Tesla charging stations coming mid-December to Plaza West Shopping Center
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ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- Tesla drivers hoping to find a place to stop and charge their vehicle quickly while in St. Clairsville may soon be in luck.
Service Director Scott Harvey detailed the plan during St. Clairsville's city council meeting Monday night. He said eight charging stations will be installed in the Plaza West area near the Riesbeck's Food Market, with the project having started last Monday.
Although this is the first time city officials have talked about the charging station, it has been in the works since October 2024. Tesla's own app, which shows drivers available charging stations, has teased the Plaza West location as "under development" on-and-off since then, although with no visible progress at the actual space.
The planned charging stations have the "supercharger" label on the network, which gives the electric vehicles much higher wattage per hour compared to a normal charger. According to Tesla, this means a car can gain 215 miles in range in 15 minutes, while a full charge takes about half an hour.
On the other hand, a slow charger can take hours to fully charge a Tesla's lithium-powered battery cell.
Harvey said Tesla is responsible for much of the work installing the stations, though the city must take care of connecting the chargers to electric lines. Tesla said the stations should be fully operational by mid-December, according to Harvey.
"Everybody who has a Tesla will see that charging station, that puts them in our respective plaza for 30 minutes minimum," Harvey said. "The idea is to bring people in (Plaza West) to charge their vehicle."
Councilman Don Vincenzo was the only one to ask about the supercharger project. He asked who would own the chargers. Harvey said Tesla would.
"The only benefit the city gets is the use of the electric -- they pay for the electric they use there." Harvey said.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Tom Murphy made the point about the superchargers where one can not only be useful to the people who live in St. Clairsville, but a way to encourage travellers to stop and look at what's nearby while their car charges.
"While they're waiting, Riesbeck's is there, restaurants out there if you need nutrition, so that helps the businesses as well too," Murphy said. "Time will tell, see how well used they are, but we're hoping they do get used -- that'll benefit everybody."
Vincenzo was curious about how people pay to charge their vehicles, which Harvey explained is tied to each Tesla's VIN number and automatically billed to the owner of the vehicle.
Murphy also had some projects to discuss, such as the Marathon gas station on East Main Street now becoming a Clark gas station, which he said work will be visible. He also said a few new homes may be built in the city, although it's early in the process of talks with the people potentially wanting to build.
"Don't take too much on that, but that'll be good news if it does happen," Murphy said.
In other business, council:
– Gave the first reading on a resolution adopting Belmont County's 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan update
– Gave the first reading on an ordinance adopting the city's 2027 temporary budget