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Richmond's Tesla Superchargers getting plugged in

Shoppers at Richmond Centre were this week getting their first glimpse of the new Tesla Supercharging stations.
Tesla
The Tesla Supercharging stations are almost ready in Richmond Centre's north parking lot. Alan Campbell photo

Shoppers at Richmond Centre were this week getting their first glimpse of the new Tesla Supercharging stations.

The screens which have covered the work site at the north parking lot on Westminster Highway came down Monday, showing off a few of the Tesla-specific charging stations.

Several of the planned 20 stations have still to be installed, with the launch expected later this fall.

Given the increase in Teslas being driven around the city, Richmond Centre bosses decided to partner with the luxury, electric car manufacturer and install the stations.

The centre told the Richmond News in September that it also had plans to install more universal EV chargers at the south end of the shopping centre in the future.

The Tesla made the headlines in the News for all the wrong reasons at Richmond Centre earlier this month when an owner apparently tried to “Smart Summon” his Tesla from a distance.

Only problem was that it was “driving” itself on the wrong side of the road and entered an intersection in the east parking lot on the wrong side, as shoppers looked on in amazement.

Smart Summon is a feature that can be installed as an upgrade in Teslas, allowing its owner to press a button on their phones, calling the car to their location up to 200 feet away.

ICBC told the News earlier this month that the use of the feature, although apparently legal in the U.S., is not permitted in B.C. and the owner’s insurance “may not” cover any damage caused.