Western Canada Superchargers

[Spurkey]

Well as I will finally get my car from the wrap shop (and the tire shop) on Friday - and as it's a long weekend, I definitely going to do a road trip. I was really hoping Canmore would be online but i could go to Golden and stay overnight at the travel lodge. I guess at least a trip to Red Deer might be in the cards. In 8 months of my previous Tesla driving I never saw a super charger so looking forward to it.

You can definitely make it from Calgary to Golden in one shot in the winter, I've done it before but you do have to be careful - the distance is about 260km so if you leave with a full rated range of 405km the rated:actual ratio is 1.5 which is just about the limit for safe winter driving. You'll need to keep your energy usage average below 270 Wh/km (the Tesla display shows the 'recommended' line at 180 Wh/km - 180 * 1.5 = 270).

You can also stop at the CS-90 in downtown Canmore for about 20 minutes to pad your safety margin even more. If you haven't done a lot of winter road tripping then I'd recommend doing that to get a feel for the trip especially to see the energy usage through the mountains in the cold.

 

[3s-a-charm]

Well as I will finally get my car from the wrap shop (and the tire shop) on Friday - and as it's a long weekend, I definitely going to do a road trip. I was really hoping Canmore would be online but i could go to Golden and stay overnight at the travel lodge. I guess at least a trip to Red Deer might be in the cards. In 8 months of my previous Tesla driving I never saw a super charger so looking forward to it.

Hmmm... I might drive to Canmore and try plugging in to the Superchargers. No signs saying they can't be used... maybe it's a soft opening?

I'll be driving to Golden next weekend - still unsure about taking the Tesla or just taking the SUV... four people plus a dog and luggage/gear might be too much for the T!

 

[Hugh Mannity]

i dropped by the canmore SC today 3s and it's all dark still - there is a concrete pad that is still missing something and plenty of wiring sticking out of conduit ready to be connected up ... she's still a no-go

 

[gpetti]

Hmmm... I might drive to Canmore and try plugging in to the Superchargers. No signs saying they can't be used... maybe it's a soft opening?

I'll be driving to Golden next weekend - still unsure about taking the Tesla or just taking the SUV... four people plus a dog and luggage/gear might be too much for the T!

That does sound borderline but the car does have great room. Do you have skis? Roof rack?

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Hmmm... I might drive to Canmore and try plugging in to the Superchargers. No signs saying they can't be used... maybe it's a soft opening?

I'll be driving to Golden next weekend - still unsure about taking the Tesla or just taking the SUV... four people plus a dog and luggage/gear might be too much for the T!

That does sound borderline but the car does have great room. Do you have skis? Roof rack?

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i dropped by the canmore SC today 3s and it's all dark still - there is a concrete pad that is still missing something and plenty of wiring sticking out of conduit ready to be connected up ... she's still a no-go

Thanks for checking. This one is really taking its time.

 

[PoweredByRain]

i dropped by the canmore SC today 3s and it's all dark still - there is a concrete pad that is still missing something and plenty of wiring sticking out of conduit ready to be connected up ... she's still a no-go

That sounds to me like the transformer is missing. This is a cause of delay at many (most?) installations. The Supercharger in Hope was finished except for the transformer for roughly 3 months. Canmore is in Alberta so we can't blame BC Hydro for this one!

 

[3s-a-charm]

That does sound borderline but the car does have great room. Do you have skis? Roof rack?

No skis or rack but suitcases and misc items... will probably try it if the family is feeling adventurous. Honestly the biggest "issue" is going to be the 12 week old puppy that early tests have hinted that he may bark the entire journey! Are you allowed to put a puppy in the frunk??

 

[gpetti]

No skis or rack but suitcases and misc items... will probably try it if the family is feeling adventurous. Honestly the biggest "issue" is going to be the 12 week old puppy that early tests have hinted that he may bark the entire journey! Are you allowed to put a puppy in the frunk??

That's perfect! He can surely breathe in there; however, there may not be enough front motor whine to drown out the barking.

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Alberta Net Zero was getting emails from them - he/she doesn't seem to be as active on the forum now - hope that means they got a car delivered. I miss the detailed updates they were providing. Guess maybe I will try to call the Canmore Rocky Mountain Inn today though I'm guessing they probably won't be in the loop if this is just waiting for the energy provider.

 

[Mayhemm]

Well as I will finally get my car from the wrap shop (and the tire shop) on Friday

That's my birthday! I know it's not yours, but a P85D would be a very nice present indeed.

That sounds to me like the transformer is missing. This is a cause of delay at many (most?) installations. The Supercharger in Hope was finished except for the transformer for roughly 3 months. Canmore is in Alberta so we can't blame BC Hydro for this one!

Red Deer, the only other Supercharger in Alberta, seemed to go in without any significant delays (one of the few Canadian SCs that did). Hopefully, Canmore makes out as well.

 

[gpetti]

That's my birthday! I know it's not yours, but a P85D would be a very nice present indeed.



Red Deer, the only other Supercharger in Alberta, seemed to go in without any significant delays (one of the few Canadian SCs that did). Hopefully, Canmore makes out as well.

Happy birthday! My birthday is also on the 13th so close enough.
Not sure why can,ore is so bogged down but I think there were a few reasons quoted earlier. I'll phone today.

 

[In2oil]

Happy birthday! My birthday is also on the 13th so close enough.
Not sure why can,ore is so bogged down but I think there were a few reasons quoted earlier. I'll phone today.

Happy b day! I sure hope you had a great day and drove around in your beautiful tesla model s P85D. Thank you once again for letting me see your car. I ! Tatslly impressed. The seats are awesome and they should have been the only seat ever offered.

happy birthday.

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That's my birthday! I know it's not yours, but a P85D would be a very nice present indeed.



Red Deer, the only other Supercharger in Alberta, seemed to go in without any significant delays (one of the few Canadian SCs that did). Hopefully, Canmore makes out as well.

happy birthday Mayhem , perhap you should treat yourself to a P85D.!

 

[Ken J]

This was my experience in Red Deer on February 12th. I was able to charge by double parking and blocking two vehicles.

I spoke with Roadside Assistance and sent him this picture.

He asked when this happens to be polite! Call Roadside Assistance, send pictures and let Tesla fight for us.

I would expect that Tesla has an agreement with the Sheraton. Our calls and pictures will help put policies in place to keep non-Tesla vehicles out of charging spots.

 

[Canuck]

They need to put us signs that say "You will be towed". And then start towing. Problem solved.

 

[Shawn Snider]

They need to put us signs that say "You will be towed". And then start towing. Problem solved.

^- This in it's entirety! I'd program Tow Companies near each SC into my phone for speed dialing!

 

[Zapped]

@KenJ, Thanks for contacting TESLA. You must have cleared the way. When I got there at 12:00pm Dec 12th, the parking lot was full (3 conferences at the hotel that day) and the TESLA spots were empty.
I also thanked the hotel check-in staff for having the TESLA SC on their lot.

 

[In2oil]

@KenJ, Thanks for contacting TESLA. You must have cleared the way. When I got there at 12:00pm Dec 12th, the parking lot was full (3 conferences at the hotel that day) and the TESLA spots were empty.
I also thanked the hotel check-in staff for having the TESLA SC on their lot.

View attachment 72292

that is quite king of you ! I try to do the same thing as well. Whenever I charge my car other than home I make a special effort to support financially the store or facility (buying breakfast) for their effort to encourage ev cars.

 

[gpetti]

@KenJ, Thanks for contacting TESLA. You must have cleared the way. When I got there at 12:00pm Dec 12th, the parking lot was full (3 conferences at the hotel that day) and the TESLA spots were empty.
I also thanked the hotel check-in staff for having the TESLA SC on their lot.

View attachment 72292

Wow, that's a dramatic change. Wonder how the hotel achieved that. Maybe they were previously allowing the drivers to park there (drivers might have asked if it was OK) and now they are taking it more seriously. Either way, I'll make a point of thanking them too when I next get out there.

 

[Ugliest1]

Well as I will finally get my car from the wrap shop (and the tire shop) on Friday - and as it's a long weekend, I definitely going to do a road trip. I was really hoping Canmore would be online but i could go to Golden and stay overnight at the travel lodge. I guess at least a trip to Red Deer might be in the cards. In 8 months of my previous Tesla driving I never saw a super charger so looking forward to it.

Just make sure you get a reservation in Golden first! On our 3-month trip throughout the U.S. and Western Canada, arriving in Golden at 10pm with 60km rated km left meant zero vacancies anywhere in town (admittedly, middle of summer) and the only night we slept in the car, at the hardware store's CS90. :-(. Not that this should give Golden a bad name - far from it, very popular place.

 

[green1]

Red Deer, the only other Supercharger in Alberta, seemed to go in without any significant delays (one of the few Canadian SCs that did). Hopefully, Canmore makes out as well.

Unlike BC, Alberta doesn't have a single province wide electrical wires provider, so what happened in Red Deer is not necessarily relevant to what will happen in Canmore...

 

[Shawn Snider]

Just make sure you get a reservation in Golden first! On our 3-month trip throughout the U.S. and Western Canada, arriving in Golden at 10pm with 60km rated km left meant zero vacancies anywhere in town (admittedly, middle of summer) and the only night we slept in the car, at the hardware store's CS90. :-(. Not that this should give Golden a bad name - far from it, very popular place.

The Golden SuperCharger opened recently at our Travelodge on HWY 1. They are very EV friendly and generous to boot! From what I understand, you get to use the pool free while you wait for your charge.

They are active on these forum's and if you plan to head through Golden send them a message. They are paving the SC pad in the Spring!

 

[Mayhemm]

From what I understand, you get to use the pool free while you wait for your charge.

A nice bonus for sure, but it could be tricky since most hotel pools do not have changing facilities.