Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Supercharger - Hickory, NC

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.

pgiralt

Active Member
Supporting Member
Jun 16, 2013
1,522
157
Cary, NC
I just submitted a proposal to Tesla for a much-needed supercharger location in Hickory, NC. There is a planned SC in Asheville according to the 2015 map, but without something between Burlington and Asheville, the trip might not be doable in really cold weather and probably not doable at all in a 60. Hickory would be the perfect spot.

I don't really know the Hickory area (only driven past it on the way to Asheville), but I suggested they look at the Valley Hills Mall off of I-40 exit 125. Anyone familiar with the mall? Anyone else think this would be a great addition?
 
I just submitted a proposal to Tesla for a much-needed supercharger location in Hickory, NC. There is a planned SC in Asheville according to the 2015 map, but without something between Burlington and Asheville, the trip might not be doable in really cold weather and probably not doable at all in a 60. Hickory would be the perfect spot.

I don't really know the Hickory area (only driven past it on the way to Asheville), but I suggested they look at the Valley Hills Mall off of I-40 exit 125. Anyone familiar with the mall? Anyone else think this would be a great addition?

It's doable at or slightly below the speed limit in an 85kWh. I've done it twice in 25F weather but there was little wind and no snow. But, I agree that an intermediate SC is definitely needed.
 
Permitting for a SuperCharger in Hickory, NC is now in progress.
Location: Sheetz #597, 2191 13th Ave. Drive SE
Map

9/25/17 Spoke with a lady in Catawba County Permitting Dept. who was aware of this project & they are waiting for plans from Tesla.

9/25/17 Spoke with the Assist. Mgr of this Sheetz and he confirmed that Tesla had been out taking measurements.

@BlueShift

According to my contact at Tesla, this SuperCharger location will replace the one permitted and planned for Statesville NC
Thread

1/1440
 
Last edited:
Hickory is a great location!

Statesville is good, but I-77 already has coverage from Wytheville and Charlotte. What is lacking is a supercharger that gets the large amount of ski/mountain home traffic coming from Charlotte going to Blowing Rock/Boone/Banner Elk. In all honesty, I would likely never use Statesville, but Hickory would likely be my new most visited, beating Greenville SC and Asheville NC.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mikes_fsd
The Sheetz in Hickory will actually be a perfect location for a supercharger. It's literally under a minute from I-40. It's a 24/7 convenience store with restrooms, prepped-to-order food, and an eat-in dining area.

The Statesville site would have been super inconvenient and out of the way for I-40 users, just like Wytheville is currently for drivers who don't need to go in that direction past I-77. Hitting Wytheville adds over 20 minutes of driving time to my trips in the area, so I prefer to skip it when possible. I likely never even would have bothered to go to Statesville, personally, for the same reason. I suspect most I-40 folks would skip it, too, and just continue doing Burlington to Asheville nonstop as we have been instead of going ~15-20 minutes out of the way to use a charger off I-77 south of Statesville. Only those who absolutely need to suffer that inconvenience would likely bother. So, I suspect it would be an underutilized site.

The Hickory location will cover the I-40 gap between Burlington and Asheville perfectly with a site quickly reached from I-40, making it viable to do quick stops in Burlington/Asheville vs extended charges.

I-77 doesn't *need* coverage in Statesville, since Charlotte to Wytheville is only 132 miles... doable in any Tesla vehicle easily.

Burlington to Asheville, on the other hand, is 192 miles and includes a steep mountain climb in the westbound direction... pretty much a range anxiety nightmare for the lower range Model S/X vehicles. Hickory would put a site only 110 miles from Burlington, and would be closer to the mountains so that more of a buffer is possible on that side of the trip. A round trip from Hickory to Asheville could be done using just the Hickory charger even in the Model X 60.

Overall, an excellent choice for a location, and not just because it's 5 miles from my house.
 
Permitting for a SuperCharger in Hickory, NC is now in progress.
Location: Sheetz #597, 2191 13th Ave. Drive SE
Map

9/25/17 Spoke with a lady in Catawba County Permitting Dept. who was aware of this project & they are waiting for plans from Tesla.

9/25/17 Spoke with the Assist. Mgr of this Sheetz and he confirmed that Tesla had been out taking measurements.

@BlueShift

According to my contact at Tesla, this SuperCharger location will replace the one permitted and planned for Statesville NC
Thread

1/1440

Still shown in Statesville on the Tesla Supercharger map and list with no mention of Hickory.

US Tesla Superchargers | Tesla

Location at a Sheetz would be consistent with Tesla's new approach in NC (although there is a very convenient Sheetz on I-40 near the intersection of I-77 in Statesville, which would make a much better and more accessible site than the one near the theaters off I-77 ).

I still don't understand why Hickory because Statesville would serve both I-40 and I-77. Hickory is almost exactly halfway (90 miles) between the proposed SC in Greensboro and the existing SC in Asheville.