Supercharger - Tsawwassen BC

[f-stop]

I visited this Supercharger for the first time today. The issue I had was that I followed the Tesla nav directions which took me to a location on the street that leads into the mall. But that location was not in the parking area, and from that location I could not see where the Supercharger was.

So I went into the parking lot and started to drive clockwise around the mall (the parking areas ring the mall buildings). After going almost a kilometer from the entrance to the parking area (that is not an exaggeration) I found the Superchargers around the corner from the huge Bass Pro. If I had started driving counterclockwise around the mall it would have been about 2 kilometers.

So I’m very happy this Supercharger is open, but the navigation needs to get better at directing people to the site. [...]

it's not unusual for the Tesla nav to offer strange directions...

FYI for future reference the Plugshare directions for this Supercharger might be helpful -- if approaching from the east it's quicker to enter the mall parking lot directly off Hwy 17, i.e. go past 52nd St. then turn at the next right. That gets you to the south side of the mall very close to the Superchargers, instead of having to drive all around the huge mall parking lot. Mall traffic tips here

 

[beeeerock]

I visited this Supercharger for the first time today. The issue I had was that I followed the Tesla nav directions which took me to a location on the street that leads into the mall. But that location was not in the parking area, and from that location I could not see where the Supercharger was.

So I went into the parking lot and started to drive clockwise around the mall (the parking areas ring the mall buildings). After going almost a kilometer from the entrance to the parking area (that is not an exaggeration) I found the Superchargers around the corner from the huge Bass Pro. If I had started driving counterclockwise around the mall it would have been about 2 kilometers.

So I’m very happy this Supercharger is open, but the navigation needs to get better at directing people to the site.

This is exactly why I'd really like to see What3Words become integrated into the navigation system (www.what3words.com and map.what3words.com)

 

[bpjod]

Planning on going to Port Renfrew in a couple weeks. Haven’t taken the ferry since 2005. What’s the procedure if I have a reservation on the ferry and want to charge up the battery while waiting to embark? Any tips?

 

[PLUS EV]

Planning on going to Port Renfrew in a couple weeks. Haven’t taken the ferry since 2005. What’s the procedure if I have a reservation on the ferry and want to charge up the battery while waiting to embark? Any tips?

Can't remember specific details for this ferry, but usually if you have a reservation, you get on the ferry as long as you aren't super late. Arriving 15-30 minutes before it's scheduled to leave should be good enough.

The real reason I responded though is to let you know about a "new" road that enables you to make a loop of the Port Renfrew drive. I first drove to Port Renfrew in 2000 as an out and back which was the only option at the time. I was surprised when I did the drive in December 2018 and discovered a road that connects Port Renfrew to Lake Cowichan (and thus offers an alternate route back to the Victoria area). It was a little dicey in winter as there are no guardrails and it's definitely the type of road you could slide right off of if the weather isn't right. But in summer it should be a fun drive if you try it. IIRC the road was paved all the way and I believe it was built around 2010 or so.

 

[LaTez]

Their web site has all the pertinent information. Reservations probably best Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday's

Connecting the Coast | BC Ferries

Safely connecting people and places important in their lives.

www.bcferries.com

 

[bpjod]

Thanks all. Really getting concerned about the trip. Very much want to take the trip in the Model 3 but with the wildfires in the interior, that may be a bit of an issue. Driving around them may be a problem with the lack of Superchargers elsewhere. I'm starting to contemplate either flying (higher carbon emissions, expensive and need a rental car on the island which is also expensive) or driving the Highlander (much, much less enjoyable to drive plus need gas). Hmm, have until Friday to decide, but would like to decide sooner for the purpose of making necessary overnight and ferry reservations (or to book flights).

 

[PLUS EV]

Thanks all. Really getting concerned about the trip. Very much want to take the trip in the Model 3 but with the wildfires in the interior, that may be a bit of an issue. Driving around them may be a problem with the lack of Superchargers elsewhere. I'm starting to contemplate either flying (higher carbon emissions, expensive and need a rental car on the island which is also expensive) or driving the Highlander (much, much less enjoyable to drive plus need gas). Hmm, have until Friday to decide, but would like to decide sooner for the purpose of making necessary overnight and ferry reservations (or to book flights).

I can tell you first hand that that drive really sucked! If you do go, be sure to mask up the whole time and try not to spend the night in a smoky area. I'm in Ontario now but still dealing with sinusitis from all the BC smoke.

 

[bpjod]

I can tell you first hand that that drive really sucked! If you do go, be sure to mask up the whole time and try not to spend the night in a smoky area. I'm in Ontario now but still dealing with sinusitis from all the BC smoke.

Good to know. Makes flying that much more attractive although I'd really rather avoid it.

Did you take Hwy 5 & 1 (with Superchargers) or Hwy 3 (with chademo)?

 

[bolero]

Thanks all. Really getting concerned about the trip. Very much want to take the trip in the Model 3 but with the wildfires in the interior, that may be a bit of an issue. Driving around them may be a problem with the lack of Superchargers elsewhere. I'm starting to contemplate either flying (higher carbon emissions, expensive and need a rental car on the island which is also expensive) or driving the Highlander (much, much less enjoyable to drive plus need gas). Hmm, have until Friday to decide, but would like to decide sooner for the purpose of making necessary overnight and ferry reservations (or to book flights).

You can check bcwildfires app for iphone and android. They have the updates for the wildfires status and road closures. as far as I know hwy5 between Hope and Merritt are still close. Flying might be the only option. But renting car at the island might be impossible since in the news they said it's all rented out.

 

[PLUS EV]

You can check bcwildfires app for iphone and android. They have the updates for the wildfires status and road closures. as far as I know hwy5 between Hope and Merritt are still close. Flying might be the only option. But renting car at the island might be impossible since in the news they said it's all rented out.

Not sure if this hack works in Canada, but people have been renting U-Hauls in the states. As far as I know, they haven't budged from their $19.95/day + mileage rate (not sure about standard rate in Canada). If you're desperate and not planning to drive many miles, it could be attractive to get one of their trucks or vans.

 

[EnterpriseT]

Planning on going to Port Renfrew in a couple weeks. Haven’t taken the ferry since 2005. What’s the procedure if I have a reservation on the ferry and want to charge up the battery while waiting to embark? Any tips?

For those that might read this later, note that you must get to the ticket booth to check in 30 minutes before your sailing or your reservation is voided and you get put in the regular wait (even if it is multiple sailings). Note that this means you should get there even earlier than that because there is generally some sort of wait before the toll booths. Once you check in, you are stuck in the corral and directed to a specific lane. You wont have any chance to charge.

 

[angus[Y]oung]

Old discussion but thought I'd add that I used this SC yesterday for the first time without issue.

Our Vehicle was cold (didn't use nav to pre-heat, parked car and had some lunch before moving it to the charger) and relatively high SoC but we went from 55 to 95 in 38 mins. Had plenty of time while my partner was checking out the shops so there was no rush; I ended up bumping up from 90 to 95 mostly to buy a little extra time and avoid idle fees. Made it to the car about 60 seconds before it completed

This is only our second SC and 4th SC session (the other 3 were in Squamish), but so far the process has been very straightforward. Used pre-conditioning the first two times in Squamish and noticed it really does cut down charging time noticeably compared to arriving cold.

 

[PLUS EV]

Old discussion but thought I'd add that I used this SC yesterday for the first time without issue.

Our Vehicle was cold (didn't use nav to pre-heat, parked car and had some lunch before moving it to the charger) and relatively high SoC but we went from 55 to 95 in 38 mins. Had plenty of time while my partner was checking out the shops so there was no rush; I ended up bumping up from 90 to 95 mostly to buy a little extra time and avoid idle fees. Made it to the car about 60 seconds before it completed

This is only our second SC and 4th SC session (the other 3 were in Squamish), but so far the process has been very straightforward. Used pre-conditioning the first two times in Squamish and noticed it really does cut down charging time noticeably compared to arriving cold.

I'm not sure it was the pre-conditioning. I know it's cooled down up there, but it still isn't that cold. Arriving with a 55% SOC will always get you a slow charge rate.

 

[angus[Y]oung]

I'm not sure it was the pre-conditioning. I know it's cooled down up there, but it still isn't that cold. Arriving with a 55% SOC will always get you a slow charge rate.

@PLUS EV no fair enough. But when we did Squamish on the way to and from Whistler, we started at a higher SoC still (60-65 if I remember correctly) and it was noticeably quicker at least at the start of the charge. Also, while preconditioning you could hear extra whine from the motor(s) (mostly the front, I'm assuming?) doing their thing to generate heat.

 

[PLUS EV]

@PLUS EV no fair enough. But when we did Squamish on the way to and from Whistler, we started at a higher SoC still (60-65 if I remember correctly) and it was noticeably quicker at least at the start of the charge. Also, while preconditioning you could hear extra whine from the motor(s) (mostly the front, I'm assuming?) doing their thing to generate heat.

Sure but it was probably colder when you went to Squamish. It doesn’t pre-condition when the battery is warm, because it doesn’t need to. I’ve been in warmer climates but I’ve probably done hundreds of supercharges since the last time my battery was heated via pre-conditioning.