Supercharger - Lake Charles, LA

[snellenr]

If you do manage to talk her into more pictures, make sure that she knows the difference between a transformer and a distribution center, and get pictures of both if possible.

transformer:

distribution center:

 

[SW2Fiddler]

transformer:
distribution center:

Too funny! You could have gone for the Trifecta and illustrated a "Supercharger" you know.

HOUTX_Rick

 

[NOLA_Mike]

Too funny! You could have gone for the Trifecta and illustrated a "Supercharger" you know.

HOUTX_Rick

Shouldn't you be on the road by now?

 

[SW2Fiddler]

Teaser Post

No Transformer
3rd SC cabinet still on its way

 

[NOLA_Mike]

Teaser Post
View attachment 64225
No Transformer
3rd SC cabinet still on its way

It looks like progress kind of stalled this week. That's disappointing...

 

[snellenr]

Teaser Post
No Transformer
3rd SC cabinet still on its way

Thanks for checking it out!

 

[SW2Fiddler]

It looks like progress kind of stalled this week. That's disappointing...

Actually the sod was laid and they have made all the connections. They were cutting planks and assembling the enclosure while I chatted with the contractor. He bids on sites all over, will be doing a couple of SCs in more westerly states but is himself based in NOLA.
Completion - but not Commissioning and Energizing - is expected next week. Mike, it is still right on 50/50 for being ready for your trip: he said Tesla's visit to test and turn on wasn't nailed down to a date yet. Wish I could give good news but it'll be close!

Rick

 

[emupilot]

He bids on sites all over, will be doing a couple of SCs in more westerly states but is himself based in NOLA.

Did he say specifically where? Often our first knowledge of upcoming superchargers comes from contractors talking about projects for which they submitted bids.

 

[SW2Fiddler]

Elko Nevada, another one in "Wendover" (thinking back, he did not say whether NV or UT), he did NOT bid on Springfield MA as it would be too cold. Which means before spring, eh?
A couple of already-known ones and some more fleshing out of California.
Arkansas will get some love but the (TWO) towns were not named.

 

[NOLA_Mike]

Actually the sod was laid and they have made all the connections. They were cutting planks and assembling the enclosure while I chatted with the contractor. He bids on sites all over, will be doing a couple of SCs in more westerly states but is himself based in NOLA.
Completion - but not Commissioning and Energizing - is expected next week. Mike, it is still right on 50/50 for being ready for your trip: he said Tesla's visit to test and turn on wasn't nailed down to a date yet. Wish I could give good news but it'll be close!

Rick

Thanks for the info Rick.

How was your trip? Did you try out L'Auberge for a charge this time?

Mike

 

[SW2Fiddler]

It was interesting in that Nav routed me differently each time; I-10 to Lakeshore vs 182, Beaumont vs Port Arthur/Bridge City.
I was more repetitious than Navi and charged at McDonalds again.
Rainy trip but pleasant driving. I should have given the foreman a test drive. He's kind of getting interested in the cars.
Another Model S owner stopped by earlier in the day, he said.

 

[NOLA_Mike]

It was interesting in that Nav routed me differently each time; I-10 to Lakeshore vs 182, Beaumont vs Port Arthur/Bridge City.
I was more repetitious than Navi and charged at McDonalds again.
Rainy trip but pleasant driving. I should have given the foreman a test drive. He's kind of getting interested in the cars.
Another Model S owner stopped by earlier in the day, he said.

Thanks again Rick for making the trip.

Are we gonna get anything other than the "teaser pic"?

Mike

 

[SW2Fiddler]

Are we gonna get anything other than the "teaser pic"?

I asked about the feed from main to the utility xformer. Not very far compared to some other HV cable runs I could point at... The secondary tap comes from this transformer behind a Sonic stall, tunneled under the driveway:

And the other feed is from across the street from the most distant SC stall.
He was not happy with how little grass sod you get for the money. There is a bare patch on the end by the xformer pad where they will lay more sod.
What else? These are the new frame covers with LED-backlit letters, way cool (the diodes are efficiently laid out in the T•E•S letter shapes):

I love this location.
"Welcome to Tesla, I've taken your car's order and it'll be on the house!"

 

[NOLA_Mike]

Nice write up. With a little luck this could come together quickly. Did he say why the delay on the third SC cabinet? I would've thought those all would've shipped together so I'd guess it got damaged in shipping?

I may be in the neighborhood later this week and if so I will update as to any progress.

Mike

 

[SW2Fiddler]

... Did he say why the delay on the third SC cabinet? I would've thought those all would've shipped together so I'd guess it got damaged in shipping?

No story, just that it hadn't arrived yet.

I had a lesson on what happens in the trio of distribution cabinets - one has switch gear, middle one is where the connections are made, and one is a big breaker box.

The utility transformer coming is "the smallest one" used by Tesla... so would that be a 500KVA? Cottonwood?

 

[Cottonwood]

The utility transformer coming is "the smallest one" used by Tesla... so would that be a 500KVA? Cottonwood?

The new Supercharger Cabinets are 135 kW DC out, 150 kW AC in. 3 Supercharger Cabinets max out at 450 kW AC in. Because the power factor of a Supercharger is very close to 1.0, that needs 450 kVA. A 500 kVA transformer would be very reasonable for this site. I believe the standard sizes are 300, 500, 750, 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 kVA for these transformers.

Distribution transformer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[NOLA_Mike]

Lake Charles Update

Stopped by the Lake Charles site this morning. The site was mostly cleaned and "buttoned up" except for the transformer and third SC cabinet which are not yet on site. Here are the shots:

 

[Cottonwood]

Stopped by the Lake Charles site this morning. The site was mostly cleaned and "buttoned up" except for the transformer and third SC cabinet which are not yet on site. Here are the shots:

View attachment 64671

Thanks for the great pictures. I hope that you can use this site after getting your new P85D soon!


Who's going to write the ballad of "Waiting for the Transformer" or That Lonely, Empty Transformer Pad?"

 

[NOLA_Mike]

Thanks for the great pictures. I hope that you can use this site after getting your new P85D soon!
Who's going to write the ballad of "Waiting for the Transformer" or That Lonely, Empty Transformer Pad?"

I just hope no one saw me fondling the shiny new supercharger stands.

Mike

Also stopped by the Baton Rouge site - nothing started there yet.

 

[jrreno]

I just hope no one saw me fondling the shiny new supercharger stands.

Mike

Also stopped by the Baton Rouge site - nothing started there yet.

Thanks for the reconnaissance report. Pretty weird they're still missing a supercharger cabinet. I wonder if we'll see any action on Baton Rouge or DeFuniak before the end of the year.