Montrose May Be Getting a Tesla Super Charging Station

The electric car company Tesla is considering building a supercharging station in Montrose. Elon Musk's popular car manufacturing company approached the city of Montrose about the idea, with the idea that Montrose is the perfect stopping point for travelers driving from Denver to Telluride.

However, the city of Montrose isn't totally in love with the idea. First of all, Tesla approached the city with the offer given that in order for it to be possible, Montrose would have to fork over $150,000. This didn't sound terribly attractive to the city, as they've counter-offered to contribute closer to $25,000.

Now, on the surface, I see a few issues with this idea. First of all, there aren't a ton of people that drive Teslas in rural Western Colorado, primarily because of the price. In addition, driving over one or more of our many mountain passes here in Colorado would likely not be the most fun in an expensive, electric car. I couldn't imagine spending something like $100,000 on a car just to get it dirty, or risk hitting a deer on Vail pass.

Another possible setback is the fact that I find it highly unlikely that there will be enough Tesla owners driving through Montrose to make this project worthwhile. Yes, Telluride has great skiing and world-class music festivals, but I also find it unlikely that it would be difficult to justify a project of this size, cost, and work based on Tesla drivers passing through the small city of Montrose.

However, I could be wrong. There are a lot of rather wealthy people that live in or visit Telluride, and a supercharging station in Montrose may actually bring people to the area that drive Teslas. Time will tell.

[KJCT8]