV. As EVs become more popular, trip charging will become harder since it will be hard to build enough chargers to meet the 10x duration at the refueling stations.

Overall I have spent way more time waiting in gasoline lines than in my Tesla, because I tend to charge during the off peak time. A little scheduling goes a long way during holliday travel.

I literally don't know how that can be possible with the 10 times longer EV refueling time compared to an ICE. Maybe there is something wrong with the gasoline distribution where you live? Here it is seldom that you nee

 

[emupilot]

I checked the Monterey County building permits database for Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield, and King City but found nothing.

 

[ucmndd]

If you look at the Zillow map below for the area where 101 intersects 46W, those two prime lots sold recently for $2.75M and $2.5M. Those are ideal locations with fast and easy access to the 101

I agree this intersection looks ideal on paper, but in reality it’s a perpetually congested mess. The onramps/offramps are undersized, as is the underpass beneath the freeway. At some point it’s going to require some major work to fix. The big new Target shopping center and Firestone Walker’s huge expansion has made a bad situation worse.

Maybe not a deal breaker, but it definitely detracts from the usefulness of the site - especially when the dirt is running in the millions.

 

[goldengate]

RE the motel site... the first supercharger with a swimming pool! COOL! haha. I love the vintage vibe of that motel and wish someone would restore it to its former glory, but agree it would be a great site.

RE the permits database, last time I checked it did not have permits for outside Monterey the town... has that changed? If so I would like to look up the Canal street EV charging station in King City to find out more about that permit. Getting information from King City has been like pulling teeth which leads me to believe it's Tesla but they've been told not to tell anyone that.... not sure why these SC's are such a secret. There are also superchargers (e.g. Novato, CA) that are in final stages of construction but still don't even show as coming soon on the 2020 Supercharger map on Tesla's website.