Supercharger - Woodbridge, VA

[wk057]

I'm not sure I'll have a need for this particular supercharger. I drove from NJ to FL and back last week. It was open on the return trip. Skipped it, and Newark DE. Glen Allen, VA SC to home is 235 miles. Latest trip I arrived home with 21 rated miles after a charge to 268, not really even paying attention to driving habits (keeping with traffic).

I've made that trip between home and Glen Allen, VA six times now, stopped in Newark, DE (~35 miles from home) only on the first trip because it was ~30F. Skipped it for the others after a range charge at home or Glen Allen.

 

[Cottonwood]

I'm not sure I'll have a need for this particular supercharger. I drove from NJ to FL and back last week. It was open on the return trip. Skipped it, and Newark DE. Glen Allen, VA SC to home is 235 miles. Latest trip I arrived home with 21 rated miles after a charge to 268, not really even paying attention to driving habits (keeping with traffic).

I've made that trip between home and Glen Allen, VA six times now, stopped in Newark, DE (~35 miles from home) only on the first trip because it was ~30F. Skipped it for the others after a range charge at home or Glen Allen.

If you are not stopping for dinner of something like that, you can usually do the trip faster with two partial charges than one 100% charge. That last bit of taper costs a lot of time...

 

[Devin707]

Visited this SC on 5.6 and 5.8. The trip up was fine. On the return trip had some problems... Last stall on the right (towards the 7/11) was giving a pretty slow rate. I forget what it was, but worse than Hagerstown MD and Somerset PA, anyway. A couple other stalls wouldn't "latch" -- getting the red circle around charge port.

Tesla with Alaska plates on was there the whole time, didn't see the owner.

Sorry, we (green Alaska) were eating at Cheesecake Factory!

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I'm not sure I'll have a need for this particular supercharger. I drove from NJ to FL and back last week. It was open on the return trip. Skipped it, and Newark DE. Glen Allen, VA SC to home is 235 miles. Latest trip I arrived home with 21 rated miles after a charge to 268, not really even paying attention to driving habits (keeping with traffic).

I've made that trip between home and Glen Allen, VA six times now, stopped in Newark, DE (~35 miles from home) only on the first trip because it was ~30F. Skipped it for the others after a range charge at home or Glen Allen.

Yeah, this one meets the need for those of us with only 60s.

 

[wk057]

If you are not stopping for dinner of something like that, you can usually do the trip faster with two partial charges than one 100% charge. That last bit of taper costs a lot of time...

I thought about this... and I may have to recheck the math, but, it actually came out quicker to range charge at Glen Allen and drive straight through than to partial charge enough to get to Woodbridge, then partial charge again enough to either get all the way home or to Newark. The time taken off the highway and onto non-freeway speed roads, red lights, stop signs, and such does count. I'm not 100% sure, but it doesn't look like the Woodbridge SC is going to be super quick to get to from 95. I'm heading that way again this weekend and may stop in just to check it out.

 

[chickensevil]

I thought about this... and I may have to recheck the math, but, it actually came out quicker to range charge at Glen Allen and drive straight through than to partial charge enough to get to Woodbridge, then partial charge again enough to either get all the way home or to Newark. The time taken off the highway and onto non-freeway speed roads, red lights, stop signs, and such does count. I'm not 100% sure, but it doesn't look like the Woodbridge SC is going to be super quick to get to from 95. I'm heading that way again this weekend and may stop in just to check it out.

Depending on time of day, this is VERY true... nevermind that if you plan to catch the HOV lanes you have to wade through traffic a bit going north until you hit Woodbridge to charge and then you can finally get on the HOV afterward (and you cut off your HOV access early doing the reverse... going south). Not to mention the surrounding roads to get there get pretty backed up too.

This is why I tried to recommend a different location to them for Woodbridge, but I think it was too late. By the time I got that message to them, they said they had already selected this site. Would have been far better to put it over in the Town Center off of the Rippon Landing side of the highway... better direct access, less congestion during the day. Oh well...

 

[Devin707]

Depending on time of day, this is VERY true... nevermind that if you plan to catch the HOV lanes you have to wade through traffic a bit going north until you hit Woodbridge to charge and then you can finally get on the HOV afterward (and you cut off your HOV access early doing the reverse... going south). Not to mention the surrounding roads to get there get pretty backed up too.

This is why I tried to recommend a different location to them for Woodbridge, but I think it was too late. By the time I got that message to them, they said they had already selected this site. Would have been far better to put it over in the Town Center off of the Rippon Landing side of the highway... better direct access, less congestion during the day. Oh well...

Well, I'm optimistic that eventually another will be built in Reston or Alexandria. Have to consider the long-term impact if the preponderance of vehicles are Teslas. We will need more SC locs than the initial grid will support.

 

[republic]

In terms of coverage, Manassas, Laurel, or Bowie would make more sense.

 

[wk057]

I did pass by here twice on my latest trip this weekend. Traffic was ridiculous both times and I skipped the Woodbridge SC both times.

 

[wk057]

Finally decided to stop here instead of charging to 90%-ish in Glen Allen..... huge mistake I think.

This supercharger is more out of the way, time wise, than any of the others on my route.

It took me almost 20 minutes to get from 95 to the supercharger. Mainly long stop lights and moderate traffic. I assume it will take me close to that to get back (here now).

On the other hand, it would take me an extra 40 minutes at Glen Allen (maybe less) to get enough charge plus buffer to make Newark. Then I only need to spend 5 minutes there to make it home.

I can get home from here in Woodbridge wo/Deleware (165 miles). But the on and off highway times here add up and are significantly more than even Burlington, NC (which I thought was a little out of the way before). Only 5 minutes both on and off of 40/85 for there even when it's busy.

*shrugs*

Definitely just charging more in Glen Allen next time. A 100% charge there lets me skip Newark most of the time too. So if I hang and eat at Chilis or B&N or something, I'll probably just keep doing that.

 

[smil3193]

I'm here late on a Tuesday. No problems.

 

[andrewket]

I've charged at Woodbridge once and haven't returned for the reasons you outlined. The only reason I'd stop there was if I had shopping to do at one of the stores that isn't at Glen Allen.

 

[pgiralt]

Only reason we stop there is when we want to visit Ikea on the way home

 

[LetsGoFast]

Definitely just charging more in Glen Allen next time. A 100% charge there lets me skip Newark most of the time too. So if I hang and eat at Chilis or B&N or something, I'll probably just keep doing that.

To my consternation, a 100% charge at my home on the south side of Richmond puts me at 2% or so when I make Newark in cold weather, so I almost always have to stop for ~10 minutes at Woodbridge.

To add insult to injury, I found on Sunday that stall 4A is borked. I wasn't monitoring it closely once I saw that it started charging and in 30 minutes, it only gained 18% and was charging at 80 amps despite only being at 26% SoC. I moved to another stall and it worked fine at nearly 300 amps. I'll send an email to Tesla in a minute, but you might want to avoid 4A for a week or so.

 

[gavine]

It took me almost 20 minutes to get from 95 to the supercharger. Mainly long stop lights and moderate traffic. I assume it will take me close to that to get back (here now).

What's the consensus on this? Does it really take 20 minutes to get to from i95?

I'm planning the same trip as WK057 (South Jersey to Kissimmee, FL). I would barely be able to make it to Glenn Allen (237 miles from my house) with my X90D and heavy payload. I might have to stop in Newark for a few minutes to add buffer, but that's only 40 miles from my house and I would be in the taper so charging wouldn't be all that fast. I would feel much more comfortable stopping at Woodbridge instead of Glenn Allen, but if it's a 40 minute hit just getting to and fro, I might have to either go for Glenn Allen directly or do the Newark buffer stop. Note: Laurel, MD and Bethesda both seem out of the way and Aberdeen probably won't be online by then....Next time, Aberdeen would be perfect for my buffer stop.

I really want to be adventurous and go for Glenn Allen directly, but this will be our first Supercharger trip and I don't want to cause any stress with the family. If I were alone, I would absolutely go for it, seeking comfort in the fact that I could just slow down if it's cutting it too close.

Also, if I were to go for Glenn Allen directly, I could always see what my status is when I get near Woodbridge and then just stop there if it's looking too close for comfort.

Any feedback on Woodbridge time from i95 would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mikeash]

20 minutes is possible if you're unlucky, I'd say. I think normally it would be more like 5-10 minutes, but there's a lot of potential variance.

If you do use it, I think you're much better off when coming from the north if you take the second exit and approach from the south. I believe the car's navigation will direct you onto 294 and have you come in from that side, which can be horribly slow. Instead, exit onto Potomac Mills Rd., then take the first right and go from there. This will bypass the worst traffic areas. The mall parking lot can still be kind of crazy, but you'll cross major roads instead of being stuck on them. I'll attach a picture of that route to clarify WTF I'm talking about.

Keep in mind that the Supercharger in Laurel is now open. I don't know if it's a better or worse choice than Woodbridge (I suspect worse) but it's an option.

Finally, you might investigate bypassing DC and Woodbridge altogether by taking 301 instead of I-95. Lower speeds will reduce energy consumption and it's a little more direct. However, this would make a bail-out to Woodbridge impractical.

 

[gavine]

Thanks for the info mikeash. I had planned on using the exit you said per Google maps but it's good to know in advance that the GPS/NAV will recommend the other exit. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

If I decide to stop at Woodbridge, it will likely be around 7:00am so traffic there shouldn't be an issue. Knowing that it's really only 5 minutes without traffic is comforting.

I think I'm still going to play it by ear and if the trip planner shows Glenn Allen as reachable as I approach Woodbridge, I'll skip Woodbridge. If not, I'll charge at Woodbridge. Looks like I'm going to skip Newark. It would make sense if Woobridge was 15 to 20 minutes off of i95 and I was going for Glenn Allen, but now that I know it really shouldn't be, then I'll skip Newark altogether.

We have done this trip with ICE vehicles about 12 times. The best we ever did was 16 hours total and other times it was up to 19 hours. If All goes well, I'm hoping to do it in less than18 hours and that includes a 3 full meal stops. We normally only stop for two meals and one is fast food. This time, three sit-down (relaxing) meals for full charges and two quick top-up charges. The driving time should be about the same as usual (14 hours).

 

[mikeash]

Sounds like a good plan. I don't think you'll have any problem at 7AM. Skipping is even better, but it shouldn't be an issue if you don't.

Since much of your trip follows the same route as I took to Florida last year, you might be interested in the report I wrote up about it:

Holiday trip report

I discussed the various Superchargers we stopped at, which will mostly be the same ones you'll use.

Have fun!

 

[kort677]

FWIW: in the early days before Woodbridge came online I made this trip in a brand new S85, I did a range charge at Newark DE. drove through the tail end of DC rush hour traffic and made it to Glenn Alen with almost 40 miles of range to spare. Assuming you're in an 85/90 and that there are no climatic conditions limiting your range and you keep your driving at the speed limits I can see no issues with skipping Woodbridge

 

[gavine]

Sounds like a good plan. I don't think you'll have any problem at 7AM. Skipping is even better, but it shouldn't be an issue if you don't.

Since much of your trip follows the same route as I took to Florida last year, you might be interested in the report I wrote up about it:

Holiday trip report

I discussed the various Superchargers we stopped at, which will mostly be the same ones you'll use.

Have fun!

Thanks for the link to the report on your trip. That is indeed helpful. I'm glad Kingsland opened. Savannah would have been brutal on us. I'm glad it's only 208 miles from Santee to Kingsland also. Now only if Aberdeen would open before I leave, that would be perfect for me. Oh well, there's always next time.

Oh, and I won't have to deal with 110v charging when we arrive because we are staying at our vacation rental near Disney and Tesla gave us a free destination charger for it. I had one TMC member stay there so far.

 

[gavine]

FWIW: in the early days before Woodbridge came online I made this trip in a brand new S85, I did a range charge at Newark DE. drove through the tail end of DC rush hour traffic and made it to Glenn Alen with almost 40 miles of range to spare. Assuming you're in an 85/90 and that there are no climatic conditions limiting your range and you keep your driving at the speed limits I can see no issues with skipping Woodbridge

I have a Model X 90D and I won't be doing a full charge at Newark since I'm only 40 miles north of there so my 100% charge will be at home. A full charge on the X is 257 miles and it is 237 to Glenn Allen. Probably too close for comfort with a car full of people and luggage with high speeds which is why I as contemplating either stopping in Newark for 5 minutes for Glenn Allen or just going straight to Woodbridge. Since Woodbridge isn't as far off of i95 as some have reported, I'll probably just make that my first stop and be done with it. It'll be around 7:00am and there's a Silver Diner there so nice breakfast stop. We have a Silver Diner near us in Cherry Hill, NJ. It's a good place.