Quick answer
Is it open? Yes. PJ charged here on Oct. 1, 2026. It has 12 new V4 stalls, up to 325 kW, at 815 Birmingham Dr, Cardiff 92007. In the car, it's listed as "Encinitas, CA - Birmingham Drive".
What it cost: $0.43 per kWh on the car screen at about 10:30am. Charge to 80%, then move the car. When the site is full or close to full, a $0.50-a-minute congestion fee can start at 80%.
While you wait: El Pueblo Mexican Food and the Cardiff Valero car wash share 820 Birmingham Dr, across the street. The building next to the stalls is fenced for construction.
Need something else done? Text PJ for a quick errand pickup or tech help (details).
Know someone who needs this?
Something changed here? Text PJ and we'll update this page.
More free local tools: the North County toolkit.
Latest · auto-checked Oct 6
- New fast charger: Jimmy John's - Tesla Supercharger (Cardiff, 2.4 mi), opened 2026-09-18, 12 DC fast ports · federal NREL station data
Pulled automatically from public feeds (news, NWS, SDG&E, NREL, Google Trends). Something we missed? Text PJ.
Checked in person
Is the Cardiff Supercharger open? Yes. PJ charged here Oct. 1
PJ plugged in around 10:30am on Oct. 1, 2026. The site is open and working. The posts are the new, tall V4 kind, with "Do Not Charge From This Side" stickers on one face.
The building next to the stalls is the former Mexico Viejo. The signage is gone and it's fenced off with green construction screening. The federal NREL station database names a Jimmy John's as the site's host business, and supercharge.info does too. As of Oct. 1, no Jimmy John's is open here. It's listed as coming, and we don't have an opening date.
- Where
- 815 Birmingham Dr, Cardiff, CA 92007. Cardiff is part of the city of Encinitas, which is why Tesla names the site after Encinitas. El Pueblo, across the street, describes its spot as "just off the 5."
- Name on the car screen
- "Encinitas, CA - Birmingham Drive" (PJ's car, Oct. 1, 2026). Search Encinitas in the navigation, not Cardiff.
- Stalls and power
- 12 V4 stalls, 2 of them accessible, up to 325 kW, per community tracker supercharge.info.
- Opened
- Sept. 16-18, 2026. supercharge.info's status history shows it moving from construction to open on Sept. 16. The federal NREL station database lists Sept. 18.
- Non-Tesla EVs
- supercharge.info marks it open to other EVs. All 12 plugs are NACS, with no CCS plugs listed, so a car with a CCS port needs a NACS adapter. Check your car maker's app.
- Price
- $0.43 per kWh on PJ's car screen at about 10:30am Oct. 1. Tesla's prices change by time of day, so check the app before you plug in.
As of Oct. 1, 2026, per PJ's visit and car-screen photo (about 10:30-10:35am), the supercharge.info status history for this site (planned May 2025, construction June 2026, open Sept. 16, 2026) and its site record (12 V4 stalls, 2 accessible, 325 kW, NACS plugs, facility listed as Jimmy John's), the federal NREL / AFDC station locator (opened Sept. 18, host listed as Jimmy John's), and El Pueblo's Cardiff page.
When to unplug
Charge to 80%, then move: the congestion fee rule
- The car says 80%
- PJ's screen showed "80% recommended for daily driving."
- The top end is slow
- PJ plugged in with the battery near 78-80%, and the car pulled about 32 kW. That's normal taper near a high charge limit, not what the post can do (up to 325 kW). The fast part of a session is when the battery is low.
- The fee
- The screen listed a congestion fee of $0.50 per minute once you reach 80% or finish charging. It only applies when the Supercharger is full or close to full. If the lot is packed and you get back 10 minutes after hitting 80%, that's $5.
- What to do
- Set your charge limit to 80% in the car or the Tesla app before you walk away, and be back at the car when it gets there.
As of Oct. 1, 2026, per PJ's car-screen photo at this site (about 10:35am). Tesla can change its fee rules. The car shows the current ones when you plug in.
By the clock
What to do while you charge, by how long you have
The stalls are on the south side of Birmingham Dr. El Pueblo and the Cardiff Valero share 820 Birmingham Dr, across the street. Check your map for the crossing. We don't list hours we couldn't confirm, so tap through before you walk over.
What PJ would do here
"Car wash and El Pueblo."
- Set the limit to 80% and plug in.
- Walk across Birmingham Dr to El Pueblo.
- Be back at the car by 80% and unplug.
- Drive across to the Cardiff Valero car wash on the way out.
The car's plugged in while it charges, so the wash comes after you unplug. You free the stall before any congestion fee and leave with a clean car.
If you have 15 minutes
- Food to go: El Pueblo Mexican Food, 820 Birmingham Dr. Its own site lists the Cardiff shop as open 24 hours, 7 days a week, and talks up breakfast burritos at dawn and late-night tacos. Order, walk back, eat in the car.
- A quick Valero stop: Valero's page for the Cardiff Valero lists an ATM, an air tower, a public restroom and a quick-service restaurant. OpenStreetMap also maps a convenience store there, the Cardiff Valero Market.
If you have 30 minutes
- A real meal: order at El Pueblo and take your time while the car finishes. Keep an eye on the app so you're back by 80%.
- Car wash on the way out: the Cardiff Valero lists a car wash. Unplug at 80%, then drive across. We didn't confirm the wash type, price or hours, so check before you pull in.
Anything else nearby?
No grocery store or pharmacy within a short, sourced walk that we could confirm, so we don't name one. If you need that run done while the car charges, that's an errand PJ can grab.
As of Oct. 1, 2026, per El Pueblo Mexican Food, Cardiff-by-the-Sea page (820 Birmingham Drive, open 24 hours, "Shared address with Cardiff Valero"), Valero station page, Cardiff Valero, 820 Birmingham Dr (car wash, ATM, air tower, public restroom, quick-service restaurant), and OpenStreetMap (El Pueblo, Cardiff Valero Car Wash), which puts both on the other side of Birmingham Dr from the stalls, roughly 120-140 meters away in a straight line. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Need something done while you charge?
Text PJ: errands and tech help while you charge
SideGuy is based in Solana Beach, one town south. If you're stuck at the stall and something needs doing (picking up an order, grabbing groceries or a pharmacy pickup, dropping off a package, or sorting out a phone, laptop or app problem), text PJ what you need. He'll tell you whether he can do it.
Errands and carrying things only. SideGuy carries things, not passengers.
Text PJ Your local part-time SideGuy
More: Solana Beach errand help · Your 2027 EV life build · Golf cart vs LSV: what's street legal locally
Cost angle
What it costs: this Supercharger vs charging at home on SDG&E
PJ's car screen showed $0.43 per kWh here at about 10:30am on Oct. 1. Here's how that compares with SDG&E's EV-TOU-5 plan at home:
| Where and when | Price per kWh | vs this Supercharger |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff Supercharger, about 10:30am Oct. 1 (PJ's screen) | $0.43 | Baseline |
| Home, EV-TOU-5 super off-peak (weekdays midnight-6am and 10am-2pm; weekends and holidays midnight-2pm) | 13.1¢ | About a third of the price |
| Home, EV-TOU-5 off-peak (weekdays 6-10am, 2-4pm and 9pm-midnight) | 49.6¢ | A bit more |
| Home, EV-TOU-5 on-peak (4-9pm, every day) | 80.2¢ | Almost twice as much |
Cardiff Supercharger at $0.43: 40 × $0.43 ≈ $17.20
Home, super off-peak at 13.1¢: 40 × $0.131 ≈ $5.24
Home, 4-9pm at 80.2¢: 40 × $0.802 ≈ $32.08
So: charging at home overnight beats both. A Supercharger at 43¢ beats charging at home 4-9pm. One twist: PJ's 10:30am stop fell inside SDG&E's weekday super off-peak window, so that same hour at home would have been 13.1¢. SDG&E's winter rates start Nov. 1 (12.3¢ super off-peak, 52.4¢ on-peak), and the order stays the same.
The Supercharger price changes by time of day, so check the app before you compare. The full plan breakdown, including when EV-TOU-5 does not win, is in EV-TOU-5 vs TOU-DR1: the best SDG&E plan for an EV. For the bigger picture of home charging, plan, solar and battery, see your 2027 EV life build.
As of Oct. 1, 2026, per PJ's car screen at this site and SDG&E Schedule EV-TOU-5 total rates table, effective Aug. 1, 2026 (summer rates June 1-Oct. 31, non-CCA, rounded to 0.1¢). Rates change. If you're with San Diego Community Power or Clean Energy Alliance, your numbers differ.
Which one?
Cardiff vs Beachwalk in Solana Beach
The closest other Supercharger is at Beachwalk on Highway 101 in Solana Beach. Here's how the two compare.
| Cardiff (Birmingham Dr) | Solana Beach (Beachwalk) | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 815 Birmingham Dr, Cardiff 92007 | Beachwalk, 437 S Hwy 101, Solana Beach 92075, Level B of the garage |
| Stalls | 12, V4 (2 accessible) | 8, V3 |
| Max power | Up to 325 kW | Up to 250 kW |
| Opened | Sept. 2026 | Dec. 7, 2023 |
| Setting | Open lot next to a building fenced for construction. Food and a car wash across Birmingham Dr. | Garage under the Beachwalk center. Coffee, juice, restaurants, a dry cleaner and fitness studios in the same center. |
| Price we've seen | $0.43/kWh, about 10:30am Oct. 1 (PJ's screen) | Not confirmed. Check the app. |
| Straight-line from Cedros Ave, Solana Beach | 2.39 mi | 0.37 mi |
Pick Cardiff for the faster posts and more stalls, and a quick stop with a burrito and a car wash. Your car still sets the real speed. Pick Beachwalk when you want coffee and a whole center to wander. PJ's own go-to is still Beachwalk: "it's closest." Full guide: what to do while your Tesla charges in Solana Beach.
As of Oct. 1, 2026, per supercharge.info site records, Tesla Find Us, Solana Beach, CA (Level B) (seen through its search listing), Beachwalk's directory, and PJ's visit. Distances are straight-line from 143 S Cedros Ave, not driving distance.
Other Superchargers nearby
If Cardiff is full, these are the other open Superchargers in Solana Beach and Encinitas:
- Solana Beach: Beachwalk, 437 S Hwy 101, 8 stalls, up to 250 kW (guide).
- Encinitas: 1302 Encinitas Blvd at the Tesla Service Center, 8 stalls, up to 250 kW.
- Encinitas: 1046 N El Camino Real, 20 stalls, up to 325 kW.
As of Oct. 1, 2026, per supercharge.info. Check the Tesla app for live availability.
Questions
Is the Tesla Supercharger on Birmingham Dr in Cardiff open?
Yes. PJ charged there on Oct. 1, 2026, and it was open and working. It's at 815 Birmingham Dr, Cardiff, CA 92007. On the car screen, Tesla lists it as "Encinitas, CA - Birmingham Drive", so search Encinitas, not Cardiff.
How many stalls does the Cardiff Supercharger have, and how fast is it?
12 V4 stalls, 2 of them accessible, up to 325 kW, per supercharge.info. Your car and battery level set the real speed. Plugged in at about 78-80%, PJ's car pulled about 32 kW, which is normal taper near a high charge limit, not the post's max.
How much does it cost to charge at the Cardiff Supercharger?
The car screen showed $0.43 per kWh at about 10:30am on Oct. 1, 2026. Prices vary by time of day, so check the Tesla app. A congestion fee of $0.50 a minute can start once you reach 80% or finish charging, but only when the site is full or close to full.
What can I do while my Tesla charges in Cardiff?
PJ's answer: car wash and El Pueblo. El Pueblo Mexican Food and the Cardiff Valero, which lists a car wash, share 820 Birmingham Dr, across the street from the stalls. The building beside the stalls, the former Mexico Viejo, is fenced for construction, and the Jimmy John's named as the site's host is listed as coming but not open.
Can non-Tesla EVs charge at the Cardiff Supercharger?
supercharge.info marks it open to other EVs. All 12 plugs are NACS, with no CCS plugs listed, so a car with a CCS port needs a NACS adapter. Check your car maker's app for Supercharger support.
Know someone who needs this?
Something changed here? Text PJ and we'll update this page.
More free local tools: the North County toolkit.