Tesla setting up charging station at Southampton restaurant

Tesla Motors is setting up a charging station for its electric vehicles outside a restaurant in Southampton, part of network to allow owners to take long trips.

The site, not yet operational, is next to Cafe Crust, at 850 County Rd. 39 in Southampton. A Tesla spokeswoman, Sonja Koch, didn’t have a firm date for its activation.

Tesla has nearly 100 locations in the United States that either are stores that can take orders for its vehicles or retail “galleries” that simply display them. Its only Long Island store is in the Americana Mall in Manhasset, while a new gallery opened Friday at 50 Newtown Lane in East Hampton.

The eight-car station outside of Cafe Crust will be what Tesla calls a “Supercharger,” which can replenish about 150 miles of driving range in 30 minutes.

Tesla has other charging stations at the Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, the Jedediah Hawkins Inn in Riverhead, the White Fences Inn in Water Mill and the Montauk Yacht Club. These stations, which the company calls “Destination Chargers,” add up to 60 miles of range per hour, easily reaching the vehicles’ 280-plus mile range in a few hours. There are a number of chargers in Manhattan as well.

“As Tesla sees it, a critical component of the adoption of electric vehicles is to create a seamless and convenient charging experience wherever owners choose to travel,” Koch said in an email.

David Wiesneski, owner of Cafe Crust, said the parking lot land is owned by his partner and that Tesla approached them about a year ago about setting up the chargers.

“We’re hoping that, while they’re waiting for their cars to charge, they’ll come over and have something to eat,” he said.

“Superchargers are located near amenities like roadside diners, cafes and shopping centers so road trippers can stop for a quick meal and have their Model S or Model X charged by the time they’re done,” Koch wrote. Other superchargers on or near Long Island include one at its service facility at 7 Aerial Way in Syosset, and another at the JFK Airport Travel Plaza in Jamaica, near Kennedy Airport.

Tesla superchargers and destination chargers won’t replenish other electric cars. Teslas come with adapters to allow owners to recharge their vehicles at public stations.

The company, based in Palo Alto, California, sells two vehicles now, the Model S sedan, which starts at $71,500, and the Model X SUV, which starts at around $83,000. It is taking orders for a third, less-expensive vehicle, the Model 3, a sedan costing about $35,000, with a range of 215 miles without recharging.