Skip to main content

River Valley Times

Tesla Resumes Work on EV Charging Station in Rancho Murieta

Jan 31, 2025 05:18PM ● By Gail Bullen River Valley Times Reporter

Construction is underway in the Bel Air parking lot to install a Tesla electric vehicle charging station, with completion expected in six to seven weeks. Photo by Gail Bullen

Tesla Resumes Work on EV Charging Station in Rancho Murieta [2 Images] Click Any Image To Expand

RANCHO MURIETA CA (MPG) - After a false start nine months ago, Tesla has begun work on an electric vehicle (EV) charging station in the Bel Air shopping center in Rancho Murieta.

Tony Velez, chief financial officer of Rancho Murieta Properties and manager of the shopping center, said he was surprised when Tesla emailed him on Jan. 10, stating its intent to proceed with constructing an EV charging station. Tesla abruptly canceled the project in May, according to Velez.

Velez said Tesla held a construction meeting two weeks after he received the email and work began on Jan. 27. This time, however, Tesla is using its employees for the project.

"It will take them about six to eight weeks to finish that project and then they will have to wait for SMUD to energize it," Velez said. "But they think that should be fairly quick."

Velez confirmed that a Tesla R4 Supercharger station with 12 units is being installed. According to Wikipedia, the newer R4 Supercharger stations feature longer cables to accommodate a broader range of electric vehicles and are equipped with credit card readers, potentially allowing non-Tesla owners to charge without needing the Tesla app. The V4 Superchargers can also deliver up to 350 kW of power, improving charging efficiency and speed.

Tesla initially planned to install an EV charging station in Rancho Murieta last May. On April 11, a Tesla project manager held a construction meeting at the site to brief outside contractors submitting bids for the project.

However, like many projects nationwide, according to CNN and other news reports, the Rancho Murieta EV charging station was canceled in May when Tesla disbanded the team responsible for the company's charging infrastructure. According to CNN reports, Tesla’s decision sparked widespread industry concerns about the future of Tesla's charging network.

However, by November, Tesla announced plans to launch V4 Supercharger stations in 2025. According to The Verge, a technology news website, these new stations are designed to improve charging efficiency for vehicles such as the Tesla Cybertruck and EVs from other manufacturers.

Velez said he began discussions with Tesla more than seven years ago when the Murieta Inn was under construction. Tesla initially installed a Level 2 charger at the hotel, according to Velez, and reached out to him about two years later, proposing the installation of 12 fast chargers at the shopping center.