Western Canada Superchargers

[beeeerock]

Good explanation. So Westbank or something on the western edge of West Kelowna would have been closer to more heavily traveled routes.

Exactly. The run from the east end of the 97C connector to the SC location is longer than it looks on the map. During peak times it's stop and go at best and represents a significant detour if the required destination is south of the 97C junction. The 97C is a 4 lane divided highway and is the artery into the Okanagan from the coast. The hwy 33 you mentioned previously is a secondary highway at best, with little through traffic.

As well, unless the destination is Kelowna or south of Vernon, most travelers heading to destinations north of Kelowna would typically travel through Kamloops and stick to Hwy 1. 97C is used for Kelowna people and South Okanagan people for the most part.

However, I'm not going to look any gift supercharger in the connector... ;-)

 

[decibel]

I'm hoping that a Supercharger on Vancouver Island will be in the works prior to Tesla "filling in" the network. Just one in or near Nanaimo would handle all traffic to/from the Mainland and to/from Victoria, Tofino/west coast, and the upper island.

I agree, there is a lot of the country that needs coverage and both users and Tesla Motors should be making the easier, logical connections in places like B.C. (i.e. Cranbrook to connect Golden to Coeur d'Alene). Beyond that the emphasis should be on extending the network: on Vancouver Island; northwest from Barrie; east towards Halifax; and east from Calgary. For example, I would prefer that Tesla add one supercharger in Cranbrook in order to connect to the I90 network and then head east from Calgary over their posted plan to build three superchargers south from Calgary to Butte.

 

[green1]

I agree, there is a lot of the country that needs coverage and both users and Tesla Motors should be making the easier, logical connections in places like B.C. (i.e. Cranbrook to connect Golden to Coeur d'Alene). Beyond that the emphasis should be on extending the network: on Vancouver Island; northwest from Barrie; east towards Halifax; and east from Calgary. For example, I would prefer that Tesla add one supercharger in Cranbrook in order to connect to the I90 network and then head east from Calgary over their posted plan to build three superchargers south from Calgary to Butte.

This one is debatable, sure Cranbrook would be great, but if the intention is to allow the most people possible to conveniently access the American supercharger network, the stations from Calgary to Butte make more sense as it's a more direct route for Calgarians and Edmontonians, and more likely to get more use for that purpose. That said, Cranbrook area is vacation land, and it would be great to get there conveniently too.

My big wishes are invermere (through cranbrook might work too I suppose) Kelowna (under construction, yeah!!!) and vancouer island, after that I hope they head east.

Honestly my biggest worry isn't about where they put them, as much as it is that they might stop adding to the network at all in Canada, our supercharger network is among the weakest of any area where Tesla sells vehicles, and the pace of addition isn't really inspiring.

 

[Morristhecat]

Wow lots of great progress here! Great! I like the location in Kelowna. On the way to Big White & shopping/food is kitty corner. I stopped there over the summer to charge up a couple of times with the HPWC and thought it worked out great.

As for the future spacing, lets not forget that the spacing has to include infrastructure buildup for the upcoming Model 3, which is expected to have a 200mile (320km) range. Just like my lowly 60. I would expect winter and mountain conditions would almost chop that kind of distance in half. We would need more stations down 95 than just one in Cranbrook. For similar reasons, this is probably why they are planning one in Merrit, which I will be happy to see. I had to use the Chademo there on my way back from Kelowna for 10 minutes to add some comfort in getting to Hope - probably was driving too fast...

On an aside note, if you have an adapter, I see the BC Government is making great strides in their Chademo build-out per this map. May have to zoom out to see them all.

 

[beeeerock]

On an aside note, if you have an adapter, I see the BC Government is making great strides in their Chademo build-out per this map. May have to zoom out to see them all.

I'm really of two minds on the DC-FC build-out. Great that there are more charging options being added, but.... two things bother me...

One - they seem to be single head devices, meaning zero redundancy. If you're banking on the unit being available for use AND functional, you could be sadly surprised.

Two - my understanding is that they are charging around 35 cents per kWh. In the scheme of things, not big dollars for the number of times you're going to use it. But given that BC Hydro is a big part of the project, it offends me that they're gouging on the kWh rate. If they're trying to pay for the equipment with the extra dollars charged, they probably shouldn't make it sound like a wonderful government initiative - it's just another business venture.

 

[S'toon]

Still waiting for Tesla to realize Elon Musk's cousin lives in SK, and puts some superchargers here.

 

[Zapped]

.......
As for the future spacing, lets not forget that the spacing has to include infrastructure buildup for the upcoming Model 3, which is expected to have a 200mile (320km) range.
.......

Agreed
+1

On an aside note, if you have an adapter, I see the BC Government is making great strides in their Chademo build-out per this map. May have to zoom out to see them all.

I found it interesting when mentioning the Chademo adapter to the Vancouver Store, they questioned the need to have one considering the built out of the Telsa SC's
2 years ago I had bought a Roadster to Model S charge adapter, used it once but fortunately was able to sell it to someone in Seattle. This adapter basically became obsolete when TESLA converted a lot, if not all, of the Roadster charge stations to HPWC. I think there is still value in the Chademo adapter though. I am sharing mine with some local Model S owners for road trips.

 

[ReddyLeaf]

This one is debatable, sure Cranbrook would be great, but if the intention is to allow the most people possible to conveniently access the American supercharger network, the stations from Calgary to Butte make more sense as it's a more direct route for Calgarians and Edmontonians, and more likely to get more use for that purpose. That said, Cranbrook area is vacation land, and it would be great to get there conveniently too.

My big wishes are invermere (through cranbrook might work too I suppose) Kelowna (under construction, yeah!!!) and vancouer island, after that I hope they head east.

Honestly my biggest worry isn't about where they put them, as much as it is that they might stop adding to the network at all in Canada, our supercharger network is among the weakest of any area where Tesla sells vehicles, and the pace of addition isn't really inspiring.

Agreed. Edmonton to Butte is on the map for 2016, so I don't think that is a question and it should be finished first. I think these other choices are "fill ins". Heck if you want two SC's between Golden and Coeur d'Alene, that's even better for faster and winter driving. Cranbrook would be definitely a lower use location, maybe not until 2017, but I do know that route is used by lots of RV's from Eastern WA. I would definitely use it next summer and do a loop back around to Vancouver/Seattle.

I agree that Vancouver island, maybe Parksville or Qualicum Beach would be nice and certainly a higher use than Cranbrook since it's near Vancouver/Seattle with a much higher number of Teslas. Nanaimo would also work, but it's pretty close in to the other SCs. However, having just finished a road trip to Tofino, I don't think anything other than destination chargers are needed on the island. Yes, it's always nice to have more SCs, but realistically people can make it quite a distance, especially when the Vancouver SC goes online. That said, with one SC on the in Parksville, I would have driven up to Port Hardy in addition to Tofino, without it I had to make a choice.

I do wish that Tesla would put in smaller stations, say only 2 stalls, off the beaten path and in addition to what is shown for 2016. Princeton, Keremeos, Osoyoos, Castlegar, Lillooet, Brewster (WA) etc. This would allow some additional touring without having to plan multiple overnights on L2. If they could get the costs down, I'm sure many people would even accept 1/2 SC speed (60 KW) in these areas. I don't have the Chademo adapter, but could easily buy or borrow one. They're just less convenient than those nice SCs.

 

[S'toon]

Agreed. Edmonton to Butte is on the map for 2016, so I don't think that is a question and it should be finished first. I think these other choices are "fill ins". Heck if you want two SC's between Golden and Coeur d'Alene, that's even better for faster and winter driving. Cranbrook would be definitely a lower use location, maybe not until 2017, but I do know that route is used by lots of RV's from Eastern WA. I would definitely use it next summer and do a loop back around to Vancouver/Seattle.

I agree that Vancouver island, maybe Parksville or Qualicum Beach would be nice and certainly a higher use than Cranbrook since it's near Vancouver/Seattle with a much higher number of Teslas. Nanaimo would also work, but it's pretty close in to the other SCs. However, having just finished a road trip to Tofino, I don't think anything other than destination chargers are needed on the island. Yes, it's always nice to have more SCs, but realistically people can make it quite a distance, especially when the Vancouver SC goes online. That said, with one SC on the in Parksville, I would have driven up to Port Hardy in addition to Tofino, without it I had to make a choice.

I do wish that Tesla would put in smaller stations, say only 2 stalls, off the beaten path and in addition to what is shown for 2016. Princeton, Keremeos, Osoyoos, Castlegar, Lillooet, Brewster (WA) etc. This would allow some additional touring without having to plan multiple overnights on L2. If they could get the costs down, I'm sure many people would even accept 1/2 SC speed (60 KW) in these areas. I don't have the Chademo adapter, but could easily buy or borrow one. They're just less convenient than those nice SCs.

The nearest Chademo is even further away from here than the nearest Supercharger.

 

[f-stop]

[...] especially when the Vancouver SC goes online. [...]

Is there any word where and when the Vancouver SC will be installed? I believe it was on the list for 2015. just curious.

I asked an advisor at the Robson store about it and he suggested it could be near the new flagship store/service centre due to open at 4th and Fir - though I was down there the other day, took a look around the block but didn't see any obvious space where a SC could go - at least not on the same site as the new store

 

[PoweredByRain]

One - they seem to be single head devices, meaning zero redundancy.

It's funny you should mention that. I received this email today:

[FONT=Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Hello All,[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif,Apple Color Emoji,Segoe UI Emoji,NotoColorEmoji,Segoe UI Symbol,Android Emoji,EmojiSymbols]
[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]There will be upgrades implemented at the Hope charging station today[FONT=Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]. It will be unavailable for use during this time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Thank you,[/FONT]
[FONT=Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Customer Support
greenlots


(I can't help but point out that the Tesla Supercharger in Hope has 6 stalls.)[/FONT]

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However, having just finished a road trip to Tofino, I don't think anything other than destination chargers are needed on the island.

Really? Let's see you do a day trip from Victoria to Courtenay/Comox or Campbell River and back. Ditto for Victoria to Tofino as a day trip. Use the same logic and there is zero need for a Supercharger in Squamish. The traffic up island and to Tofino is as much as goes up the Sea to Sky highway.

 

[InternetDude]

Still waiting for Tesla to realize Elon Musk's cousin lives in SK, and puts some superchargers here.

I don't think Elon or Tesla give a **** about SK residents. They should at least connect Calgary with Regina, or Edmonton with Saskatoon, or both. I wish I could be more optimistic.

 

[PoweredByRain]

I don't think Elon or Tesla give a **** about SK residents. They should at least connect Calgary with Regina, or Edmonton with Saskatoon, or both. I wish I could be more optimistic.

To be fair, I don't think Elon or Tesla give a **** about South Dakota residents either. It just happens that the trans-continental route Elon wanted to enable used I-90 across South Dakota, so lucky them, they got 3 Superchargers.

(Relevance: South Dakota population 853,000. Saskatchewan population 1,130,000. Both are relatively sparsely populated central "prairie" areas.)

 

[KenN]

I would imagine the business decision is driven by where they stand to sell the most cars.

 

[S'toon]

I would imagine the business decision is driven by where they stand to sell the most cars.

A SK TMC member said that he asked Tesla why there's no superchargers planned for here, and he said they told him because there's nobody buying the cars here. He said he told nobody's going to buy them without superchargers.

 

[KenN]

That's pretty obvious. But the business case is driven by estimating how many new cars could be sold by connecting to Regina or Saskatoon (servicing a total population of 1.1 mill) vs a SC in Vancouver (servicing a total population of over 2 mill).

Choosing to live in a remote area has its benefits, but one has to accept the costs that come with that choice.

 

[InternetDude]

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

I talked to a guy two weeks ago about my car (Tesla moment). The guy told me he test drove a Model S last year in Toronto (lives here in SK) but left with the impression that he couldn't charge it at all in SK but he liked the car. The lack of Superchargers (with no plans for any) is an issue. The only "destination" Tesla charger in Regina is not publicly available unless you're staying at the hotel.

As a Model S owner in SK if it wasn't for Sun Country Highway I couldn't have even bought the car. Needless to say when I met the CEO I thanked him for what he's done/doing.

 

[m1ker]

My brother-in-law went to Nitro circus in Saskatoon (this weekend) and we were going to join them but we had other plans come up. I had the trip all planned out to get there from Calgary, it's not a supercharger route, but I could get there, stay at a hotel, and get back to Calgary in our Model S.

Sun Country highway chargers make the trip possible today, it would just take a little longer due to L2 charging instead of supercharging. I'm Hopi g to see more supercharges deployed soon. I bought my Model S, with lots of Edmonton trips planned, and we ordered when the Red Deer supercharger was just in the plans.

The chargers will come. And each one that gets added, changes everything. Well maybe not everything, but the world gets smaller with each Tesla supercharger deployed....

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I just finished a clean up of a supercharging visit at the Red Deer supercharger. Thought I'd share. One key observation is that the less charge you can arrive at a super charger with, the better. It charges much faster on the lower half than the top half, which saves you time on longer trips.

tesla000 - Supercharging - YouTube

 

[beeeerock]

I just finished a clean up of a supercharging visit at the Red Deer supercharger. Thought I'd share. One key observation is that the less charge you can arrive at a super harger the better. It charges mischief faster on the lower half than the top half, which saves you time on longer trips.

Absolutely. This is a function of the lithium ion battery chemistry and design. The battery charge rate tapers as the battery gets closer to 'full'. The last 10% to get to a full range charge is painfully slow!

 

[m1ker]

My brother-in-law went to Nitro circus in Saskatoon (this weekend) and we were going to join them but we had other plans come up. I had the trip all planned out to get there from Calgary, it's not a supercharger route, but I could get there, stay at a hotel, and get back to Calgary in our Model S.

Sun Country highway chargers make the trip possible today, it would just take a little longer due to L2 charging instead of supercharging. I'm Hopi g to see more supercharges deployed soon. I bought my Model S, with lots of Edmonton trips planned, and we ordered when the Red Deer supercharger was just in the plans.

The chargers will come. And each one that gets added, changes everything. Well maybe not everything, but the world gets smaller with each Tesla supercharger deployed....

- - - Updated - - -

I just finished a clean up of a supercharging visit at the Red Deer supercharger. Thought I'd share. One key observation is that the less charge you can arrive at a super charger with, the better. It charges much faster on the lower half than the top half, which saves you time on longer trips.

tesla000 - Supercharging - YouTube

Just received notification from YouTube that my second video is up there now. This one documents one of my trips to Edmonton. It covers the return trip from Edmonton to Calgary. Here it is: tesla001 - edm2calgary