Tesla will soon reveal partnerships with at least two dozen garages around Manhattan to provide higher-speed, 240-volt charger facilities to Tesla owners, says a report from The New York Times. As Manhattan is highly populated, such an arrangement will be perfect for those living in apartments for whom a parking spot is not ideal to charge their car.
Not a free facility
Tesla already offers a quick recharge service while traveling, as a network of well-known super chargers have been set up along major highways. “Destination chargers” at different resorts, parks and restaurant are also being installed by the EV firm. But using urban parking garages is a first for Tesla.
Some of New York’s well-known parking companies such as iPark, Parklt, Quik Park, Champion and Prime Parking System have partnered with Tesla. A few hotels like the Waldorf Astoria have also teamed up the EV firm.
A Tesla spokeswoman told The NY Times, “We wanted to move to an urban charging network that meets the needs of those who live in apartments or commute into a big city,” and, “Naturally, Manhattan was the place to try this for the first time.”
This facility won’t be free, unlike Tesla’s highway superchargers. Garage owners will be deciding on the electricity cost that will be added to their existing parking fees, the spokeswoman said.
Relief for Tesla owners
Tesla owners will be allowed to use the parking facility by the hour, day, week or even a month at participating garages, the spokeswoman told the newspaper. Initially, the facility includes two dozen locations starting from Wall Street to 94th Street. Over the coming months, the company is planning to expand its charging centers to more locations within the network.
Paul Gardi, who owns a new Model S P85D edition (the fastest version of the car), is a 49-year-old technology entrepreneur and West Side resident at Hamptons. Gardi loves to drive his car but believes parking and charging are still a big task.
Everything else about the car is wonderful except “just one thing”: a place to park and charge. Currently, Gardi charges the car using an ordinary socket at a garage 15 blocks away from his apartment. Full charging there takes two to three days as the socket adds hardly 4 miles of range in an hour. On the contrary, Tesla’s new chargers for the garages can fully charge a car in just three to four hours, adding 58 miles per hour.
