Tesla set to nearly double number of Supercharger stalls in Merritt, B.C.

Tesla is preparing a major expansion of its Supercharger network in Merritt, a small city in the interior of British Columbia that already has four stations.

According to an update to Tesla’s Find Us map back in July, Tesla was working to bring a fifth Supercharger to Merritt near the intersection of Highway 5 and Highway 5A, on the former site of the Merritt Visitor Centre.

Not long after the site switched to under construction on the map, and now we finally have our first look at the new station near Hamilton Hill Road, just off the interchange.

A photo of the site shared with Drive Tesla by one of our readers Glenn shows construction is well underway, with what appears to be at least 32 stalls, including several pull-through stalls for drivers towing a trailer.

Merritt already has four Tesla Supercharger stations with a combined 40 charging stalls. If the new site opens with 32 stalls, Merritt would have 72 in total, an 80% jump.

That is a substantial expansion for a community of Merritt’s size, but its location makes it an important stop for EV drivers travelling through the province’s interior.

Merritt sits at the junction of several major travel routes, including the Coquihalla Highway, which connects the Lower Mainland with the interior. It is also a common charging stop for drivers heading toward Kamloops, Kelowna, and other destinations throughout the province.

Merritt isn’t the only B.C. community with new Superchargers on the way. Construction is also underway on a 12-stall V4 site at Highgate Village in Burnaby, two new stations in Surrey (one on 152 Street and another on 88 Avenue), and a long-awaited site in Keremeos, where work began in July. Tesla also started construction earlier this month on a new Supercharger in Squamish, in front of the Sea to Sky Hotel.