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Supercharger - Amarillo, Texas

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reddy

Active Member
Jan 26, 2013
1,127
1,939
Amarillo, TX
Just heard a rumor that the Holiday Inn Express & Suites at 8330 W Amarillo Blvd would be the site.

This section of Amarillo Blvd is the former Route 66, and would be accessed from the Soncy Drive exit from I-40 or, if coming from the west, exiting on Business I-40.

I called the Holiday Inn Express, and they said it was already under construction, and would have 4 chargers, with expected finish in 2 weeks.

I am heading out for photos....
 
I stopped by the Holiday Inn Express & Suites.

There is no visible construction happening here. There is a trailer that presumably could have equipment inside, but that is all. No utility markers, no flags from DigTess or Texas811, nada.

I went in to inquire at the front desk. They told me that yes, the Tesla supercharger would be there, there would be 4 chargers, and they expected to see construction in 2 weeks.

Since I have had a connection to the City of Amarillo scanning for permits, and none have popped up so far, I suspect they could be waiting on a permit. Permits here often take longer than most places, sometimes up to 2 months.

As far as the suitability of the location, the hotel desk told me they were using a far corner of their parking lot on the west side. It wasn't clear if it was the northwest corner or southwest corner. Southwest would be better, as it would be closer to restaurants.

The actual location is not ideal, IMO. It would get 5 stars for not having to compete with shopping or restaurant patrons and getting ICE'd. However the closest other facilities are the US Post Office and a Regal UA Star 14 screen movie theater. If you want food, it will involve crossing a fairly busy 60mph divided section of Rt 66, then walking the equivalent of 5 - 6 blocks to "The Plaza" for Mexican food (which I can highly recommend) or Furrs Buffet Restaurant.

One other note, this location is actually ON MY WAY TO WORK. I pass it going to, and coming from, work every day. Thus I can submit photos of construction progress as it comes along.
Holiday Inn 2.jpg
Ama Holiday Inn1.jpg
 
Good Hunting! It seems Holiday Inn Express & Suites gets it. When I traveled last year it just works to have a supercharger at a Holiday Inn Express & Suites. ........ You've been driving for hours on end, you pull in, have a great room for the night, your car gets supercharged charged at the same time. PERFECT! I remember that when I checked in, the car was almost fully charged by the time I got settled in my room. I went out an moved it to a non charging parking spot for the night and then topped it off while I ate breakfast in the morning. Again, PERFECT! Well rested and ready to go. I hope your information proves to be accurate and that you come back with many pictures!

**Another good thing to remember if you have a supercharger at your hotel is that is then very easy to drive anywhere in the local area to eat, shop etc. It's just NOT a worry that amenities are not within immediate walking distance.
 
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Four sounds a bit low. The other Holiday Inn I've been to has eight. Hopefully they have it wrong.

I thought the same thing. Obviously we are getting this third or fourth hand. The people at the hotel haven't seen a supercharger before, and thus could have gotten it wrong. I made myself clear that we weren't talking about Holiday Inn simply purchasing a few HPWC units, they were certain it was a supercharger and it involved construction at the edge of their parking low. As soon as ground breaks we will know for sure.
 
I thought the same thing. Obviously we are getting this third or fourth hand. The people at the hotel haven't seen a supercharger before, and thus could have gotten it wrong. I made myself clear that we weren't talking about Holiday Inn simply purchasing a few HPWC units, they were certain it was a supercharger and it involved construction at the edge of their parking low. As soon as ground breaks we will know for sure.

It could be someone at the hotel heard "4 superchargers" when that may mean 8 charging stalls (2 pedestals on each charger).
 
Chris, is a 231 mile leg between Amarillo and Trinidad doable in that part of the country?

It is 2200ft higher than Amarillo. That might burn more than the 33 or so buffer miles of rated range. I bet some careful use of the right foot would get you there, but I would take it easy all the way to Dalhart and top it off at the free RV park there. That turns it into a 151 mile trip to Trinidad. We might be able to get from Trinidad to Amarillo straight through coming back, though. We'd have a better idea about the time we got to Dalhart ;)

EV Trip Planner is telling me 74kWh is needed, which considers altitude change. I'd stop in Dalhart on the way up, just in case.
 
It is 2200ft higher than Amarillo. That might burn more than the 33 or so buffer miles of rated range. I bet some careful use of the right foot would get you there, but I would take it easy all the way to Dalhart and top it off at the free RV park there. That turns it into a 151 mile trip to Trinidad. We might be able to get from Trinidad to Amarillo straight through coming back, though. We'd have a better idea about the time we got to Dalhart ;)

EV Trip Planner is telling me 74kWh is needed, which considers altitude change. I'd stop in Dalhart on the way up, just in case.

A couple positives: This SC is on the WEST edge of town, and the cross street about 1/8 mile west is Texas Hwy 335 / Soncy Rd which provides a shortcut to Dalhart / Clayton / Raton / Trinidad.

Additionally, the Trinidad SC is SOUTH of Trinidad, so the actual road miles are only 225.4. Add in the elevation increase of 2624 feet.

To be honest, what you really need to get to is the TOP OF RATON PASS on I-25. From that point on you will be coasting downhill into Trinidad. But EV trip planner is SUBTRACTING energy from the total once you hit the peak, so the energy needed is misleading. Raton Pass is 214 miles from the Amarillo SC, and 4120 feet higher. Are we saying 8 rated miles per 1000 ? That would be about 33 miles + 214 miles = 247 miles rated range. Seriously, it is straight down hill into Trinidad from that point, even with full regen on I expect to be using brakes.

I'll bet it can be done. Even so, I think I will be eating snacks and checking my email in Dalhart at their City RV park for an extra 20 - 25 miles range just to be sure. There are also RV Parks in Clayton, Capulin, and Raton if you see the range dropping as you get farther along.

I'm planning this trip for May (possibly Mother's Day since my Mom is in Colorado Springs ). I'm sure that by then both chargers will be alive and we will get some reports of how it worked out, and how fast we can drive it. There are some pretty long stretches where 75 is the prevailing speed, and having to cut back to 62 can get painful.
 
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A couple positives: This SC is on the WEST edge of town, and the cross street about 1/8 mile west is Texas Hwy 335 / Soncy Rd which provides a shortcut to Dalhart / Clayton / Raton / Trinidad.

Additionally, the Trinidad SC is SOUTH of Trinidad, so the actual road miles are only 225.4. Add in the elevation increase of 2624 feet.

To be honest, what you really need to get to is the TOP OF RATON PASS on I-25. From that point on you will be coasting downhill into Trinidad. But EV trip planner is SUBTRACTING energy from the total once you hit the peak, so the energy needed is misleading. Raton Pass is 214 miles from the Amarillo SC, and 4120 feet higher. Are we saying 8 rated miles per 1000 ? That would be about 33 miles + 214 miles = 247 miles rated range. Seriously, it is straight down hill into Trinidad from that point, even with full regen on I expect to be using brakes.

That's great to know. I think the first person that does it (in an 85) should note the remaining range.
 
I'll bet it can be done. Even so, I think I will be eating snacks and checking my email in Dalhart at their City RV park for an extra 20 - 25 miles range just to be sure. There are also RV Parks in Clayton, Capulin, and Raton if you see the range dropping as you get farther along.

I'm planning this trip for May (possibly Mother's Day since my Mom is in Colorado Springs ). I'm sure that by then both chargers will be alive and we will get some reports of how it worked out, and how fast we can drive it. There are some pretty long stretches where 75 is the prevailing speed, and having to cut back to 62 can get painful.

It looks, if a Supercharger could be placed in the best place to support the Amarillo to Trinidad route, it would be in Clayton, NM. Clayton is about the size of Blanding, UT, and on a similar kind of highway, so this could happen some day.

Amarillo to Clayton — 124 miles
Clayton to Trinidad — 101 miles
 
Just a quick update for I-40 travelers. I drive by this site on my way to/from work, and it's easy to see what's happening. Or in this case, not happening.

So far, there does not appear to be a permit issued by the City of Amarillo. There has not been any construction activity going on, and no utility markings are visible.

I'll update this page if anything starts up.
 
Still no progress? In about a month I am headed to California and finally doing a factory tour. If Amarillo and Albuquerque came on line it would be easy. I was going to stop for the night in Santa Rosa, but it now looks like I need to go to Albuquerque and stay at the Sheraton to charge. Any recommendations on where to charge in Amarillo? I am guessing Shamrock to Santa Rosa might be a stretch for my P85 (I want to at least be doing the speed limit) and I will just need to grab a few miles of charge to be safe.
 
You might consider spending the night in Amarillo at the Casa del Sol, a B&B which has a Nema 14-50 installed just for Tesla owners. We stayed there on the way home from Fremont. It was very nice!!

This is a nice, 4 bedroom B&B in a historic older section of town. I've checked their circuit and it delivers 40 amps easily. They charge extra for plugging in.

I've driven through the Holiday Inn parking lot looking for preliminary activity like markings and a new transformer. Nada. Also, no building permit as of yesterday. So we are at least 1 -2 months out, maybe longer.