West Virginia Superchargers (location speculation, discussion)

[Big Earl]

Triadelphia, WV stalls 1A and 1B are both out of service, leaving only two stalls operational. Orange light, rapidly locks and unlocks charge port, won’t start charging.

 

[jthompson]

You notified Tesla as well?

 

[Big Earl]

You notified Tesla as well?

Yes.

 

[vanjwilson]

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to share my recent experience driving through West Virginia.

I went up I-77 from Charlotte the week after Christmas to visit friends in Chicago, and I felt comfortable getting off the beaten path to do some hiking, both going and coming back.

1. Left Charlotte, NC, with 90% SOC
2. Charged at the Wytheville, VA, supercharger
3. After detour to hike a little in the New River Gorge, charged at the Mount Hope, WV, supercharger on the way back to I-77
4. Stayed at the Hampton Inn in Mineral Springs, WV, and charged to 90% overnight on one of their Tesla Destination chargers
5. Charged at the Dublin, OH, supercharger just northwest of Columbus
6. Charged at the Fort Wayne, IN, supercharger
7. Stayed at AC Hotel in Chicago and charged two of my three nights there. Able to leave with 90% SOC
8. Charged at the Indianapolis Speedway supercharger
9. Charged at the Florence, KY, supercharger
10. Stayed at the Hampton Inn in Barboursville, WV, and charged to 90% overnight on one of their Tesla Destination chargers
11. After little detour to hike in Kanawha State Forest, charged again at the Wytheville, VA, supercharger

Neither my route up nor my route back was the quickest or most direct, or I would have ended up charging in Charleston and Chillicothe, OH, each way. Honestly, I chose these alternate routes partly because of the convenience of hotels with destination chargers so that I could work in the hiking. (If you're bored, or have insomnia, check out my videos of the driving, charging, and hiking.)

If I had wanted to drive the whole distance each way in one day, I could have easily done so, but without the hiking. It wouldn't have been as scenic, either. (That's right, I called northwestern Ohio "scenic".)

What a difference in the five years since this thread started!

 

[X Fan]

Any discussion by Tesla to upgrade the 120 & 150 SCs, ie Charleston, Mt. Hope, Parkersburg?

Also, has there been any discussion on placing Superchargers at the Turnpike Travel Plazas?

Thanks

 

[WVhybrid]

Any discussion by Tesla to upgrade the 120 & 150 SCs, ie Charleston, Mt. Hope, Parkersburg?

Also, has there been any discussion on placing Superchargers at the Turnpike Travel Plazas?

Thanks

I don't think Tesla upgrades very many V2 to V3. Sometimes they add V3s to an original V2 location, like Waco, Texas or Green River, Utah.

The new V3 Supercharger at Princeton, WV should address the need for charging at the Travel Plazas. And the coming V3 at Marmet, WV will be another boost on I-64/I-77.

There is a chance the NEVI program will put some CCS DCFC plugs at one of the travel plazas on the West Virginia Turnpike. But that probably won't happen until 2025.

 

[X Fan]

Two West Virginia Turnpike rest areas to be renovated

Upscale amenities and 45 more truck parking spots are coming to two West Virginia Turnpike rest areas after closing for nearly two years.

landline.media

looks like late ‘24….hopefully Tesla v4’s

“The newly redeveloped West Virginia Turnpike travel plazas are expected to offer expanded food concepts, a 24/7 Mountain State Market convenience store, outdoor dining options, expanded parking for tractor-trailers and passenger vehicles, EV charging stations, separated vehicle and tractor-trailer fueling options, picnic area, and pet relief areas.”

 

[pipestem]

@vanjwilson Glad to hear of that trip. Did you get into pipestem state park?

Unfortunately I think 219 from i64 up through Davis and into Maryland is still an EV desert. The two state parks have destination charging but that’s not much. I’d rather stay at a cabin anyway. I’d love to drive up to Timberline. Non-interstate rural superchargers still seem rare.

 

[motoolfan]

Any idea whether Summersville WV will get a Supercharger? I know there's one near Sutton and Beckley but the amount of traffic on 19 would justify a location in the area.

 

[WVhybrid]

@vanjwilson Glad to hear of that trip. Did you get into pipestem state park?

Unfortunately I think 219 from i64 up through Davis and into Maryland is still an EV desert. The two state parks have destination charging but that’s not much. I’d rather stay at a cabin anyway. I’d love to drive up to Timberline. Non-interstate rural superchargers still seem rare.

I'm not sure charging desert is an accurate description of the West Virginia northern highlands any longer. I think you will find destination charger connections in Pocahontas County at Marlinton and at the Greenbank Radio Observatory, the Cass RR State Park and at the Snowshoe ski resort, at West Virginia Wesleyan College near Buchanan, WV in Upshur County, at the Arthurdale Heritage site near Kingwood in Preston County and at the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Tucker County. Plus there is a Tesla Supercharger at Deep Creek Lake near Oakland Maryland and a two-plug CCS 120 kW charging station at the Ford dealer in Elkins in Randolph County. There are also a few campgrounds and private rentals with charging connections throughout the West Virginia highlands.

 

[Country Roads]

I'm not sure charging desert is an accurate description of the West Virginia northern highlands any longer. I think you will find destination charger connections in Pocahontas County at Marlinton and at the Greenbank Radio Observatory, the Cass RR State Park and at the Snowshoe ski resort, at West Virginia Wesleyan College near Buchanan, WV in Upshur County, at the Arthurdale Heritage site near Kingwood in Preston County and at the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Tucker County. Plus there is a Tesla Supercharger at Deep Creek Lake near Oakland Maryland and a two-plug CCS 120 kW charging station at the Ford dealer in Elkins in Randolph County. There are also a few campgrounds and private rentals with charging connections throughout the West Virginia highlands.

We so wish that our Tesla’s could use that CCS charger in Elkins. Apparently neither have the right charging innards. Would be perfect for our trips to Snowshoe.

 

[MP3Mike]

We so wish that our Tesla’s could use that CCS charger in Elkins. Apparently neither have the right charging innards. Would be perfect for our trips to Snowshoe.

You should be able to get the CCS retrofit, and adapter, installed on your 2017 Model S for about $450. You should be able to order it via the app. (The retrofit isn't available for the Model 3 yet.)

 

[Country Roads]

You should be able to get the CCS retrofit, and adapter, installed on your 2017 Model S for about $450. You should be able to order it via the app. (The retrofit isn't available for the Model 3 yet.)

Would be useful to have. Will investigate. But this brings up a second question - now that other car manufacturers are going to switch to the Tesla charging standard, how quickly will they switch over their charger stands? Regardless, for $450 to have the flexibility is an easy choice.

 

[MP3Mike]

now that other car manufacturers are going to switch to the Tesla charging standard, how quickly will they switch over their charger stands?

Who knows. But even once they have switched you will need to have completed the CCS retrofit to be able to use them, you just wouldn't need the adapter anymore. (Your car is not currently CCS/NACS compatible.)