Supercharger - Fairfax, VA

[flipb]

Has anybody sleuthed out the likely location for the Fairfax Supercharger? My guess was Fair Oaks Mall, but I haven't seen any confirmation.

Also, I swear there was at one point a "Coming soon" indicated on the official tesla.com Supercharger map in Alexandria -- doesn't seem to be there anymore. Maybe Tysons / Fairfax / National Harbor were determined to provide adequate coverage for this area?

 

[boaterva]

I don't recall the Alexandria one... and I'm pretty sure I saw them when they released the map... but who knows, it could have rolled across the river or been caught up in the first revision when things moved.

As for the others, I think they are all stuck on the 'name' placeholders. Fairfax could be at Fair Oaks (that does sound like the best high traffic (cars, not people) place, near 66 ramps, etc. I was thinking nearer 50/29, but I like FO better, actually.

I assume Tysons (new, not the 'one' that is there now, in the mall lot for the Gallery that you can't really use) is to cover the beltway. Wonder if it will be in a surface lot?

Grasonville was installed so quickly that we know that they can do it quickly once all the paperwork is ready!

 

[MXFan]

I'm guessing the Fair Lakes location right off I-66 and the Fairfax County Parkway, as they have a number of food places there (off Fair Lakes Parkway).

 

[boaterva]

I'm guessing the Fair Lakes location right off I-66 and the Fairfax County Parkway, as they have a number of food places there (off Fair Lakes Parkway).

So are you thinking of perhaps the Dick's/Whole Foods lot as closer to 66/the Fairfax County Parkway and not as crowded as the mall?

 

[paulkva]

So are you thinking of perhaps the Dick's/Whole Foods lot as closer to 66/the Fairfax County Parkway and not as crowded as the mall?

I spent many years working in Fair Oaks / Fair Lakes, though not recently, but I do still drive out to that area occasionally. From an accessibility perspective, I think Fair Oaks Mall is a bit more convenient to I-66 than anything in Fair Lakes, especially with the dedicated flyover ramp from Route 50, but I agree the Dick's / Whole Foods lot is more convenient to Fairfax County Parkway. The mall itself is probably a bit more congested, and it would be much more congested during the peak holiday shopping season. There are a few other shopping centers in those areas that could be good candidates, such as Fair Lakes Center (Target, Walmart, etc) and Fairfax Corner (REI and lots of restaurants), but those are further from the interstate and can also get really congested at peak times.

 

[Max*]

I don't see why they would put a supercharger in Fairfax. I would think Tysons would be a better location.

And even then this area has decent coverage with Woodbridge, Laurel, and the upcoming Nation Harbor and Gaithersburg locations.

 

[boaterva]

Well, we assume that this placeholder means something...

Tysons is getting a new one (not the current Gallery one, we assume), Fairfax is getting one somewhere, and, of course, there's the one in process at National Harbor.

Who knows where the downtown DC one will end up, one of the 'urban' ones?

Also, most of the SuC's here would be for people that can't install home charging, like in condos, etc.

 

[Max*]

It might mean something, it might not. Tesla has been moving them around, adding new ones, removing location of expected superchargers, etc.

What I'm saying is that I don't get a need to put one in Fairfax, the area has good coverage. Not "don't put one there". Or "there wont be one there".

 

[CHRGIT]

I don't see why they would put a supercharger in Fairfax. I would think Tysons would be a better location.

And even then this area has decent coverage with Woodbridge, Laurel, and the upcoming Nation Harbor and Gaithersburg locations.

The unknown factor is how many tens of thousands of Model 3's have been reserved in this area? Tesla knows they need to keep building Superchargers. I read of many hour wait during the eclipse event, with next to no Model 3's.

 

[Max*]

The unknown factor is how many tens of thousands of Model 3's have been reserved in this area? Tesla knows they need to keep building Superchargers. I read of many hour wait during the eclipse event, with next to no Model 3's.

That's a valid point.


Though I haven't heard of any hour long lines on the east coast.

 

[boaterva]

That's a valid point.


Though I haven't heard of any hour long lines on the east coast.

We all assume they are putting all these placeholders where there are a lot of 3 reservations in line with the new policy of 'you can use Superchargers for local charging because you can't install personal charging in a (for example) condo parking lot'. I'll never use any of these, for example, because I have HPWCs. But people living in the apartments at Fair Lakes definitely would love to have a Supercharger in the Dick's parking lot, or at Fair Oaks mall.

 

[RobinMS70D]

LOCATION: The Fairfax Supercharger (which currently appears as a dropped pin in Fairfax City's Old Town on the Tesla.com/supercharger map) will be in the Fairfax Corner Shopping Center, located at 11945 Grand Commons Avenue (also known as 4100 Monument Corner Dr), Fairfax, VA 22030. The specific site within this shopping are has not yet been decided.

SOURCE: I was at the National Harbor Supercharger opening on 03October2017 and learned from one of that development's executives that two of the Peterson Company's other nearby properties will soon be hosting Superchargers as well - the Rio Washington Center (209 Boardwalk Place in Gaithersburg, MD 20878) and in Fairfax Corner. In response to my question, he insisted the Rio Washington and Fairfax Corner sites would be Superchargers - just like at National Harbor - and not destination chargers. According to the exec, the Fairfax Corner siting has not yet been completed - the developer remains in the midst of its "due diligence" on the best location within the shopping area. Based on the superb aesthetics of the National Harbor siting, the company appears to take both the functionality and appearance of the siting very seriously. Hopefully, Fairfax and Gaithersburg will also have "amenity centers" (free vacuum and tire inflation stations) like the National Harbor Supercharger.

I am also posting this information on the Gaithersburg Supercharger thread. See Fairfax Corner's web site at Fairfax Corner | Fairfax Restaurants, Shopping, Events & More or Fairfax VA: Fairfax Corner - Retail Space For Lease - The Peterson Companies)

 

[Max*]

I sure hope they don't put it near the movie theater...

 

[boaterva]

Remember, until it's opened, the pin drop means little and usually nothing... it's on the name on the map!

If you have intel on where it's going (like you mention or permit info), excellent, but using the map really tells us nothing except that Tesla has slated that 'city/town/locality' for a SuC. Glad to see we have more information than nothing for once!

 

[republic]

Well, we assume that this placeholder means something...

Tysons is getting a new one (not the current Gallery one, we assume), Fairfax is getting one somewhere, and, of course, there's the one in process at National Harbor.

Who knows where the downtown DC one will end up, one of the 'urban' ones?

Also, most of the SuC's here would be for people that can't install home charging, like in condos, etc.

View attachment 243695

DCUSA in Columbia Heights is one location. I haven't heard about a location in downtown proper yet.

Thanks for the intel, Robin. That location would be immensely helpful for the return leg of round-trips to Shenandoah or wineries.

 

[paulkva]

Fairfax Corner is a pretty good location in general. Plenty to do there while charging. (I'm a fan of Ozzie's and Coastal Flats.) My initial reaction was it's too congested and there's not enough parking, but then I looked on Google Maps, and I saw a huge parking garage under construction just west of the theaters. I don't remember seeing it last time I was there (which I admit wasn't all that recent); perhaps it's done or close to done now. It probably is still rather congested though.

As for supercharger siting, my amateur opinion is the best place would be in the outermost row of spaces along Monument Dr or Government Center Parkway -- relatively out of the way, but still easy enough to access most of the nearby retail. But I suspect they might try to fit it into the new garage, given what they've done at National Harbor and Rio/Washingtonian, especially if the garage isn't complete yet.

Random details for travelers: if you're going westbound, and if it's open, the left-hand exit onto Monument Dr will save you lots of time getting to Fairfax Corner. It's HOV-only during rush hours, and it's only open in one direction at a time. There are signs before it, although you don't get much notice before you have to make a decision (Monument vs 50 West vs 50 East).

And if you're traveling eastbound, I don't think there's any way to know whether the ramp back onto I-66 East is open until you're on Monument Dr approaching the I-66 overpass:

 

[Max*]

My initial reaction was it's too congested and there's not enough parking, but then I looked on Google Maps, and I saw a huge parking garage under construction just west of the theaters.

Construction was finished on that garage a whiiiiile back.

 

[paulkva]

Construction was finished on that garage a whiiiiile back.

Ha, I guess I get out to that area even less often than I originally thought. Street View shows it was open in Nov 2016, although there was still some construction on the far side (near Monument Dr) at that time, and it didn't exist (no signs of construction) in Sep 2014. I know that general area is still quite congested -- I've been to Fair Oaks and Fair Lakes several times in the past couple months -- but "congested" can describe most parts of the greater DC area...

 

[obiwin]

Anybody with any updates regarding this one?

I recall (correct me if I'm wrong) that the Tesla website originally said "by the end of 2017", however, I just checked again to see if it was open yet and Tesla's site now says "by the end of 2018."

I drive by there occasionally and a couple weeks ago I noticed a construction fence set up in the parking lot to the west of the building with Ruth's Chris, near the intersection of Monument and Govt Center Prkway, so I was wondering/hoping that would be the location of the SuperChargers.

 

[mrjwen]

Anybody with any updates regarding this one?

I recall (correct me if I'm wrong) that the Tesla website originally said "by the end of 2017", however, I just checked again to see if it was open yet and Tesla's site now says "by the end of 2018."

I drive by there occasionally and a couple weeks ago I noticed a construction fence set up in the parking lot to the west of the building with Ruth's Chris, near the intersection of Monument and Govt Center Prkway, so I was wondering/hoping that would be the location of the SuperChargers.

Funny because I've been doing the same thing. Fairfax Corner is right around the corner (no pun intended) from my house so I stop by every now and then. I think the fenced in area is just for the construction work on that new building by the garage, but I could be wrong. I've seen on other threads people have pulled permits. Does anyone know how to go about doing that? That would probably be our best bet in finding out the location.