Western Canada Superchargers

[1.21 Jiggawatts]

I agree that sask crossing would be an excellent supercharger location, I'd also like to see one in Rocky Mountain House. That said, Given a choice, I'd rather they reach towards Saskatchewan first as it's more likely to help more people.

I've often felt that Tesla has an issue with prioritization. I mean take a look at where the first Canadian Supercharger was, Squamish! While not an entirely unreasonable place eventually, it's such a low priority compared with any of the others as to be laughable. It was not put in to allow Canadians to road trip, it was put in to allow Americans to ski at Whistler. I realize Tesla is an American company, but they need to start looking at the Canadian map from a Canadian perspective.

Thankyou for mentioning us mere peasants in saskatchewan. I don't have a tesla car yet but getting a supercharger in Medicine Hat would potentially save me hours of waiting at a level 2 charger from suncountry.

I live in Regina. So for me to get to Calgary in a tesla goes something like this. Drive to swift current, charge for 3 hours. Drive to Medicine Hat, charge for 3 hours. Get into Calgary with a quick top up in brooks, depending on weather. Phewf. Maybe it's not that bad? I dunno

Green1, you are spot on about the weird supercharging priorities of tesla. One would think that the #1 highway might be more beneficial to a larger group of people

 

[pairtrader]

Elon Tweeted this morning about cross-Canada Superchargers.

Chris Sweeney ‏@SweensChris 3h3 hours ago
@elonmusk any plans to the the supercharger network to be extended in Canada so it's possible to drive across the whole country?

Elon MuskVerified account‏@elonmusk
@SweensChris Should complete in 2017. One is def planned for Swift Current, near my cousin's wheat farm where I had my 18th bday.

 

[TLej]

He must have forgotten to tell the map guys - 2017 completion? Elon must be off his meds today... talking Supercharger v3 at >350 kW. Man, Twitter's fun some days.

 

[Drone Flyer]

Coquitlam Centre EV spots.
Both the Volt and Leaf Parked but not plugged in.
I notified security.
Strange thing as well that the stall next to them is for "hybrid" vehicles only even though you can't plug in anywhere.

 

[dmd2005]

They should enforce the "Charging Only" and ticket these people taking up spots for people who actually need a charge. Wish my Tesla had a winch mode like this Jeep.

 

[Vger]

Elon Tweeted this morning about cross-Canada Superchargers.

Chris Sweeney ‏@SweensChris 3h3 hours ago
@elonmusk any plans to the the supercharger network to be extended in Canada so it's possible to drive across the whole country?

Elon MuskVerified account‏@elonmusk
@SweensChris Should complete in 2017. One is def planned for Swift Current, near my cousin's wheat farm where I had my 18th bday.

Well, now we know he does remember Canada fondly! Regardless of the map, if The Man says to do it, it will (eventually) happen.

And if we have to wait a bit, perhaps they will be V3!

 

[CalBlue 85D]

View attachment 207653 View attachment 207655 View attachment 207654

Coquitlam Centre EV spots.
Both the Volt and Leaf Parked but not plugged in.
I notified security.
Strange thing as well that the stall next to them is for "hybrid" vehicles only even though you can't plug in anywhere.

This is the classic example of why you don't want to put chargers in convenient parking locations. People will ICE the spots for the convenience factor and even EV drivers will park there if they don't need a charge. Give me a space on the far side of the lot and I'll happily walk while my car gets a charge.

Convenient EV charging is a be careful what you ask for proposition!

 

[PLUS EV]

Do that many Canadians really drive Trans-Canada? When I meet Canadians, I often tell them my story of driving from BC to St. John's, NL (this was in an ICE in 2009 with the aid of a ferry from North Sydney to Port aux Basque of course) and I've yet to meet someone who has done the same. There were a *lot* of lonely stretches of that drive, particularly through Northern Ontario and Newfoundland. We all want more superchargers everywhere and I particularly enjoy long trans-continental road trips, but I'm guessing the reason these locations have not been prioritised is because the data they have collected suggests (correctly imo) that the route will not be heavily traveled.

I should also add that I recently drove my Model S from Ohio back to Seattle, mostly on Interstates 80 and 90 and from Illinois all the way home, I saw a grand total of one other Tesla at a Supercharger (Hi to the guy in the pink Model X). You read that correctly. I charged in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington and the only other Tesla I saw was the pink model X who was my charging partner in Murdo SD, Sheridan, WY and Big Timber MT. Of course we need at least bare bones trans-continental supercharging routes, because the idea of buying a 100k car that you can't drive off the coast sucks, but that trip really outlined for me the current lack of demand for such superchargers.

 

[Canuck]

Do that many Canadians really drive Trans-Canada? When I meet Canadians, I often tell them my story of driving from BC to St. John's, NL (this was in an ICE in 2009 with the aid of a ferry from North Sydney to Port aux Basque of course) and I've yet to meet someone who has done the same. There were a *lot* of lonely stretches of that drive, particularly through Northern Ontario and Newfoundland.

The Trans-Canada Highway doesn't go through Northern Ontario. It runs mostly along our southern border which is where the vast majority of Canadians live. The point of having them along this route is so that people can drive sections of it -- and linking up the country. While it will good to be able to do the entire drive that's not the main point. Right now I can't go past Alberta and that's not very far.

 

[PLUS EV]

The Trans-Canada Highway doesn't go through Northern Ontario..

Huh?

 

[jbcarioca]

Huh?

Highway Overview on TransCanadaHighway.com
Then you can have more information than you might want to know.
As with nearly all coast-to-coast routes in the world, some parts have very little traffic and others are very dense. Active motorists seem to seek them out. For Tesla, Superchargers should, soon, cover them. The densest US ones do now, but others are waiting. transCanada ought to be complete in 2017, but I suspect it will be 2018. Australia does not even cover all the East, much less the West and East-West either Southern or Northern is barely even imaginable right now.
Maybe what Tesla needs is another billion dollars to expand the Supercharger coverage all over the world.

For Trans Canada specifically many of those gaps could be filled with a single pair of chargers. I am eagerly waiting for that so I can make that trip again without ICE.

 

[TLej]

Do that many Canadians really drive Trans-Canada?

If you mean, do many actually drive the whole trip coast-to-coast, then I agree the number is small. You need a lot of time to do that. However, certain routes are pretty key. Can't speak for any in Thunder Bay, but these routes are pretty important out west: Calgary <--> Regina, Edmonton <--> Saskatoon, Saskatoon <--> Regina, Regina <--> Winnipeg. Yes, Edmonton <--> Saskatoon is the Yellowhead (as is linking Edmonton and Jasper), and Regina <--> Saskatoon is a provincial highway, but they're important corridors given the size of the provinces and the locations of the largest population centres.

 

[dasRad]

The Trans-Canada Highway doesn't go through Northern Ontario. It runs mostly along our southern border which is where the vast majority of Canadians live. The point of having them along this route is so that people can drive sections of it -- and linking up the country. While it will good to be able to do the entire drive that's not the main point. Right now I can't go past Alberta and that's not very far.

I think most people consider anything north of Barrie to be Northern Ontario. Certainly the people I worked with in Sault Ste. Marie considered it to be part of Northern Ontario. Having said that, come May, all the electricians were packing up their campers to head north for jobs that included handsome per diems. Funnily enough, they preferred the Sault in the winter to Geraldton (which isn't really that far north) at -45C.

 

[DMC-Orangeville]

The Trans-Canada Highway doesn't go through Northern Ontario. It runs mostly along our southern border which is where the vast majority of Canadians live. The point of having them along this route is so that people can drive sections of it -- and linking up the country. While it will good to be able to do the entire drive that's not the main point. Right now I can't go past Alberta and that's not very far.

The Trans-Canada Highway does go through Northern Ontario; it's Highway 17, and 11. Tesla's map, below showing the leaf. Northern Ontario starts north of Sudbury.
(Sidebar) We gave away baseball hats to promote a new product a few years ago. When I took a bunch of them to give away in Timmins, Wawa and the Soo, I was told they were "south of North Bay hats". No ear flaps......

 

[Canuck]

The Trans-Canada Highway does go through Northern Ontario; it's Highway 17, and 11. Tesla's map, below showing the leaf. Northern Ontario starts north of Sudbury.

Yes, you are right. I stand corrected. Thanks for educating me. Who would have thought "Northern Ontario" exists in the southern half of the Province and constitutes 87 per cent of the land area of Ontario. That makes no sense to me but indeed it's true:

Northern Ontario - Wikipedia

 

[dmd2005]

Yes, you are right. I stand corrected. Thanks for educating me. Who would have thought "Northern Ontario" exists in the southern half of the Province and constitutes 87 per cent of the land area of Ontario. That makes no sense to me but indeed it's true:

Northern Ontario - Wikipedia

That's because the Greater Toronto area is the center of the universe

 

[green1]

if The Man says to do it, it will (eventually) happen.

Based on what? All his other promises that have come true? The vast majority of the things he says turn out to be flat out lies, I certainly wouldn't put any stock in it.

 

[DMC-Orangeville]

That's because the Greater Toronto area is the center of the universe

True. I guess that means I'm slightly left of centre..........

 

[Jack007]

So.....
Merritt anyone? Info?
Need that done by April.
I'm also gonna go nose around Calgary,
see if I see any signs of construction.

 

[beeeerock]

So.....
Merritt anyone? Info?
Need that done by April.

Merritt has been done for about two months... but not sparked up. I don't know what the delay is... asphalt in, only need to throw the switch. However, since it's in the parking lot of a new hotel that hasn't yet opened (that I'm aware), perhaps there is something in the lease agreement requiring the building to be finished first.