Tesla 'Supercharger' plans submitted for Wareham Crossing

Electric car manufacturer Tesla plans to add Wareham to the list of cities and towns in its rapidly expanding “Supercharger” network across the U.S.

The local project calls for installing one, state-of-the-art charging station with 12 parking spots in the center of Wareham Crossing, located at 2421 Cranberry Highway.

Director of Planning & Community Development Kenneth Buckland said the project was an exciting one for the town.

“I believe the locations is perfect – in a busy shopping center, just off intersecting interstate highways, and in a district experience new and trend-setting investment,” said Buckland.

As part of the company’s network, the charger is a 480-volt direct current fast-charging station capable of giving Tesla cars a “full tank” in 75 minutes. After just 30 minutes of charging, cars will have as much as 170 miles of added range. The station will provide up to 120 kW of power per car.

In February, Tesla announced plans to drastically increase the number of Supercharger locations across North America by the end of 2017. At that time, the company had 2,636 Superchargers at 373 locations across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The company planned to build 15,000 charging stations this year.

The expansion arrives as sales of electric cars grew 32 percent from 2012 to 2016.

Plans for Wareham’s Supercharger station were filed with the town’s Planning Department recently and will likely be approved within 30 days, said David Riquinha, director of inspectional services. Approval for the charging station does not require a public hearing, he said.

Plans were submitted by Black & Veatch, Inc., an international engineering, consulting and construction company. The firm is tasked with expanding the Supercharger network.

Electric cars with the appropriate adapters will be able to plug in to the Supercharger. The company affords Tesla owners a certain amount of free electrical charge. After that, there is a small fee to fuel up.