If you’ve been to the Tsain-Ko Centre parking lot recently, you have more than likely seen the not-so-secret installation of an electric vehicle charging station that began in mid-July.
But this station is not just any installation of such technology — it’s Tesla’s first supercharger station to be opened on First Nation land in Canada.
“For many reasons, we knew this was an idea – an opportunity – that we had to realize for the Sunshine Coast, for our Tsain-ko Centre customers and for our retail tenants. This charging station won’t just be a great convenience for our customers, it will help the transition away from fossil fuels,” hiwus (Chief) Warren Paull of shíshálh Nation said in an Aug. 31 press release introducing the new facility. “[Fast] charging at Tsain-ko Centre allows our customers to shop, bank, meet friends and enjoy a coffee or a bite while they charge up, and that’s a great benefit to our tenants as well.”
The station has 12 stalls, and four more are planned to be added. The press release says the Sunshine Coast is “quickly approaching 500 electric vehicle drivers” and home to the fastest-growing B.C. municipality in terms of EV ownership, according to the Sunshine Coast Electric Vehicle Association.
This station joins more than 35,000 superchargers globally, according to Tesla’s website, and takes only 15 minutes to recharge up to 200 miles. Drivers plug in to automatically begin charging, and supercharger availability can be found on the Tesla app, where drivers can also monitor their charge status.
The chargers went “officially live” on Aug. 22 to EV drivers to plug in, Joe Angelini, the property manager of Tsain-Ko Development Corporation, told Coast Reporter.
“Everyone's excited for it,” Angelini said. “Not just the EV association members but all the tenants in the shopping centre, the First Nation is excited. The real winners here are, I feel, the tenants, just because it's going to draw traffic in from all over the Coast for people to park to do their shopping, socializing, whatever it may be. But we'll also capture some of that ferry traffic that's passing through Sechelt as well.”
