SunCountry Level 3 Chargers - Input please

I am certainly hopeful about this. Once I saw that SCH was showing the ABB unit on their web site and that Tesla was about to release the adapter, I got interested.

Personally, I would be willing to pay at least CAN$10-15 per hour for use. Sure that it a lot more than free, but potentially save many hours on an extended road trip into a secondary market that Tesla may not soon or even ever serve.

I would love to see them in areas like the Hwy 16 branch of the Trans-Canada, and Hwy 3 through southern BC and Alberta. If Tesla does not cover the mid-prairie Trans-Canada, SCH would be wise to cover it through SK and MB.

$10-15 and hour sounds fair. Maybe make it $10/hr that you are plugged in even if not charging. That way you encourage people to pay attention and unplug when done.

Something between Vancouver and Whistler maybe?

Agree. Time or kWh fee best. You probably also have to factor in enough profit for maintenance and the help fund future installations.

Great news on Squamish. Something on Vancouver Island might be useful as well but I don't know the area.

dsm363 said:

Something between Vancouver and Whistler maybe?

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IIRC, there is a SpC planned for Squamish. I think they should expend their resources elsewhere.

edit: oops, looks like someone beat me to it.

apacheguy said:

IIRC, there is a SpC planned for Squamish. I think they should expend their resources elsewhere.

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That makes sense. Their goal is also to extend options to non Teslas as well so might be a useful spot anyway in the future.

There are massive gaps in Tesla's long-term Supercharger coverage map for Canada, so simply pick a gap and fill it in. Hopefully this means eastern AB, SK, and MB since Tesla has no plans for them at all.

Assuming these would be 50kW stations, that would equal what? Between one and two hours to fully charge an 85kWh Model S? Probably closer to 2 hours when tapering is factored in. Honestly, I'd probably pay whatever they asked if it was along my route. Ideally not more than $5 or $10 per hour. I like the idea of being charged per kWh or to-the-minute instead of a flat hourly rate better though.

Billing for plugging in or other incentives to prevent "station-hogging" would be welcome also. Perhaps a "Your charge has completed" text notification sent to the mobile number associated with the account? Followed by a 15-20 minute grace period to return to your vehicle before billing resumes.

I do wish they'd announced this before I sunk 6 grand into sponsoring 100A "slow" chargers.

pairtrader said:

The first Tesla Supercharger will be in Squamish, just short of Whistler, hopefully in the next few months, so we would use that since it's free. Perhaps they can make some of these routes navigable for LEAF owners.

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There is a CHADemO charger in Sqamish already for leaf owners.

Mayhemm said:

There are massive gaps in Tesla's long-term Supercharger coverage map for Canada, so simply pick a gap and fill it in. Hopefully this means eastern AB, SK, and MB since Tesla has no plans for them at all.

Assuming these would be 50kW stations, that would equal what? .......

I do wish they'd announced this before I sunk 6 grand into sponsoring 100A "slow" chargers.

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IMHO these will be obsolete unless they are attached to a hotel where you charge overnight or are located a shopping centers for local charging for the short range EVs.

In September 2013 I stopped at 4 Roadster charger locations on my trip down the I5 to southern California. I bought the $650 Roaster to Model S cable for the trip.
Since the additional Superchargers were subsequently installed, I skipped every Roadster charger location on my return trip. My cable is for sale. I doubt I will every use it again.

Until TESLA provides the required Level 3 adapter(s), I would think it difficult for SCH to do much planning. It would be interesting to know how many Canadians make long trips with electric cars other than the Model S or Roadster. Without the potential to charge at 280+ miles / hour ( 450 km / hr ) I certainly wouldn't pick anything other than a TESLA for a longer trip.

Mayhemm said:

There are massive gaps in Tesla's long-term Supercharger coverage map for Canada, so simply pick a gap and fill it in. Hopefully this means eastern AB, SK, and MB since Tesla has no plans for them at all.

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They haven't said "never" just "not by the end of 2015".

I'm going to pull a number out of thin air and say I'd pay something like ~$0.20/kWh. (Although that likely wouldn't cover the cost of electricity if the host has to pay demand charges...)

SCH currently have level 2 locations across the Canadian prairies. I could, theoretically, drive from Southern Manitoba to Banff, Alberta in two days using the current infrastructure. It would take a bit of patience and planning, but it could be done. Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Northern Ontario are entirely absent from Tesla's super charger network plans (for the time being). While I understand that Tesla will introduce the stations strategically to best effect, the absence in the prairies effectively reduces the value of owning a Tesla in this area. I charge at home 99% of the time, like most owners likely do. I would like to be able to conveniently take the MS on trips across the prairies 5-6 super chargers would do nicely. SCH could fill this gap with level 3 stations along the Trans Canada and Highway 16 (Yellowhead).

There is an issue, in Manitoba, regarding charging for electricity. By law, only the provincially owned utility, Manitoba Hydro, may sell electricity. The growing number of level 2 stations are all free for use as PR or marketing for hotels, restaurants, businesses, etc.

$5.00 / hour max as I wouldn't use them much...however, for those EV with lesser range, I would guess that some of these folks would pay in the $10-$15.00 hour rate...it might be a good idea for SCH to check out the other EV forums, glean some data from them, and weigh it accordingly.

If they want much Tesla business, then they should buy and securely locate a Tesla adapter at each site. This is much more efficient than each Tesla owner buying an adapter and carrying it around.

Cottonwood said:

If they want much Tesla business, then they should buy and securely locate a Tesla adapter at each site. This is much more efficient than each Tesla owner buying an adapter and carrying it around.

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Better yet, they could get ABB to license the interface and plug from Tesla, and make a three-headed beast that can charge Teslas directly!

RKM said:

There is an issue, in Manitoba, regarding charging for electricity. By law, only the provincially owned utility, Manitoba Hydro, may sell electricity. The growing number of level 2 stations are all free for use as PR or marketing for hotels, restaurants, businesses, etc.

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Is MH unique in this regard? In SK, we have a public utility as well (SaskPower/Energy) but I'm not aware of any such rules here.

bsd said:

They haven't said "never" just "not by the end of 2015".

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Note that I never said "never" either. Just that they weren't on the long-term coverage map. I think MB/SK are the Supercharger equivalent of a compliance car.

Zapped said:

Until TESLA provides the required Level 3 adapter(s), I would think it difficult for SCH to do much planning.

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They could just look for areas with little to no access to charging at the moment. Either that or highly-traveled areas where they could supplement existing infrastructure. Not really that hard (at least until you get to the bureaucracy stage).

Cottonwood said:

If they want much Tesla business, then they should buy and securely locate a Tesla adapter at each site. This is much more efficient than each Tesla owner buying an adapter and carrying it around.

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Agree, but I don't see any way they could reliably secure these from theft. CHAdeMO adapters are too expensive to leave lying around.

I would love to see some level 3 chargers North of Toronto in the Muskoka region (for weekend trips to cottage country) as well as near Collingwood / Blue Mountains for ski trips. I would not mind paying $10-$15 per hour of charging. I would also support charging by time rather than kWh, so that people don't leave their car blocking the charger when filled up.

Mayhemm said:

Agree, but I don't see any way they could reliably secure these from theft. CHAdeMO adapters are too expensive to leave lying around.

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Except for vandalism concerns, it looks like the adapter would be pretty easy to secure with a cable through the big handle.

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