Supercharger - Gila Bend, AZ

[Tyl]

Photos Gila Bend AZ supercharger construction.

 

[Sgt Barone]

Great pics, Tyl!

 

[saprolf]

I did a tour through 4 of the AZ supercharger locations. Here are the pictures of Gila Bend.
The folks did the Quartzsite Supercharger and think they are 4-6 weeks away from completion.

 

[liuping]

I did a tour through 4 of the AZ supercharger locations. Here are the pictures of Gila Bend.
The folks did the Quartzsite Supercharger and think they are 4-6 weeks away from completion.

Great pics. Thanks for the update.

 

[MarkR]

Rolf: Really like the pix of the gas station with gas prices in the background. Who cares about gas prices anymore? Not most of the people reading these posts!

 

[Tyl]

Somewhere I missed how many incredibly fast/always free supercharger stalls would be in Gila Bend AZ. Eight! Wowza! I'm trying to get more photos!!

 

[CantaMia Ron]

We'll have to have a trip to Gila Bend when it open's.

 

[Monsoon]

Rolf: Really like the pix of the gas station with gas prices in the background. Who cares about gas prices anymore? Not most of the people reading these posts!

Nope. But since we just celebrated out 1st year anniversary with our Model S, we did the math. We saved approximately $4,187 in gasoline not purchased in the last 12 months!

 

[Tyl]

Some new photos. This is one day from finished. So.. up to the power company now. These pedestals have the new large cabels inside so they may be 135kWh/150kWh capable whenever 135/150 is pushed out. This crew will move to Roseville CA next.

 

[liuping]

Some new photos. This is one day from finished. So.. up to the power company now. These pedestals have the new large cabels inside so they may be 135kWh/150kWh capable whenever 135/150 is pushed out. This crew will move to Roseville CA next.

Nice!

How long does the power company typically take?

Just wondering if there is still a chance it will be ready for my trip to Tucson on the 22nd.

I'm sure I can make it without it, but if it is online, I can skip leaving my car overnight at Kohl's (as well as generally being able to drive faster, not stressing the wife out, etc).

 

[Tyl]

I have no idea how long the local power company will take to turn on power, inspect and certify that it is ready for use. Gila Bend AZ is very energy wise. They have a huge solar farm and much more solar on the way. My 'guess' is that they {the city and the power company} will be prompt and diligent at getting this site online. This small Arizona town is active and growing with projects improving the city. It was very nice out there today and the installation crew had nothing but good things to day about working there. The stall posts you see in these photos were being finalized with the white covers, then wrapped with shrink wrap for protection as I was leaving. Sign cement was to be poured, signage attached, and site cleanup was already underway.

 

[airj1012]

Well it looks like they're finally using the new covers on new construction.

 

[Tyl]

No these are the old stall covers. These stalls DO have the larger wires [for greater {135kWh} charging is my guess] ... but the covers are still the first generation ones!

Here are a few more photos.

 

[miimura]

I was initially confused by the pictures, but now see what's going on. There are two sets of 4 stalls forming an L with the charger cabinets in the corner. 4 stalls are head-in and 4 stalls are back-in. The fire hydrant near the head-in stalls may be an indicator for why those are not back-in.

 

[Tyl]

I need a quad copter!!! It's the only good way to get a look at these sites and show great perspective!!!

 

[napabill]

Anybody have an update on the status of this SC? I'm desperate for either Buckeye or Gila Bend to get from Tucson to California. Seems like the small towns allow for quick approval for construction then forever for final inspections. Grumble, grumble.

 

[liuping]

Anybody have an update on the status of this SC? I'm desperate for either Buckeye or Gila Bend to get from Tucson to California. Seems like the small towns allow for quick approval for construction then forever for final inspections. Grumble, grumble.

I drove from Tucson to San Diego yesterday. The key was to stop at the Bowlin Travel center at Picacho Peak, they have a 70 Amp J1772 there so you can get 44MPH charging if you have dual chargers (It was free, though I'm not sure why). Making it from there to Yuma was pretty easy if you stay at or a little above the speed limit.

 

[napabill]

Think we need a little friendly competition between the towns of Buckeye and Gila Bend. Both sites appear ready to go but neither is "good to go." I've got a hankering for a Carl's Jr burger so let's get moving!:smile:

 

[Tyl]

I went to Gila Bend this morning. Here are some pictures. Note that the transformer is not in yet. This certainly means we are a ways away from this site going live. Once the transformer IS installed, tested, inspected; we will have another red dot on the Tesla supercharger map! We are probably a few weeks away at best!!

- - - Updated - - -

 

[Cottonwood]

I went to Gila Bend this morning. Here are some pictures. Note that the transformer is not in yet. This certainly means we are a ways away from this site going live. Once the transformer IS installed, tested, inspected; we will have another red dot on the Tesla supercharger map! We are probably a few weeks away at best!!

Thanks for the update!

Looks to me like it is completely determined by the utility and contractor schedules. From what I saw in Cheyenne and Farmington, setting the transformer and connecting the HV and 480V lines is only a day or so of work. After that, it's just another day or so of testing and the site will be live. I have confidence it will be working when I get there in a few weeks.