Western Canada Superchargers

[Jaff]

Are you a Canadian? If you are, your attitude surprises me and certainly would represent a minority opinion in Canada (perhaps not in France) ... I think you do not understand the value of corporate "goodwill" towards National pride in this matter (vis-à-vis "The last spike").

It would be a huge catalyst for Canadian sales for Tesla to be able to state that "Canadians can now traverse their own country from East to West."...no one is saying "please install an eight bay Supercharger in Dog River, Saskatchewan", when a simple two bay setup, properly placed, will do.

Also, please note my original post..."Tesla will eventually..."

Why? When I drive from Winnipeg to Toronto, I go through the US every time. A US company is not obliged to satisfy Canadian nationalist sentiments.

Anyone who has ever made an online purchase knows that things in Canada are frequently slower, more expensive and more limited than the US equivalent. I guess that includes building superchargers. I'll leave the question of why that is as an exercise for the student.

 

[PoweredByRain]

I'm just saying that Tesla is neither a public utility nor a charity. I don't expect them to install superchargers where it does not make economic sense to them. The value proposition of owning a Tesla in Saskatoon is different from that of LA and will be for a long time to come. I understand how much a supercharger can benefit those nearby, but intensity of desire is not a business case.

You completely sidestepped my point. I compared to travel north of the Arctic circle in Norway, and you're comparing to L.A.? Address the argument, or don't bother responding. Look up "straw man argument", if you're unclear on the concept.

 

[green1]

Our low population density and lack of incentives are against us.

There are superchargers in states with low population density, and outright bans on Tesla sales, so I have trouble believing that is the reason. I think it's that we're easily forgotten about by head office.

 

[Jaff]

...and we're too polite to continually point this out...:wink:

There are superchargers in states with low population density, and outright bans on Tesla sales, so I have trouble believing that is the reason. I think it's that we're easily forgotten about by head office.

 

[PoweredByRain]

...and we're too polite to continually point this out...:wink:

Sorry, I think you are wrong.

Just my $0.015 worth. Sorry.

 

[m1ker]

Is there a way to submit supercharger suggestions or requests to Tesla? I thought I read somewhere there was. Might be a way to get super badgers where we need them. I'd love to see a supercharger line across Canada, similar to what they have in the U.S.

 

[Morristhecat]

@M1ker
There is a suggested supercharging submission area on Tesla's supercharging page

 

[green1]

@M1ker
There is a suggested supercharging submission area on Tesla's supercharging page

They only want suggestions from people who already own the land or can make all the arrangements though. ..

 

[Canuck]

Why? ... A US company is not obliged to satisfy Canadian nationalist sentiments.

Agreed. I'm just pleased than an American company is building Superchargers in Canada. To complain that they are not building more doesn't seem right to me. That complaint should be directed at our governments and the billions in subsidies our governments give to big oil, part of which goes to building pipelines. We don't even a get an EV Rebate in BC. In fact, we get a surcharge in that the PST goes from 7% to 10% on even a base Tesla, plus 5% GST. Directing our anger at Tesla is misplaced, in my opinion.

You seem to be forgetting that there are people who live in Canada who don't live in B.C., Alberta, Ontario or Quebec.

So someone who owns a Tesla in Saskatchewan, or Nova Scotia, simply can't use it for (reasonable) long-distance travel? Whereas someone who lives north of the Arctic circle in Norway can?

Have you seen how the Norwegian government supports EV's with substantial rebates, free ferry tolls, free parking, and the list goes on and on. Moreover, Norway also extracts a substantial amount of oil, and has significant reserves, but its government has still taken to supporting EV's on a scale that makes Canada look like a mouse compared to an elephant.

It seems to me that Tesla does have its priorities straight when it comes to the amount of Superchargers in Norway vs. Canada.

 

[Jaff]

The fact that Tesla is an American company has nothing to do with it...they could be German or Cuban, the statement still stands...again, please note...I am not complaining, just stating that eventually, they will have to join the country within the country...

 

[Canuck]

The fact that Tesla is an American company has nothing to do with it...they could be Germany or Cuban, the statement still stands...again, please note...I am not complaining, just stating that eventually, they will have to join the country within the country...

Why? It would be nice but I don't see them as having any such obligation. Also, BC itself is three times the size of Norway, and Canada is 25 times the size of Norway. You can't compare connecting Canada to other countries except perhaps Australia or Russia.

 

[Doug_G]

Why? It would be nice but I don't see them as having any such obligation. Also, BC itself is three times the size of Norway, and Canada is 25 times the size of Norway. You can't compare connecting Canada to other countries except perhaps Australia or Russia.

Yes, except Canada is largely empty; most of the population is strung along relatively close to the Southern border. Effectively Supercharger-enabling most of the population means mostly stringing them along in a single row, i.e. the Trans-Canada.

 

[Ugliest1]

Well! On another topic entirely, it seems, I just got an email forwarded to me by the Victoria Leaf Club, originally from a director at Sun Country Highway, who heard from the Exec Dir of Advantage Hope that the superchargers in Hope "should be operational by NEXT WEDNESDAY" (caps mine). So I take that to be Dec 3rd. Let's hope!

 

[glenhurst]

Are you a Canadian? If you are, your attitude surprises me and certainly would represent a minority opinion in Canada (perhaps not in France) ... I think you do not understand the value of corporate "goodwill" towards National pride in this matter (vis-à-vis "The last spike").

It would be a huge catalyst for Canadian sales for Tesla to be able to state that "Canadians can now traverse their own country from East to West."...no one is saying "please install an eight bay Supercharger in Dog River, Saskatchewan", when a simple two bay setup, properly placed, will do.

Hey hey, now. What about us Americans who want to traverse Canada in our Teslas? We, too, feel we have a right to be indignant that Tesla hasn't even published a map showing that they intend to connect the two sides of your country together. ;-)

Joking aside, I'd love to see a SC network across Canada like mochouinard posted over on the Eastern Canada Superchargers forum. I *think* Tesla will eventually do something like that, but it may take some years. Yes, Canada is only, what, 10% of the population of the US? That doesn't sound like much, but it's still 30m people, and if you look at places like Montana where SCs already exist, Canada's population density is certainly no worse. And from Tesla's perspective, I think they have to look at Canada as an extension of the US since it's right next door and they are selling cars in Canada. Tesla's "obligation" to build SCs is really just a question of whether it makes sense for the health of the business, and since, as I mentioned, the population in Canada isn't any different than parts of the US, if it makes business sense in those places in the US, it would seem to make sense in Canada*.

*I mostly mean they should follow the TransCanadian highway for locating SCs. There are vast expanses in Canada where it doesn't make sense to build SCs because the population density is too low.

 

[Martini]

Have you seen how the Norwegian government supports EV's with substantial rebates, free ferry tolls, free parking, and the list goes on and on. Moreover, Norway also extracts a substantial amount of oil, and has significant reserves, but its government has still taken to supporting EV's on a scale that makes Canada look like a mouse compared to an elephant.

It seems to me that Tesla does have its priorities straight when it comes to the amount of Superchargers in Norway vs. Canada.

Exactly. Most of the arguments about SC coverage invoke provision of public goods. Should those be addressed by our domestic government or a foreign firm? Claiming that playing the role of public good provider has marketing or goodwill value for Tesla is true, but you are replacing their evaluation of the value of that with your own. If Canada backed EVs to the extent Norway does, I bet there would be more superchargers in Canada.

As an aside, I also think that the slow rollout of SCs in Canada has more to do with local issues and domestic partners than willingness or desire on Tesla's part.

 

[Jaff]

If Canada backed EVs to the extent Norway does, I bet there would be more superchargers in Canada.

...Eventually, Canada will have sufficient Tesla cars on the road to warrant cross Canada supercharging.

Again, please understand the word "Eventually" ...

 

[Doug_G]

As an aside, I also think that the slow rollout of SCs in Canada has more to do with local issues and domestic partners than willingness or desire on Tesla's part.

Yes and no. I'm pretty sure the early promised dates had passed long before they even started working on anything. Certainly once they started the process it took longer than they expected.

 

[PoweredByRain]

...Eventually, Canada will have sufficient Tesla cars on the road to warrant cross Canada supercharging.

Again, please understand the word "Eventually" ...

Right, but I would even dispute the notion that there aren't many cars, relatively speaking, in Canada. According to this article published in September, sales in Sweden are 17 per month. Sweden has 13 Superchargers open today. 34 cars per month are going to Denmark. Denmark has 6 Superchargers open today (and probably has no need for any more). Germany has 67 cars per month and 23 Superchargers open.

Tesla Motors Tesla Model S Is Outselling Nissan Leaf In Northern European Markets

Cumulative sales in Canada up to September 2014 are 1394, according to

Image: Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, October 2014, size: 1021 x 498, type: gif, posted on: November 7, 2014, 3:28 am - Green Car Reports

I stand by my original statement that Tesla's focus is elsewhere. They no doubt have decided that aggressively installing Superchargers in Europe is important to their business. That's fine, I can understand that. But there is good reason for Canadian owners of the Model S to be upset with Tesla for having made promises they did not keep, and probably had no possibility of keeping, and to this day not planning for long-term coverage that really should be there given the size of the market.

All kidding aside, I am not going to say "sorry" to Tesla for complaining about this. I know that the company can't keep everyone happy, but in my view they have dropped the ball in Canada. There should be Superchargers across the prairies, into Atlantic Canada, and on Vancouver Island. Period. I don't expect them next year, or the year after, but it needs to happen eventually.

 

[EV Dave]

Well! On another topic entirely, it seems, I just got an email forwarded to me by the Victoria Leaf Club, originally from a director at Sun Country Highway, who heard from the Exec Dir of Advantage Hope that the superchargers in Hope "should be operational by NEXT WEDNESDAY" (caps mine). So I take that to be Dec 3rd. Let's hope!

From a recent conversation with a BC Hydro rep. who is involved with the Hope Tesla Supercharger station project, I learned that the remaining hurdle is with a legal property registration that is in the hands of
the Land Titles office. BCH can't do their work until the legal work is complete. He confirmed that nothing is needed from the District of Hope or from Tesla corp. He said that their (BCH’s) property people are working with Land Titles and once completed, BC Hydro should be able to get the rest of the electrical work done fairly readily. He wasn’t able to commit to a charge station completion date but said it should be before Christmas. If it happens next week, that will certainly be something to celebrate.

 

[Jaff]

How and why do you equate my use of "eventually" with " Canadian owners of the Model S to be upset with Tesla for having made promises they did not keep, and probably had no possibility of keeping, and to this day not planning for long-term coverage that really should be there given the size of the market." ?

How does "eventually" = me being upset i.e. some sort of "broken promise"?

Tesla has made no promise about linking Canada up with supercharging to the best of my knowledge. To say that this "linking" will never happen in the long term is simply your opinion, just as my saying in the long term it will happen, is my opinion. Never is a very long time, and I have faith that enough Tesla's from Model S to Model X to Gen III to new Roadster will be sold in Canada to warrant "linking"...Eventually...