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Tesla planning Supercharger stop in Lathrop
tesla charge

Tesla drivers in Lathrop can rejoice now that the city will soon be home tp a Tesla Supercharger station that will cater to both local drivers and those passing through the community on the I-5 corridor.

The Supercharger station – which will be located at the Power Mart at the corner of Harlan and Lathrop Roads – will give Tesla drivers and other electric vehicle drivers that have the necessary adapter the chance to fully charge their battery in only 75 minutes.

Once operational, the site will be the third bank of Tesla Superchargers in a seven-mile radius – likely giving the area one of the densest concentrations of Tesla charging stations in the state – and will provide local drivers with a variety of options before long drives depending on the direction that they are heading.

Manteca already has a Tesla Supercharger station at the Manteca Target store as well as in the parking of the Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley near Bass Pro Shops.

The Lathrop site came to pass after multiple people had contacted Mayor Sonny Dhaliwal asking what could be done to help local Tesla and electric vehicle drivers in the growing community.

“This is the way that government should work – we should all be reachable and when people have issues they can reach out to us and we can take it to staff and make the community happy,” Dhaliwal said of the process that led to the development. “Accessibility means a lot to me – if you’re a representative of the people, you have to be accessible so that they can share their concerns.”

And Lathrop and Tesla have a long and fruitful relationship.

The Silicon Valley darling headed by Elon Musk expanded its footprint almost a decade ago when it acquired a shuttered Mopar distribution center and converted the space in a manufacturing plant to supply its Fremont assembly plant with parts.

The city’s location close the I-205 corridor to the Bay Area and its position close to both of California’s main north-south corridors made the spot attractive, and the company has worked to further expand its operations into Lathrop – opening a massive distribution facility and warehouse behind the former Pilkington float glass manufacturing plant as well as attracting other manufacturing companies to supply the parts necessary for its operation.

Last year the city made headlines when it announced that Tesla would be taking over a shuttered JC Penney distribution center and converting to an assembly plant for the MegaPack – a massive battery storage system designed to store power off-grid so that it can be used during peak hours to meet rising demand.

The battery systems are expected to be sold to energy companies looking to optimize its delivery system.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.