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

Supercharger - Milford, CT - Boston Post Road

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
We are leaving from Virginia tomorrow to head up to New England, and our overnight stop tomorrow will be in New Haven. Seeing that the Milford SC is just west of New Haven, my thought was to stay in the area of West Haven or Milford this evening, then on Friday morning before shipping out heading over to the SC to do a range charge while I go out for a 6-8 mile run. Since it is right along the interstate at what appears to be one of those service areas, I wonder if there is even a way to leave that station and get to the minor roads (non-interstate) in the vicinity, or if it is all fenced in.

Ideas?

Thanks
-Matt
P07694
 
It is not a good plan / would be dangerous to attempt to get to the surface roads. However, I used to take a run at Darien a few times a week. I'd circle the rest stop on the fringes. Milford is smaller and closer to the highway.

Good luck!
 
Google Maps shows pretty clearly a fence around the service area. That said, the next exit is RIGHT up the road, and in fact mid-way between the service area and the interchange appears to be an open area that isn't fenced and goes to a parking area. Might be just a matter of a 100 yard walk all the way on the edge of the interstate along the trees to get to that area. An adventure! :)
 
We are leaving from Virginia tomorrow to head up to New England, and our overnight stop tomorrow will be in New Haven. Seeing that the Milford SC is just west of New Haven, my thought was to stay in the area of West Haven or Milford this evening, then on Friday morning before shipping out heading over to the SC to do a range charge while I go out for a 6-8 mile run. Since it is right along the interstate at what appears to be one of those service areas, I wonder if there is even a way to leave that station and get to the minor roads (non-interstate) in the vicinity, or if it is all fenced in.

Matt,

If the battery is cold in the morning you won't charge at supercharging rates. Granted it is supposed to get into the 60's on Friday, if it is the 40's overnight
the car may need to heat the battery. On a recent trip from NE to VA in February I stayed about 40 miles away from a supercharger so the battery would
be heated by the time I got to the charger. On the same trip the year before I tried to supercharge when the battery was cold (below freezing that night).

One other caution about Milford, there are only two chargers on each side of the highway, if another car is there you won't get supercharging rates. If two
cars are there you should peek across the highway at the other charger and see if it is empty...

/Ed
 
One other caution about Milford, there are only two chargers on each side of the highway, if another car is there you won't get supercharging rates. If two
cars are there you should peek across the highway at the other charger and see if it is empty...

The good news is that a few months ago they updated the chargers to the current model, from the original Dec. 2012 installation (135kW vs. 90?). But they didn't put in any more stations. I've never had to wait but have frequently had another car charging next to me, especially northbound.
 
I don't know what your final destination is, but maybe drive 50 more miles up I91N to the West hartford SC and charge there. I think it's more accessible than Rt 95.. it's in a shopping center. Then continue on up to 84 or the Mass Pike, depending on your final destination.
 
If you are careful, you can jog along the grassy interstate side heading west and then run up the Old Gate Lane exit. At the top of the exit you can take a right onto Old Gate Lane.

Most of the snow has now melted in the last three days except for the large plowed piles.

Also, an option for you is that in Milford just off of the I95 on route 1 is the Milford SC which has a few HPWC's.

I live about 5 miles from the Super Chargers and 4 from the Service Center. You just need to be very careful running on the grassy edge of I95. Any other questions, just shout out. Have a good trip.
Art
 
Short answer: the Superchargers are only accessible from I-95. Here's the satellite imagery from Google Earth:
Milford Satellite.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: PStewart
I'm so impressed with the supercharger build out, just back from a 600+ mile road trip which included 3 Superchargers
(Darien SB, East Brunswick, and Milford NB). The Milford stop was on the way back (~180 miles into the trip) and it was a risky proposition knowing there are only two stalls.

When I was a few miles away I noticed a while MS two cars behind me...supercharger anxiety, worse
than range anxiety! When I got to the service plaza both stalls were empty but the white car kept going.
Before we could even plug in another MS showed up. Looking across the highway there were two cars
charging and one car waiting, then another...

How can we get Tesla to increase the number of chargers at this rest stop????
 
I recently had to pull into Milford SB to charge enough to get home. I looped around the parking lot looking for them where they used to be over on the right side, but they weren't there... and just as I turned the corner near the gas pumps, a blue MS went right past me in front of me... damn!! He's going to get there first and get the full charge current!

So I pulled in right after he did, but he was already out of his car going for the stall cable just as I pulled in. I jumped out and plugged in... but this older man apparently didn't pull up far enough for the cable to reach his car, so he had to pull up just a little bit... ahhhh, I did get the full current. But don't worry about him -- I was only there for a few minutes to charge enough to get home (about 30 miles, my battery was at about 4%), so I didn't slow him down or hold him back all that much. But with only two stalls, it sure can get competitive!
 
@EdA, with so many other nearby SCs, and the relative unattractiveness of Milford as a stop in and of itself, I haven't made use of that SC since the fall of '13.

Perhaps Tesla is deliberately avoiding significant further investment in Milford, and we should take a hint from the lack of signal. :)

Alan

The Darien area is usually very congested on 95. Greenwich is also busy because the parking lot is so small.
You can "zip" (zig?) up the Merritt and get to MIlford with only a tiny ride on 95. Also the food choices at Greenwich
pale compared to the plethora of options at Milford :)
 
  • Funny
Reactions: Pollux
I live only about 6 miles from the Milford I-95 SuperChargers... They are somewhat of a puzzlement as far as usage is concerned.
First off, only two stalls per side. So if you pull in and one is in use, you get a slower charge.
The good news is that most of the time when I am passing the rest stops, there are zero cars in the stalls.
If you are northbound or southbound, and you ever find the stalls full (rare), it is VERY EASY to go further north or south on I-95, get off the very next exit and come around to the other side of the freeway and go to the stalls on the other side. Each rest stop has two stalls.
I have NEVER EVER seen both sides full, and as I said before, more often than not, both sides are empty.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: SureValla
I live only about 6 miles from the Milford I-95 SuperChargers... They are somewhat of a puzzlement as far as usage is concerned.
First off, only two stalls per side. So if you pull in and one is in use, you get a slower charge.
The good news is that most of the time when I am passing the rest stops, there are zero cars in the stalls.
If you are northbound or southbound, and you ever find the stalls full (rare), it is VERY EASY to go further north or south on I-95, get off the very next exit and come around to the other side of the freeway and go to the stalls on the other side. Each rest stop has two stalls.
I have NEVER EVER seen both sides full, and as I said before, more often than not, both sides are empty.

I've done the U-turn before.
As I said yesterday (pseudo-holiday?) there was a wait SB and all full up SB.
This was at lunchtime.
 
Suddenly, I'm thinking about creating a thread -- "Superchargers That Suck, Trust Me" -- and then enlisting you guys to all post a bunch of derogatory entries. We'll start with Darien.

Amenities suck! Sometimes runs out of electricity! Always full with a line of people waiting who all live within a 2 mile radius but are so cheap... and they are unpleasant... and bring lawn chairs... and fight over their place in line... and heckle travelers who are just passing through ("Milford's just up the road! Why are you making me wait? You don't seriously think that I should charge at Milford instead of here at Darien, near my home, do you?")

Then, when we are passing through Darien ourselves, there will be nothing but peace and quiet, available charging stalls, and those awesome chocolate soufflés that you have to order at the beginning of the meal. The rubes need never know....
 
  • Informative
Reactions: cvrcv
The Darien area is usually very congested on 95. Greenwich is also busy because the parking lot is so small.
You can "zip" (zig?) up the Merritt and get to MIlford with only a tiny ride on 95. Also the food choices at Greenwich
pale compared to the plethora of options at Milford :)

I tend to use Milford more than the others for these reasons. I like the route via West Hartford, but unfortunately most of my return trips are fairly late in the evening after a full day's meeting in NYC so when I get there the food places are closing or closed.

Tesla did upgrade the charger equipment a couple years ago because Milford was one of the oldest installations, but I was surprised they didn't add more stalls at the same time. But I've never had to wait at Milford, and as often as not have been the only one charging.

On the other hand, Hooksett NB's six stalls were full in the early afternoon Saturday...
 
IMG_9765.JPG
Stopped here with the wife coming home from our South Jersey to Boston trip. We managed to explore five different supercharges on this trip. Great to know what amenities are where for those last-minute trips!

Milford was a bit lacking, but we did end up enjoying a slice of pizza from Sbarros and writing a positive comment card to the rest stop management. Like many other CT stops, this one was small and clean, and had a candy shop. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: PStewart