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Supercharger - Columbia, MO

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Got a reply email today from the Supercharger team saying that they "are hoping to open this station sometime in July". I'm driving back to Ottawa from Nevada City, CA in July and was hoping for the gap on I-70 to be filled between ST Louis and Kansas City by then. I should point out that they did not specifically say it would be in Columbia, so it might be elsewhere along the route. Anyway, great to be able to complete the I-70 run rather than going up and around! And fun to be posting my first forum post.
 
Got a reply email today from the Supercharger team saying that they "are hoping to open this station sometime in July". I'm driving back to Ottawa from Nevada City, CA in July and was hoping for the gap on I-70 to be filled between ST Louis and Kansas City by then. I should point out that they did not specifically say it would be in Columbia, so it might be elsewhere along the route. Anyway, great to be able to complete the I-70 run rather than going up and around! And fun to be posting my first forum post.

Well I was hoping a little sooner...We got to make 3 trips to Jefferson City, MO this month from Omaha, NE. Oh well at least it's coming I suppose.
 
Sure hope the Supercharger team is successful locating a Supercharger in Columbia- it would make the trip between St Charles and Independence a breeze- Lots of good spots for one in this town- Hotels, restaurants etc. However, I noticed a lot of AutoDealerships- all owned by the same Joe Manchens. I wonder if that is why no site has been set up yet-. Maybe the supercharger team should give the owner a test drive? Could that be enough to shake the permit loose.
 
I have to drive KC->Columbia->KC a lot, and need to drive up to about 40 miles just around Columbia before heading back to KC, with no reasonable destination charging in Columbia. So that 114x2 + 40 = 268 miles. This makes the Columbia location for a Supercharger absolutely critical before I can even consider getting a Tesla. It's literally the only place on Earth where I absolutely need a Supercharger (that one location means more to me than the entire rest of the Supercharger network combined; other trips could be made with the family SUV). As you can guess, I'm very antsy about getting the Supercharger location there.

I might add that if they chose to put the Supercharger in Kingdom City, which is quite possible as it works for cross state travel and also intersects 54, it will be too far out of the way from Columbia to be reasonable for my regular trips. This would kill my interest in Tesla until they come out with a much larger battery option (or Columbia puts in some useful public chargers, but I figure the chance of that is about nil). In fact, I would probably give up and go back to a gas powered muscle car. So I am *really* hoping they don't put it in Kingdom City. Boonville would be fine with me, but it would potentially leave out to dry folks from St. Louis or who travel up 63 from other places like Jefferson City. I personally know quite a few people who make periodic St. Louis->Columbia->St. Louis trip. How interested do you think those folks would be in a Tesla if the supercharger is placed in Boonville?
 
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Skotty, there was talk in the past about tesla locating superchargers in BOTH Kingdom City and Boonville. I personally find this more ideal since something is awry in Columbia.

And though I am excited about this thread being started, I am definitely taking it with a grain of salt since so many of us have been told that a supercharger in Columbia is imminent for months now. I'm not believing it till there is a permit issued and ground had broken. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer.
 
I travel from the "Lake of the Ozarks" to St Louis. The Columbia Supercharger will be useless for me. A Kingdom City Supercharger will make the STL to the Lake a much nicer trip. Could make it from the St Charles Supercharger but would have no range left when arriving at the Lake.

Maybe we'll all get lucky and have a Supercharger in Columbia and Kingdom City.
 
One in both Boonville and Kingdom City would be awesome, and I think it would cover just about everyone, save for maybe a few highway 63 travelers. But I seriously doubt they would do that.

If they put it in a location that doesn't work for me, I also will consider going with a 2nd generation Volt. I drive a Volt now, and I like supporting the cause, but it doesn't excite me much. However, the 2nd gen Volt has been improved in every way imaginable just about, so it has peaked my interest. Need to see and test drive it first though. If all else fails, I'll go back to a V8 Ford Mustang. I've long been a Mustang fan and, as far as ICE's go, the Ford TiVCT DOHC V8 in the Mustang GT is pretty awesome. Not as awesome as a Tesla, but at least I would be able to fill it up in Columbia.

I generally don't consider hotel chargers as real solutions, as they are intended to encourage staying at the hotel, which I have no intention of doing. I have similar issue with using other locations where I feel the charger is meant for customers of the business. You can't rely on plug share regularly. I would consider an RV park only if the RV park had an explicit policy that EV charging is allowed and welcomed. The only thing else I really would rely on would be open public chargers (fee for charge is fine), and there would have to be more than one. Remember, I'm not just a traveler passing through. I would be using it almost every single week, indefinitely, possibly for the next 30 years.
 
Skotty, there was talk in the past about tesla locating superchargers in BOTH Kingdom City and Boonville. I personally find this more ideal since something is awry in Columbia.

And though I am excited about this thread being started, I am definitely taking it with a grain of salt since so many of us have been told that a supercharger in Columbia is imminent for months now. I'm not believing it till there is a permit issued and ground had broken. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer.

When I first heard about the plan to switch from Columbia to Kingdom City and Boonville instead of Columbia, I stopped checking permits, but today I looked at permits for April and found two with some potential.
Code:
[FONT=courier new]
Application  Application Type                     Date       Type              Permit Description  Address                 Name                       Valuation
1500001470   COMMERCIAL ALTERATION NONRESIDENTIAL 04/13/2015 BLD3 BLDG PERMIT, ALT/REP             1729 W BROADWAY STE 9   R.J. KENDALL ELECTRIC      $9,000
1500001218   COMMERCIAL ALTERATION NONRESIDENTIAL 04/01/2015 BLD5 BLDG PERMIT, COMMERCIAL/INFILL   2900 TRIMBLE RD STE 101 KNOEBEL CONSTRUCTION, INC. $0[/FONT]

They're both easy to find and only add 2-2.5mi to a trip through Columbia on I-70. The first one is at a small strip mall anchored by a grocery store. The second one is the address for a Mattress Firm, but it's also within walking distance of several shops and restaurants. Also, it happens to be adjacent to an address we heard rumored once before, on Broadway Bluffs Dr.

If anybody's in the area or planning on passing through soon, maybe they can swing by and see if there's anything that suggests a Supercharger.
 
When I first heard about the plan to switch from Columbia to Kingdom City and Boonville instead of Columbia, I stopped checking permits, but today I looked at permits for April and found two with some potential.
Code:
[FONT=courier new]
Application  Application Type                     Date       Type              Permit Description  Address                 Name                       Valuation
1500001470   COMMERCIAL ALTERATION NONRESIDENTIAL 04/13/2015 BLD3 BLDG PERMIT, ALT/REP             1729 W BROADWAY STE 9   R.J. KENDALL ELECTRIC      $9,000
1500001218   COMMERCIAL ALTERATION NONRESIDENTIAL 04/01/2015 BLD5 BLDG PERMIT, COMMERCIAL/INFILL   2900 TRIMBLE RD STE 101 KNOEBEL CONSTRUCTION, INC. $0[/FONT]

They're both easy to find and only add 2-2.5mi to a trip through Columbia on I-70. The first one is at a small strip mall anchored by a grocery store. The second one is the address for a Mattress Firm, but it's also within walking distance of several shops and restaurants. Also, it happens to be adjacent to an address we heard rumored once before, on Broadway Bluffs Dr.

If anybody's in the area or planning on passing through soon, maybe they can swing by and see if there's anything that suggests a Supercharger.


We will be driving through Columbia Memorial Weekend and the last weekend of the month. If addresses are posted we can drive by the locations and take pictures to show progress (or there lack of).
 
I can check both of those locations next Tuesday (5/19/2015). I'd say the Gerbes (1729 W Broadway) lot is less likely, but you never know. While I'm checking the 2nd location, I might as well look around a bit in that area, as it is a strong contender with lots of businesses and parking lots. I already checked the nearby Culvers lot awhile back and will look there again too.
 
When I first heard about the plan to switch from Columbia to Kingdom City and Boonville instead of Columbia, I stopped checking permits, but today I looked at permits for April and found two with some potential.

Is it normal for Supercharger permits to have a suite number listed? Or is that just the applicant's address?
 
I'm not an expert, but I don't think there's anything "normal" for permits in general. Every local permitting office seems to handle them differently, most notably in how they report them online. :)

No worries, was just thinking if suite numbers are involved that might be electrical work inside vs. out in the parking lot.
 
I just talked to the district manager for Mattress Firm on Trimble Road (where the electrical permit is for) and he says, unfortunately, that it's not them. He's says the permit is for a medical supply house (or something) 2 doors down, and that it's not for a SuperCharger. Maybe the one on West Broadway?