The number of Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq:TLSA) vehicles on Metro Vancouver roads is likely to increase in the coming years.
This comes as Vancouver is set to host the largest facility in North America for the iconic brand of vehicles, according to local developer Beedie, which has been tapped to build the 120,000-square-foot electric vehicle (EV) centre.
The new facility will be dedicated to EV servicing, preparations and delivery operations. It will also feature a showroom.
Beedie said in a Monday announcement that the future centre, located at 950 Raymur Ave. in the city’s Strathcona neighbourhood, will be Tesla’s “most expansive service centre with the largest service capacity in Western Canada.”
The location will require remediation, as it sits on land that potentially contains pollutants, also known as a brownfield site.
“We have often collaborated with innovative companies on unique, built-to-suit projects and we look forward to working closely with Tesla and the local community in the coming years,” said Ryan Beedie, president of Beedie, in a statement.
The B.C. government made its expectations around zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) clear this past October with the introduction of legislation that accelerates annual targets of ZEV sales by automakers.
Ten per cent of vehicle sales will be for EVs or plug-in hybrids by 2025, and 26 per cent by 2026, with the aim to reach 100 per cent by 2035.
Throughout this year, 21 per cent of all new light-duty passenger vehicles sold are EVs, the highest percentage for any province or territory in Canada.
“We are pleased to have partnered with Beedie to build our future flagship British Columbia location in the heart of Vancouver. With this new facility we look to better serve our Vancouver-area customers and further support electric vehicle adoption in the province,” said Fereshteh Zeineddin, Tesla’s director of vehicle sales and service in Canada, in a statement.
Construction for Tesla’s new Vancouver facility is slated to start in the first quarter of next year, with completion expected in the first quarter of 2026.
—With files from Glen Korstrom
