Toronto and Cornwall, Ont., are getting Tesla supercharger stations, similar to this one in Washington State.Peter Cheney/The Globe and Mail
Southern Ontario Tesla Model S owners rejoice, the company's supercharger network is coming soon to a highway near you.
Tesla Motors has announced that its first two Ontario superchargers will open on Thursday – one in Toronto (at Telsa's store near the Don Valley Parkway just south of Highway 401) and one in Cornwall (located in the parking lot of a Ramada hotel). The California-based auto maker says the new chargers should allow drivers to travel from Detroit to Quebec City for free.
And there are more in the works for Eastern Canada. Although Tesla spokeswoman Alexis Georgeson wouldn't provide specific details Wednesday about future locations, she said the company will "continue to add density to Highway 401," adding that priority for supercharger locations is "based on where our customers live and where they're travelling.
"We haven't talked about actual numbers of stations because what's more important is enabling routes," said Georgeson. "So we'll put as many stations along a route as we need to in order for owners to be able to travel that conveniently ... from one station to the next without any trouble."
Each supercharger station costs about $150,000 (U.S.), she said, and there are 111 across North America. Last month, the first Canadian supercharger opened in Squamish, B.C. The eventual plan there is to have a supercharger network that extends to Calgary.
Each Tesla supercharger provides enough power to drive for approximately 275 kilometres on a 20-minute quick charge. The auto maker claims the Tesla Model S has a range of 450 kilometres on a full charge.
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Darren McGee