Tim Harty, The Business Times 

Tesla installed eight new EV chargers in the northeast corner of the Village Fair Plaza, 2691 Patterson Road, but unlike the shopping center’s retail and service tenants, Tesla doesn’t pay rent.

“There’s no lease, anything like that to have them there,” said Ken Richards, who owns Village Fair along with his wife, Cindy.

And that’s OK, he said. There’s an indirect benefit to be had from the chargers that became operational in early September.

“Tesla was looking for another location, because the only one they had in town was at the (Mesa) mall,” Richards said. “They were looking for another location, more into town on the north side of town, and we spoke to them about it and figured out where would be the best spot here at the plaza for them.

“And then all the members of the plaza, everybody agreed and then gave Tesla the OK, and (Tesla) actually did all the infrastructure to install them.”

Actually there is one fee for Tesla. It’s from the shopping center’s owners association to take care of the parking lot and the grounds.

“Tesla pays a fee to the association to maintain it, to make sure the garbage is cleaned up, the lots are kept clean along with all the other stuff that the association takes care of,” Richards said.

People who use the Tesla EV chargers are likely to be at the charging station for 30 to 45 minutes, and while the car is charging, they can frequent the shopping center’s businesses, grab a bite to eat at The Ale House, pick up beer or wine at Full Monty Liquors, get a manicure at Mesa Spa and Nails, etc.

“Having the superchargers there, as people come to Grand Junction from the east, that’s the first spot they can pull off and charge,” Richards said. “Most travelers, not local, are parking for a half hour or so, so all the businesses … benefit when people are there charging and grab something to eat or something to drink or whatever. … That’s the financial benefit for the businesses.”

That rang true for Denver couple Julie and Dex, who declined to give their last names, but they said they stopped in Grand Junction to charge their Tesla on their way to Utah.

Julie said they spent the night in Grand Junction and made their way to the EV chargers in the morning. She said it will take about 45 minutes to fully charge their vehicle, and that give them a driving range of about 335 miles.

Wherever they charge their vehicle, she said, “We always go to every shop that’s around the charger.”

She added, “It makes people get to know Grand Junction a little bit more.”

Richards said the arrival of the Tesla EV chargers was about three years in the making, and the chargers are Tesla’s newest generation of superchargers.

“They’re what they call Version Four, so it’s the fastest recharge there is, their newest, fastest recharging units,” he said.

And there’s another addition some Tesla owners may welcome. There’s one pull-through charger.

“It’s one of the very first in the state for vehicles like the electric trucks that are pulling trailers or whatever,” Richards said. “They’ll actually be able to pull in and charge not having to disconnect their trailer.”

He said the busiest time of the day for charging has been late mornings, adding, “I drove by around 11 or 12 (on Oct. 7), and six cars were charging.”