The ski round-trip problem in the Northeast

[ToddRLockwood]

I just now realized the importance of the Concord/Manchester SuperCharger - tesla needs to bring this back!

I agree. White River Junction is a bit too far north to make a round trip to Boston without recharging in the Boston area while there. Manchester would have been the perfect distance. This will be a problem for Montreal and Burlington VT owners making weekend trips to Boston.

 

[PeterK]

Did Tesla ever give us any info on the Concord nh supercharger no longer shown on the maps?

I and others have heard indications that it is planned. Here's a response I got to my email after Concord/Hooksett and Sturbridge dropped off in the early December map update:

Thank you for your email and feedback. It is very helpful to hear local customer input. Please keep in mind that our website represents a general plan of our Supercharger rollout and is meant to highlight corridors of travel. We do still plan on sites in the Concord, West Lebanon, and Sturbridge general areas for next year. Our developers are working to plan and complete these sites as quickly as possible.

I think we need an owner lobbying campaign towards the developers of the Hooksett service area. Anyone have any connections or contacts?

 

[jamtek]

I live and work in New Hampshire and have written NH Governor Maggie Hassan on the subject. I haven't received a reply yet.

Will update everyone here if/when I get any details from her or her staff.

I and others have heard indications that it is planned. Here's a response I got to my email after Concord/Hooksett and Sturbridge dropped off in the early December map update:


I think we need an owner lobbying campaign towards the developers of the Hooksett service area. Anyone have any connections or contacts?

 

[jefflieb]

Being from Boston, and planning a trip to Killington is 3 weeks, I came to the conclusion that taking the S85 to Killington/Okemo was a recipe for disaster given the charge points that I could see via the web vs the common wall charger and inconveniences that might arise

 

[djplong]

Failing the Hooksett rest area, another good spot would be the information center in Lincoln NH just off I-93 Exit 32 - lots of restaurants, Hobo Railroad, minigolf, etc. Another place could be in Tilton, north of Concord, at Exit 20 - lots of restaurants and stores near there and it's a gateway to the Lakes region.

 

[pbleic]

I was told by a salesperson in the Natick (Boston) showroom that Concord was being built and was going to be working in weeks.

 

[santana338]

I second the Lincoln area. That would be perfect for me for camping and bike riding in the mountains. Possibly skiing too (haven't skied up there yet).

I live too close to the Manchester/Hookset rest area for that to be useful. Of course, I am not SC enabled either so for me it is all still just wishful thinking.

Failing the Hooksett rest area, another good spot would be the information center in Lincoln NH just off I-93 Exit 32 - lots of restaurants, Hobo Railroad, minigolf, etc. Another place could be in Tilton, north of Concord, at Exit 20 - lots of restaurants and stores near there and it's a gateway to the Lakes region.

 

[bhuwan]

I was told by a salesperson in the Natick (Boston) showroom that Concord was being built and was going to be working in weeks.

Not true, that much I can tell you.

Be weary of the sales people at Natick -the reality is they don't know

SOmeone at Natick told me Sturbridge would be live "within weeks" - this was 4 months ago LOL

 

[RDoc]

I was told by a Natick person (who was very nice) that there would be a Supercharger in Attleboro soon. I don't think so.

 

[David Rhee]

Not true, that much I can tell you.

Be weary of the sales people at Natick -the reality is they don't know

SOmeone at Natick told me Sturbridge would be live "within weeks" - this was 4 months ago LOL

Typical Tesla hype! . Coming soon in Tesla-speak can be 6 months plus!

 

[bhuwan]

Here we go, lots of great updates:
- Sunday River has had a EV Charging station for 2 years. I'm getting more details on the charger type
- Killington is adding 2 Chargepoint chargers by the end of the month
- Jay Peak Resort: looking to add a charger before the upcoming season

 

[AWDtsla]

Here we go, lots of great updates:
- Sunday River has had a EV Charging station for 2 years. I'm getting more details on the charger type
- Killington is adding 2 Chargepoint chargers by the end of the month
- Jay Peak Resort: looking to add a charger before the upcoming season

That's just a gimmick. "add _A_ charger"??? Did you see how many hundreds of not a thousand cars are parked there on any given day? What makes you think that you or I will be able to go find and park at the 1-2 charging stations?

 

[bhuwan]

That's just a gimmick. "add _A_ charger"??? Did you see how many hundreds of not a thousand cars are parked there on any given day? What makes you think that you or I will be able to go find and park at the 1-2 charging stations?

Let's all breath and stay calm...I'm just passing on info that I know.

What are your expectations? 15 chargers on Day 0? I'd be happy if they (assuming you are talking about Jay Peak resort) started with 2 chargers (ideally away from an area the charger can get ICE'd),and expand as usage grows.

 

[AWDtsla]

Let's all breath and stay calm...I'm just passing on info that I know.

What are your expectations? 15 chargers on Day 0? I'd be happy if they (assuming you are talking about Jay Peak resort) started with 2 chargers (ideally away from an area the charger can get ICE'd),and expand as usage grows.

My expectation is to stop somewhere up i93 for 15-20 minutes and supercharge.

 

[bhuwan]

My expectation is to stop somewhere up i93 for 15-20 minutes and supercharge.

+1 totally agree with you Tesla needs to get their act together before the upcoming season...,

 

[tga]

+1 totally agree with you Tesla needs to get their act together before the upcoming season...,

We have a catch 22 here, and I think the only way to break the logjam is for Tesla to install the full suite of superchargers in New England.

Hear me out - no one is taking their MS skiing unless they are confident they can make it home. This means one of the following:

1. Day trips are limited to ski areas close to home (~100 mi) with no need for en-route charging.
2. Long distance day trips require superchargers along 91/89/93 or guaranteed charging at the ski area.
3. Weekend trips add the option of charging at hotels/ski houses

That's just a gimmick. "add _A_ charger"??? Did you see how many hundreds of not a thousand cars are parked there on any given day? What makes you think that you or I will be able to go find and park at the 1-2 charging stations?

And that's the problem. With only one charging station, and no backup plan (ie, supercharging on the way up and back), that probably means that no one will risk it. A large ski area would need to add several stations before drivers would feel secure in finding a charging station for the day in order to make it home.

So Jay Peak puts in one, probably considering it a pilot to see how much use it gets. But the lack of a supercharging backup results in artificially low demand, causing the pilot to fail. To really ascertain demand, you need to put in several, or provide a way to guarantee a charging reservation.

If there were superchargers on the way, then people will bring the Model S. If they get a charge station at the hill, great - they save a 30 minute stop on the way home. If not, they still make it home, just a little later.

Put in the superchargers, and then the Model S's show up at the ski areas. There may be a bit of a backlog at the superchargers on the way up and back, but once the ski areas see the MS's, then it's a simple argument to install destination charging as a means of attracting more/retaining existing customers. Destination charging eases the backlog at the superchargers.

But I don't see achieving critical mass without the superchargers going in first.

 

[RDoc]

This is exactly why I'm doubtful that destination chargers will be a serious factor in most geographically large vacation areas.
For day trips superchargers are really the only safe and reasonable option and, if there is a supercharger, then the incentive for destinations to put in charging goes from small to miniscule.
Slightly off topic, but the comment on possible supercharger backlogs is why I think battery leasing and swapping is a very good idea. For owners that want to, they can continue to buy their batteries of course.

 

[pbleic]

I highly doubt the Hookset chargers will be ready by this ski season. It doesn't even look like Auburn will be done for Western MA. The pace of NE superchargers is ridiculously slow. Tesla is treating the area like the rural Midwest.

 

[pbleic]

Not true, that much I can tell you.

Be weary of the sales people at Natick -the reality is they don't know

SOmeone at Natick told me Sturbridge would be live "within weeks" - this was 4 months ago LOL

"They don't know" is being kind. The sell I got about superchargers (and some other things) was akin to a sleazy used car sales organization.

 

[AWDtsla]

Update: It's worst than I thought it was. Cross post from another thread, but ski country here has the highest energy consumption out of anywhere in the US? That's crazy. Maybe with the P85D out Tesla will concentrate some more on the Northeast now, I can only hope.