The Blacksmith Inn On The Shore recently completed the installation of 2 electric vehicle charging stations. One of them is a Clipper Creek charger that works with most electric cars such as the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and plug-in Prius. The other is a dedicated Tesla charger.
The Tesla charger was provided and installed through the Destination Charging Partner program of Tesla Motors at no cost to the host property. Tesla reached out to all Select Registry Inns with this proposition. Slightly over half of the approximately 330 member inns throughout North America accepted Tesla’s generous offer.
Tesla and Clipper Creek electric vehicle chargers ready to “fill up” cars in the Blacksmith Inn parking lot.
The Blacksmith Inn’s installation coincides with an initiative of the Door County Visitor Bureau (DCVB) to distribute electric vehicle charging stations throughout Door County. The DCVB led the way by installing 2 EV chargers at its Sturgeon Bay Visitor Center in the summer of 2014. DCVB Executive Director, Jack Monneypenny, expects that about 15 additional EV chargers will be in service in Door County by the end of 2015. One of those chargers will be installed by the Town of Baileys Harbor at a yet-to-be-determined location on Town property within the village.
Tesla’s initiative to install EV chargers has everything to do with the “chicken or egg” issue surrounding electrically fueled cars. “Big thinkers” in both energy and economics tell us that this is the direction that civilization needs to go if it is to enjoy the kind of mobility it has today. But people won’t buy Electric Vehicles unless and until there are convenient and numerous places to recharge them.
Tesla says it will be introducing its new, more affordable, model by the end of this year. It will have similar range (265 miles) to its very successful “S” model but will compete in price point with most well-equipped SUVs. Thanks to Tesla, the Blacksmith Inn is ready to re-fuel EV owners when they visit Door County.
