Supercharger - Tampa, FL

[JustinP]

So I was doing a little hunting in the local online permit search to see what I could find out about the new Tampa service/delivery center and I stumbled on a bit of a surprise. I found a permit for a new supercharger in Tampa which as far as I can tell has not been noted before and is not consistent with any of the upcoming sites on the Tesla Find Us page. I took a drive by there tonight hoping to see some preliminary construction but sure enough it's a nearly finished 8 stall supercharger. Charging stalls are completed with supercharger cabinets in place. I didn't look too closely but I did not yet see a transformer. This location is just off I-4 about 3 miles east of the I-4/I-275 junction and near downtown Tampa and Ybor City. Its very easy on and off so should be a good site for anyone driving through Tampa on I-4 or I-275. What i found really interesting was that this was not on the pending sites on Tesla's map. The closest future supercharger listed is Tampa-Hyde Park by the end of 2018 which is a very different location from this (more suitable for a future urban supercharger). Could we see more superchargers popping up than we are expecting?

Wawa
2502 N 50th St, Tampa, FL 33619

Google Maps

 

[JustinP]

Here are some pics from tonight.

 

[Tyl]

Ooooooooo!

Nice!

Good Sleuthing!

It's always nice to find a new supercharger almost completed...... that we had no idea existed, .... in your area too!

Awesome!

 

[TampaRich]

This is exciting. Thanks for the pics.

 

[Larry Chanin]

So I was doing a little hunting in the local online permit search to see what I could find out about the new Tampa service/delivery center and I stumbled on a bit of a surprise. I found a permit for a new supercharger in Tampa which as far as I can tell has not been noted before and is not consistent with any of the upcoming sites on the Tesla Find Us page. I took a drive by there tonight hoping to see some preliminary construction but sure enough it's a nearly finished 8 stall supercharger. Charging stalls are completed with supercharger cabinets in place. I didn't look too closely but I did not yet see a transformer. This location is just off I-4 about 3 miles east of the I-4/I-275 junction and near downtown Tampa and Ybor City. Its very easy on and off so should be a good site for anyone driving through Tampa on I-4 or I-275. What i found really interesting was that this was not on the pending sites on Tesla's map. The closest future supercharger listed is Tampa-Hyde Park by the end of 2018 which is a very different location from this (more suitable for a future urban supercharger). Could we see more superchargers popping up than we are expecting?

Wawa
2502 N 50th St, Tampa, FL 33619

Google Maps

Justin,

Great work!

I've been comparing your photos with Google street views. It appears that a new utility cable pole has been installed which will probably feed a pad-mounted transformer for this installation. If you examine your third photo you can see the pole on the extreme right. The white cabinets are the four Supercharger cabinets. The grey cabinets are the switchgear. The utility will start by digging a hole near the switch gear and placing conduit. They will place a concrete pad over the conduit and set the transformer on the concrete pad. Then they will run cables down the pole to the transformer and then to the switch gear.

People checking this location for future progress should make a point of taking photos of the area between the pole and the switchgear for signs of conduit work, etc.

Larry

 

[Larry Chanin]

In following Justin's lead I located the Building Permits and associated public documents. Here is Tesla's Photographic Simulation of the proposed charging station. You'll notice that my educated guess regarding the location of the utility transformer was correct.

 

[Larry Chanin]

Here are Tesla's plans for the Supercharger Station:

 

[Larry Chanin]

Regarding the location of the utility transformer relative to the switchgear, there is approximately a 9 foot difference between the Photographic Simulation and Tesla's Plans. Undoubtedly the plans will supersede the simulation. The location is still consistent with the general description that I provided earlier. Here is a portion of the plans:

Please note that the plans have the relative location of the Supercharger Cabinets and the Switchgear reversed. That is, based on Justin's actual photos the Supercharger Cabinets are located where the Switchgear is marked on the drawing. The proposed utility pole on the drawing is not consistent with the actual location shown on Justin's photo. The actual pole is located in public space, not private property.

People checking this location for future progress should make a point of taking photos of the area shown on this drawing for the location of the transformer and meter for signs of work. It should be located near the existing storm drain on the grassy area. The storm drain is shown on Justin's photo.

Larry

 

[CSFTN]

Wawa in Florida?

 

[Larry Chanin]

Wawa in Florida?

Yes, the first opened in 2012 in Orlando.

The article below is a few years old, but it gives you a feel for Wawa's commitment to building in Florida.

Wawa plans 120 stores in South Florida

Here's a more current article

Wawa Opens South Florida Stores, Announces Miami Expansion

In July 2012, Wawa opened its first store in Florida, and in 2016, the company celebrated its historic 100th store opening in the state. To date, Wawa has more than 118 stores in the Sunshine State and plans to open 11 locations in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Moving forward, Wawa will continue to open 30 new Florida stores this year alone.

Within the next five years, Wawa plans to make South Florida home to 50 new Wawa stores, including the recent announcement to push expansion into Miami-Dade.

If you browse this Florida forum you'll see that a number of the Wawa's are installing Tesla Superchargers.

Larry

 

[Larry Chanin]

A club member provided me with this photo taken yesterday of TECO working on the cable pole that I have been describing.

Larry

 

[BenU]

Just stopped by this new location and took some pictures. Looks like TECO has done more work.

 

[Larry Chanin]

Just stopped by this new location and took some pictures. Looks like TECO has done more work.

Ben,

Thanks for the photos and welcome to the forums.

If you are interested in joining a Florida Tesla club, please click on the link in my signature.

Larry

 

[UkrHog]

Sunday photo.

 

[MarkAM]

Pictures from Friday

 

[NigelM]

Curious that this location is only ~6 miles from the Brandon Supercharger. Nevertheless it's really good news being only ~3 miles from the fairgrounds (and the equestrian center where we show regularly).

 

[alseTrick]

Curious that this location is only ~6 miles from the Brandon Supercharger. Nevertheless it's really good news being only ~3 miles from the fairgrounds (and the equestrian center where we show regularly).

So that you can supercharge from either 75 or I-4 and not have to switch to the other to do so. Believe it's essentially the same thing as what they're doing in Orlando with I-4 and the Turnpike.

 

[JustinP]

This location is also within 3 miles of I-275 and downtown Tampa. While driving from there to Brandon is doable, it's fairly out of the way from the 275/downtown area. The Brandon location is optimal for I-75 traffic.

 

[Lawsteve]

Anyone know if it is up and running yet?

 

[GJ79]

This location is also within 3 miles of I-275 and downtown Tampa. While driving from there to Brandon is doable, it's fairly out of the way from the 275/downtown area. The Brandon location is optimal for I-75 traffic.

The Brandon location is absolutely terrible. It takes you 10-15 minutes to get to when exiting 75 due to always beeing congested and numerous traffic lights.