Supercharger install teams

jaguar36 · Dec 15, 2015

Its been rumored that there are dedicated teams that go around and install the superchargers. Well, I've been looking at the data in the northeast and I think its pretty clear that there have been two teams working concurrently since at least June. The seem to be able to knock each site out in a little over a month. Most interesting part of this is how long they're on contract for, and how long this pattern will last.

Here's the evidence:

New England Team:
06-23-2015 Newburgh, NY
07-17-2015 West Lebanon, NH
08-08-2015 Dedham, MA
??? Summer Break
10-09-2015 Seabrook, NH
11-01-2015 South Burlington, VT
12-14-2015 Augusta, ME

So big question is where is this team now? Are they on a break for the holiday or is there some undiscovered site?

NJ/PA/NY Team:
06-19-2015 Joyce Kilmer NJTP, NJ
07-09-2015 Molly Pitcher NJTP, NJ
??? Summer Break
09-19-2015 Tinton Falls, NJ
11-01-2015 Binghamton, NY
12-14-2015 Tannersville, PA
01-??-2016 Allentown, PA Best guess would be that it opens in late Januray
Hopefully they go to Harrisburg next!

Be interesting to see if anyone else can find similar patterns in other parts of the country.

cpa · Dec 15, 2015

I cannot say whether there are "dedicated" teams here in the west, but based upon two conversations with two different crews they both told me that they do "a lot" of Supercharger installations. Each of the crews had done over 7 locations when I spoke with them, and generally have another SC assignment ready to go after they complete their current one.

Both teams work for companies that also install cell phone towers, so perhaps this too is a common thread.

It is quite possible that Tesla receives a bit of a pricing break if they can utilize the same crew for several installations over a period of months as the learning curve drops after the first couple of installs, not to mention a continuous amount of work streamlines the overhead.

green1 · Dec 15, 2015

If there's a dedicated team in western Canada they're either INCREDIBLY Slow working, or also covering some other country.... With some large amount of luck, the one additional supercharger they added in the past 4 months will be operational by year end.

EVFest · Dec 31, 2015

green1 said:
With some large amount of luck, the one additional supercharger they added in the past 4 months will be operational by year end.

Well - Kelowna is now open on Tesla's listings - Kelowna Supercharger | Tesla Motors and was used yesterday - Western Canada Superchargers - Page 117

On other topics - I have spent a few hours, a few separate times, and saved the google map routes I planned out for placing Superchargers along the TCH, etc., and sent the short URL's from Google Maps to the Supercharge team for various routes - Trans Canada Highway, Northern BC, etc. So - it's not like the don't have the tools to target the locations, but they might not have enough manpower / current Tesla Owners to support - since Canada population is so thin along the border, and even worse in Northern BC and the Prairies!

dasRad · Dec 31, 2015

green1 said:
If there's a dedicated team in western Canada they're either INCREDIBLY Slow working, or also covering some other country.... With some large amount of luck, the one additional supercharger they added in the past 4 months will be operational by year end.

If you are referring to the people that do the actual work, your comments are just wrong. Alta Electric, out of Squamish, has installed a number of superchargers in BC. It takes them 2 to 3 weeks from when they arrive on site until they have finished their work, and that includes everything from surveying, excavating, conduit installation, concrete work, asphalt, cable pulling, equipment installation and wiring, and site rehab. When they finish up, the two items left to do are: 1. The local electrical utility needs to place its transformer on a concrete vault and wire it up (1 or 2 days) and 2. Tesla needs to commission the supercharger (1 day).

To date, the long delays that you have seen are down to the electrical utilities delaying the installation of their transformer. Either someone at the utility doesn't like Tesla and is being deliberately obstreperous (e.g. Hope, BC), or the project manager is doing a piss poor job of planning.

paulkva · Jan 1, 2016

I sent the supercharger team a handful of suggestions within the past couple months, related to supercharger congestion in Newark DE, and after they thanked me I followed up by asking how helpful the suggestions were. Their response indicated that the most valuable thing we can offer is direct contact info for interested property owners / tenants -- which I unfortunately cannot provide.

One of the properties I had suggested is now in permitting, which I think clearly indicates it was already identified and likely already in negotiations before I suggested it. I'd be quite surprised if they haven't at least come up with a list of viable locations along the TCH; in hindsight I expect they've already looked into all the sites I suggested, before I suggested them.

So for anyone who drives the TCH (or any route that needs superchargers) regularly, probably the best thing you can do is try to find an owner/manager at the stops you frequent and see if you can get them interested in superchargers. Either that, or we need to work on converting more commercial real estate moguls into Tesla enthusiasts.

green1 · Jan 1, 2016

dasRad said:
If you are referring to the people that do the actual work, your comments are just wrong. Alta Electric, out of Squamish, has installed a number of superchargers in BC. It takes them 2 to 3 weeks from when they arrive on site until they have finished their work, and that includes everything from surveying, excavating, conduit installation, concrete work, asphalt, cable pulling, equipment installation and wiring, and site rehab. When they finish up, the two items left to do are: 1. The local electrical utility needs to place its transformer on a concrete vault and wire it up (1 or 2 days) and 2. Tesla needs to commission the supercharger (1 day).

To date, the long delays that you have seen are down to the electrical utilities delaying the installation of their transformer. Either someone at the utility doesn't like Tesla and is being deliberately obstreperous (e.g. Hope, BC), or the project manager is doing a piss poor job of planning.

I think you completely missed my point that tesla continues to drag their feet on Canadian superchargers, the company doing the work is certainly not working full time on tesla superchargers in Canada, not at the glacial pace they're being built.

jaguar36 · Jan 16, 2016

So it looks like the Allentown team is finishing up right on schedule. Doesn't look like Harrisburg is permitted yet (although there are claims of a lease). So I'm guessing the Green team goes to Laurel, MD next. Should mean that site is online end of February.

Sadly it looks like the purple team has left the area.

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Supercharger install teams

jaguar36

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cpa

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green1

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EVFest

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dasRad

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paulkva

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green1

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jaguar36

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