There’s an attraction bringing hundreds of tourists to Gilroy, but Gilroy residents aren’t supposed to go there.
The 10 Tesla superchargers behind In-and-Out Burger at the GIlroy Outlets is one of the biggest electric vehicle charging stations in the state and one of only 250 in the U.S. Superchargers can give the battery-powered luxury cars 170 miles of driving in a 30-minute charge. Less powerful chargers can take an hour for every 30 miles.
Built in 2012, Gilroy’s was one of the first superchargers in the country. The nearest ones are in Atascadero, Monterey, Fremont, Mountain View, Harris Ranch and San Mateo, points carefully picked to help long-distance drivers reach their destinations.
Teslas, which cost between $60,000 used to over $106,000 new, have computers that guide drivers to superchargers and tell them exactly how long they have to plug in to reach the next charger. For a $2,500 upgrade, a Tesla Model S has an autopilot that can change lanes at the tap of a turn signal, manage speed with a cruise control and find a parking space. (No joke—the future is here.)
The company is planning to equip stations with battery swap services, so you get a new battery without having to charge and then pick up your old battery on the way back. The first one is at Harris Ranch. The cars also have a phone app that tells drivers when their car is done charging. In Gilroy that gives them a chance to freshen up, get some food and shop the Outlets.
Tesla drivers can pay $2,500 to use the superchargers for free forever. But some were irked by the fact that Fremont-based Tesla has sent letters to its car owners it claimed were using local superchargers too often, and asking them not to use them so that they would be available for those traveling long distances. Big Tesla Brother is watching, but not very accurately, said people on the Tesla message boards. Many said they felt unfairly singled out and claimed they only used the superchargers on long trips.
Hang out at the Gilroy supercharger and you are bound to meet some interesting people, like Lisa, 34, and Ian Goldberg, 33, Hollywood movie makers who are heading to Napa. They met on the set of the forthcoming film, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, and just months into their marriage, they are taking a vacation. He’s a screenwriter, whose credits include the TV show “Once Upon A Time” and she makes prosthetics for movies.
“I love the car,” said Ian, plugging in on a rainy afternoon and stopping at a gas station restroom. “I wanted to get something electric and I like Elon Musk and what he’s doing with Space-X, and I want to do anything I can to help the environment.”
Lisa is from England and knows nothing about cars, but has taken a liking to this one. “I wouldn’t want any other car,” she said on their third trip in it.
What about the fact that they have to stop to charge?
“We’d have to stop for gas anyway,” he said. They’d never been to Gilroy, or even heard of it, but she eyed the outlets like a kitten looking at a bowl of milk.
“I’m not supposed to shop,” she said. “But if they have a Nike outlet, he’ll be OK with that.”
Not long afterwards, another Hollywood veteran pulled up. Wayne Moseley, 91, was in a white Model S that he drove up from Watsonville for a charge. He lives in Sherman Oaks but was visiting his girlfriend in a Santa Cruz mountain cabin. He frequently does the trip, and while there are other charging stations in Watsonville, they don’t have the adaptor for his Tesla.
Moseley is a retired special effects designer who has worked on TV’s “The West Wing” and the remake of The Poseidon Adventure and too many features to remember, he says. His IMDB credit list includes American Pie and Volcano.
Nick Dold, 27, and Demetrius Tam, 30, are taking Tam’s Tesla Model S 70D on its furthest trip out of the Bay Area, from San Mateo to Santa Barbara, where Dold is attending a state music teacher’s convention.
They stopped in Gilroy because the car told them to charge for five or 10 minutes. It didn’t tell them to hit In-And-Out, but they couldn’t resist.
Tam, a corporate attorney, bought the car because “it’s good for the environment and you don’t have to pay for gas and maintenance—and you get tax credits.”
What about having to stop regularly to charge?
“It doesn’t tell us to stop enough,” said Tam, who’s next charge would be in Atascadero. “I would have stopped sooner for a bathroom break.
