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Rockford, IL Supercharger

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CherryVale Mall

Wall Street Journal said:
CBL & Associates Properties Inc. (NYSE: CBL) today announced the launch of a partnership with Tesla Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) to install Tesla Supercharging stations at several CBL Malls across the country. Tesla is building a network of Supercharging stations that will eventually enable Tesla owners to drive coast to coast in their electric vehicles. The initial cooperation will place Tesla Superchargers at five CBL Malls to include Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers, FL; The Pavilion at Port Orange in Port Orange, FL; Alamance Crossing in Burlington, NC; CherryVale Mall in Rockford, IL and Imperial Valley in El Centro, CA.

Source: Tesla Supercharging Stations at CBL Malls
 
Saw that...had a hard time understanding the logic of that particular location...not really needed b/w Madison and Chicago, maybe Bloomington and Madison it makes some sense, not much traffic from the West.

I have a cousin in Appleton, WI (300mi from Normal) that I intend to use this Supercharger to visit. He actually is very interested in seeing the car. He owns his own solar panel installation business. :)
 
Rockford would be the first step to connecting Chicago (and points east) with Minneapolis (and points west). Kind of like Normal is the first step from Chicago to St. Louis (and points south and southwest). The gaps really need to fill in quickly for Superchargers to work as-designed between major cities in the Midwest and non-coastal West.

It's interesting how this works in 2013 if you're based in one city and don't have a Supercharger or high-speed power source close to your destination city. Today you can't do Chicago/St. Louis without a special arrangement. As of Wednesday, if you live in St. Louis and want to get to Chicago and back, you can just about make it with refills going and coming in Normal. But that won't work going from your home in Chicago to St. Louis and back -- the Normal>St. Louis>Normal leg is over 330 miles -- so you can't take your Tesla. We need that near-St. Louis Supercharger scheduled for 2014.

The people I feel sorry for are Michigan football fans. There will be a Supercharger in Toledo, and Columbus fans can get Supercharged there on their way to and from The Big House. But when the games are in the Horseshoe, Wolverine fans will need a sympathetic (and probably hidden) overnight outlet in Columbus to get there and back in their Teslas. Good luck with that. And currently there are no plans on the Tesla website for a near-Columbus Supercharger through all of 2015! Advantage Buckeyes.
 
It's interesting how this works in 2013 if you're based in one city and don't have a Supercharger or high-speed power source close to your destination city. Today you can't do Chicago/St. Louis without a special arrangement. As of Wednesday, if you live in St. Louis and want to get to Chicago and back, you can just about make it with refills going and coming in Normal. But that won't work going from your home in Chicago to St. Louis and back -- the Normal>St. Louis>Normal leg is over 330 miles -- so you can't take your Tesla.

I've been told there are now 80+ Model S owners in St Louis. I bet if you made a trip, more than one of them would be happy to host you for a bit of charging. In fact I've already seen a few offer exactly that to folks planning trips through the area. I would, but in Belleville I'm quite a bit out of the way.
 
To make Chicago - Minneapolis work, Rockford doesn't help much. Madison and Eau Claire are the best locations. Of course, you would need a full charge on both ends and in the middle.

You could do Rockford, Wisconsin Dells, Eau Claire. But that would force you into Rockford an hour out of Chicago.
 
I'm happy to see any superchargers in my area (I live outside Chicago). I have jealously read many postings from Californians about how great superchargers are for their road trips and am thrilled I will soon be able to use them too. Although not everyone will agree that the locations of superchargers is ideal, for now it seems like the superchargers will be installed where they can find agreeable owners/communities. It is great that CBL is willing to put them at their malls. This is just the beginning. As the supercharger/EV concept becomes more acceptable there should be more communities and businesses willing to have them installed.
 
But when the games are in the Horseshoe, Wolverine fans will need a sympathetic (and probably hidden) overnight outlet in Columbus to get there and back in their Teslas. Good luck with that.

The good news is that Columbus has a relatively robust public charging network (by midwest standards). It should be no problem to find a L2 charger to plug into in Columbus.
 
I was at the CherryVale mall last Thursday and saw no signs of construction yet. They added an outdoor shopping area attached to the existing mall a few years ago. I assume it will be somewhere around there. Drove around the whole mall and saw no signs yet.
 
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I heard from the Tesla service center that the one in Eau Claire, WI would be online by October. With the J1772 municipal charge station in Sparta, WI, it means Minneapolis to Chicago is possible when both of these stations are up. Exciting to see the map fill in.
 
Hmmm, wonder what they are building here? Just a bunch of empty parking spaces......:)

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Cherryvale Mall on Friday 8/23/2013