Tesla supercharger added to La Posada grounds

A supercharger for Telsa electric cars has been added to one of the parking lots of the historic La Posada hotel on Route 66 in Winslow, Ariz., according to the Casa Grande Dispatch.

The newspaper also said La Posada will add chargers for other electric cars, including Nissan, Toyota, Honda and GM. Hotel co-owner Allan Affeldt said adding the chargers is “the right thing to do,” and already has a large array of solar panels to generate electricity.

A remarkable coincidence recently occurred with the Tesla supercharger’s installation and Telsa Motors owner Elon Musk:

The need for a second Tesla supercharger came about when Affeldt learned that hotel reservations had been made by one noted billionaire, Elon Musk, and a large entourage to include three Model S Teslas. Apparently Musk was on a rare vacation with his wife, children, parents, brother and security team, taking in the Grand Canyon, Route 66 and other Southwestern sites.

As to how the Musk party happened to make reservations the very same week that Affeldt’s single supercharger was to be installed “is a mystery,” says Affeldt, but also a rare opportunity to have the first user of his system be Musk himself, the man who joined a struggling electric vehicle company several years ago and turned it into the global leader in e-car technology.

“Once I knew he was coming I added a second charger,” says Affeldt, “and my electrician worked every day to get the system up.” The system cost Affeldt over $10,000 for two 100-amp charging circuits, each requiring a 200-amp breaker, each drawing 80 amps per charge. The Tesla-badged EV charging stations are located just left of the main entrance on the Route 66 side of La Posada. One week ago Musk’s three Tesla sedans rotated through the chargers while he and family enjoyed the ambience, art and cuisine of Affeldt’s La Posada and Chef John Sharpe’s highly decorated Turquoise Room.

Affeldt thinks the hotel’s Turquoise Room restaurant was the original draw for Musk. The restaurant has been honored as one of the best in the Southwest.

Affeldt recently posted a photo on his Facebook account of him, his wife and Musk with two Teslas at the superchargers.

Telsa superchargers — which can provide 170 miles’ worth of charge in 30 minutes — are sprinkled along the Route 66 corridor in California and Arizona, including another recently added in Holbrook.

According to Tesla, by the end of the year, superchargers will be installed along Route 66 in New Mexico, Texas and the western half of Oklahoma. By the end of 2015, superchargers will be no more than 150 miles or so apart on the Mother Road.

On a related note, I’ve received word the National Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation is working to set up an electric vehicle museum in the Powerhouse Museum during the International Route 66 Festival in August in Kingman, Ariz.

Affeldt weeks ago made big news when he announced his intention to buy another historic Harvey House, Hotel Castaneda of Las Vegas, N.M. Affeldt said in a recent Facebook post he would take possession of that property April 8.

(Image of a Tesla Roadster by randychiu via Flickr)

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