i had an interesting moment this week while travelling in the Maritimes.
I was on the final stop of a swing through car dealerships in Halifax, Dartmouth, Truro, Summerside, Saint John. We had just pulled up to the hotel in Edmundston, New Brunswick and were going in to register when we noticed two Tesla charging stations at the front of the hotel.
At first I was surprised to find them there.
It’s not that finding a charging station for an electrical vehicle is a rare occurrence. We see them with increasing frequency in all kinds of locations. It’s simply that this was not a place I expected to find one, let alone two charging stations.
Edmundston is a small city near the border of New Brunswick and Quebec with a population of approximately 16,000. Based on its demographics and climate, I didn’t imagine there are a lot of electric cars in town.
But then I thought more about it.
The Tesla Model S 85D has a claimed range of 459 kms highway, and 434 kms combined city and highway.
Edmundston is about 300 kms from Quebec City, about 270 kms from Fredericton and about 375 kms from Saint John.
For those who have a high tolerance for risk it could even be within range of Moncton, which is about 440 kms from Edmundston. It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer test drives a car with one of the dealership’s staff, and they see how far they can go once the fuel gauge needle is stuck well past empty.
So from the standpoint of the hotel owners, it’s an ideal location for Tesla owners in need of a charge. Once fully charged, all of New Brunswick’s major cities are within reach, as is Quebec City for those headed West.
It certainly puts this hotel location on the map in a whole new way. There is promotional value to that, regardless of whether or not vehicles make use of the charging stations.
Perhaps what I most liked about finding the charging stations at the hotel was the fact that there were two of them. The hotel owners are either very optimistic or they know something I don’t. I suspect the latter is more likely.
How much does all of this matter?
For me, it reinforces we are moving into a world where automotive choices are changing, and those changes may have far reaching impacts. For a small hotel in a small city like Edmundston to imagine themselves as a key stop on the electricity-powered drive to the Maritimes is part of imagining a tomorrow that is, in some ways, quite different than yesterday.
