According to The Watt Car, Buttonwillow Raceway Park in southern California is in final talks with Tesla for 16 Supercharger stations to be installed at the racetrack park.
Electric vehicles (EVs) have cemented themselves as the future of consumer vehicles (especially in California), making enthusiasts curious about how a Tesla fares against other high-performance vehicles on a racetrack.
Going up against entry-level Porsche Taycans, taking on Lamborghini Huracans, and even winning competitive events, Tesla cars are no strangers to the track.
Interest in Teslas from race-car and track enthusiasts is quickly rocketing. “There’s been days where there have been groups of 50-plus Teslas [driving on Buttonwillow’s track]”, said Miserendino Business Development Manager at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.
“There are actually some organizations that have Tesla-only run groups that come to the track. They utilize the 50 amp plugs in the RV park [on Buttonwillow Raceway Park’s premises], but it doesn’t have the speed of the Supercharger”, added Miserendino.
Right now, the closest Tesla Supercharger location to Buttonwillow is located 12 miles south on I-5, and there’s another Supercharger five miles further down the road.
However, that’s simply not enough to sustain a heavy influx of Teslas to Buttonwillow’s racetrack, meaning that an on-site Supercharger installation will go a long way in securing the park’s future.
“We are…in final discussions with Tesla for 16 Supercharger stations as the EV enthusiast market is expanding so rapidly”, said Les Phillips, President of Buttonwillow Raceway Park.
In addition, the park is adding a new, 2.5-mile track to the west with elevation changes and an FIA level 4-grade circuit with multiple straights, built majorly using recycled materials.
Buttonwillow hopes that the new track, opening soon, will be much more hospitable to Teslas.
