Vancouver BC to San Diego is 1400 miles Boston to Miami is 1500 miles San Francisco to Washington DC is 2800 miles 5700 miles total. 30 * 190 = 5700
I-80 would be pretty decent. NY-Chicago is a pretty fundamental route. Though arguably I-70 needs it more, the I-80/I-90 overlap section is one of the major transportation corridors of the nation. I actually don't think starting with the coasts is wise as a rollout, let alone starting with the West Coast first. The West Coast already has chargers available; California can be covered by what, three, four superchargers, and then they'd be pouring money into California-Oregon drives, which is a small market. The East Coast has alternative transportation for north-south trips. The cross-country routes through the Midwest and South, on the other hand, need chargers badly, and are full of large cities. I-80 would be a good start. Then I-10. This diagram is convenient for seeing the network shape on the Interstates, should you wish to plot out your own priorities: 75 - A Diagram of the Eisenhower Interstate System | Strange Maps | Big Think But Tesla seems committed to this order of rollout. Hope they get around to the useful chargers soon.
Well at least for the next several months, the only people using Tesla Superchargers will be Tesla. So it makes sense for them to prioritize routes that they are likely to use (e.g., between SF and LA).
If one is at Harris Ranch, there must be another planned around Valencia, CA. Harris Ranch to South San Diego is 330 miles. Valencia would be about halfway between on I5. Personally, this is great news as this is right on my most common long distance route.
Hi, In my opinion initially Tesla should put their Superchargers on major highways between those locations with the highest customer density. Here's an approximation of the distribution of Model S reservation holders. http://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=295135 Obviously Tesla has better visibility of where all of their customers are located, including the Roadster owners, but based on this cross section of Model S reservation holders, generally starting with the coasts makes sense for the initial roll-out. Larry
It's very approximate. You'd think there were hardly any reservations in Toronto, but I know that there are more reservations there than anywhere else in Canada.
Hi Doug, Agreed, but the point I was trying to make was that Tesla does know where the reservations are with precision. If they say they are going to start on the coasts I'm inclined to believe they have the data to support the fact that those locations are where most of their customers are located. Larry
Obviously Tesla should try to serve the people in the areas with the highest customer density first... but I don't think that necessarily means putting the chargers between locations with with the highest customer density. You have to pay attention to the trip behavior of the people in each location. The extreme example is Hawaiians, who don't need any superchargers because they'll never drive far enough. Yes, SF-LA seems like a wise starting point, as it is a popular car route. But what would be the next most important route for people in California? Probably LA-Las Vegas, not northward to Portland.
if they put a supercharger in Barstow, I think it's stategecly on the route from LA to las vegas/flagstaff-albuquerque
I heard from the sales rep in the Bellevue Tesla store that they will put one in Ellensburg (about 110 miles from Seattle on I-90) where the current HPC is located. That's the deal maker for me since my parents live another 60 miles east. The 230 mi pack will easily get me over there driving 75 mph with a 20 minute rest stop at the super charger (since the wife and kids prefer a rest stop rather than a 3 hour straight drive)
Yeah, I was pondering this myself... From my house (mid-peninsula) to Truckee is 215 miles (obviously a lot of uphill so would likely need to charge). An HPC or supercharger in Sac would help here. We travel 580 East to I-5 and then up to Sac so anything West of Sac on 80 is useless to us.
I hope Greenville, SC gets one. Atlanta to Charlotte is really the only long drive that I want to do. I could tell my Tampa and Houston friends that I have to fly.
Ellensburg is good for me, as it would get me to Seattle from Spokane with a breakfast or lunch break there. However, I also need to get to CA from WA, so we have to have at least two between Seattle and Sacramento.
Do you suppose Ellensburg is a one-off to allow the Spokane--Seattle run? Or is this the beginning of a: Route across I-90? Seems unlikely to me at this point, as there's nothing sizeable, for a long time, on I-90. Route across I-84? Build from Ellensburg to Hermiston, OR to Ontario, OR (near Boise) to Twin Falls, ID to Ogden, UT, and you've linked Salt Lake City, Boise and Seattle. Then Rock Spring, WY to Rawlins, WY to Cheyenne, WY to Denver, CO. (From Rock Springs WY, it's 180 miles to Jackson WY)
fwiw, I think Ellensburg is just to tie eastern WA to the west. Of course eventually we'll have a northern route across I-90, (I wish it could be sooner of course), but as mentioned, for population density reasons, a southerly route cross-country is the likely candidate to be first.