Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
TOOELE — A century ago, Lake Point was an important way marker on the Lincoln Highway route across the U.S.
In a case of history repeating itself, the town is again an important stop on a route of a different variety.
Tesla and Lake Point's Comfort Inn unveiled the town's first Tesla Supercharger Station last month, filling in the final gap in a network of charging stations that will allow Tesla drivers to travel from Colorado to California without paying for fuel.
With pre-existing Tesla stations in Wendover and Salt Lake City, Lake Point was key to finishing the heartland-to-coast route, said Erik Biggs, the general manager at Lake Point's Comfort Inn.
The superchargers are only compatible with Tesla-made electronic cars, but they're free to use — and so far, Biggs said, they've proven relatively popular with the public. "There's somebody charging here every day," he said.
It does take more than 30 minutes for a car to reach a full charge while using the stations, but Biggs said it's not uncommon for Tesla drivers to stay overnight while they wait to charge up and continue their travels in the morning. He even offers discounted room rates for Tesla drivers.
Biggs said Tesla reached out to him about installing the chargers last July when the company realized the importance of building a station in Lake Point. Tesla itself installed the chargers at no cost to Comfort Inn.
Comfort Inn was quick to agree because the chargers already fit with the hotel's overall green image, Biggs said. The Lake Point hotel already features solar panels, energy-smart thermostats, LED lighting and a water saving laundry process.
Related:
Southern Utah towns now offer Tesla car charging stations
Small towns in southern Utah aren't usually thought of as being on the cutting edge of environmental innovation. But these days, maybe they are. (Photo: KSL)Biggs said the hotel is also working on a project that would bring in chargers for the Chevy Volt as well.
"We're all very excited about this," Biggs said. "We like to be a green leader, and we're leading by example."
Tesla is a publicly-traded, American company based in Fremont, California that builds electric cars and electric vehicle powertrain components. The company was founded in 2003 and its technology is based on the AC induction motor that was designed in 1888 by Nikola Tesla.
The state's Legislature denied legislation this year that would have allowed Tesla to sell cars directly to Utah customers.
