Thursday March 3, 2022 | LANGFORD, BC [Last update 5:15 pm]
by Jalen Codrington | Island Social Trends
Today the City of Langford revealed details of a future Tesla sales, service, and delivery centre to be located in this fast-growing city on Vancouver Island’s west shore.
The 35,000 square-foot-building will be located at 2361 City Gate Boulevard in a new commercial area of construction off McCallum Road, nearby to the Home Depot and across the way from Costco in the well-established commercial retail area of Langford.
Proudly announced by Langford Mayor:
Today at an outdoor groundbreaking event, Langford Mayor Stew Young was pleased to officially announce the new Tesla facility coming to his town.
He said the new building is estimated to cost about $40 to $50 million.
Helping with climate change:
“As we move forward and the importance of climate change and what we’re trying to do here, Langford needs to take that progressive step forward,” said Young at the morning event attended by about 45 leaders in business and community.
Who was there:
Attending today was Chair of the Langford Economic Development Committee Dale Gann and the former West Shore Chamber of Commerce president Mike Reilly.
Joining the crowd was Vancouver Island Tesla Owner’s Club member Heather Kellington.
Attending from Langford Council were Councillors Denise Blackwell, Matt Sahlstrom, Lanny Seaton, Norma Stewart, and Lillian Szpak, as well as several city staff. Westhills Land Manager Ryan McKenzie attended, and representatives from Seacliff Properties and Verity Construction.
First Tesla centre on Vancouver Island:
This will be the first Tesla centre on the island. Previously, vehicle owners would need to take their vehicles to Vancouver for servicing, or use Tesla’s mobile service support feature. Currently, the American vehicle manufacturer has 21 locations across Canada, including four on the Lower Mainland.
In 2020, over 54,000 EV’s were registered in B.C., the province reported. Energy Minister Bruce Ralston said it was the highest reported uptake rate of electric vehicles in North America.
RCMP welcoming EV’s:
West Shore RCMP Inspector Todd Preston said at today’s event that a new Tesla Model Y police cruiser will be joining the fleet in approximately two to three months.
Mayor Young said that Inspector Preston is “very supportive” of the city transitioning to electric vehicles. He said the west shore police department is hoping to integrate an electric Ford Mustang.
The RCMP aims to have fully electric fleets across Canada by 2050.
Timely move:
With fuel prices currently soaring as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, Young was reported yesterday saying that the Tesla centre could not have come at a better time.
The cost of gas in the Greater Victoria area is currently sitting at an uneasy $194.9 per litre, and is only expected to increase.
June 2023 target:
The mayor was pleased to say that shovels will hit the ground next week for the new Tesla centre.
Completion of the new Tesla centre is targeted for June 2023.
===== RELATED:
- Langford news archive (by Island Social Trends)
- West Shore RCMP
- Tesla Canada (shop online)