Photo: Alaska’s News Source
Alaska’s long-awaited first Supercharger in Soldotna became operational last year, and the owners celebrated with a grand opening event.
The owners of Tesla’s first Supercharger station in Alaska held a grand opening event for the site on April 30 to celebrate the future of renewable energy, according to Alaska’s News Source.
The station is owned by Henry Krull and his wife Mary and was originally opened in November of last year.
However, the Supercharger station’s grand opening was delayed nearly six months after a friend of theirs who was a major part of developing the site passed away.
Derek Leichliter, an electrical engineer and friend of the Krulls, passed away in a plane crash on Kodiak just a few weeks before the Superchargers were to become operational.
Tesla Shows Off 37 Megapacks Installed in Soldotna, Alaska [VIDEO] https://t.co/8LGqide416
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) March 8, 2022
Henry Krull said, “This project was a big deal for him.” Krull continued, “He was very passionate about renewable energy and electric vehicles and he was very excited to be working on this project, and was trying to get awarded the contracts for additional Alaska Tesla Superchargers, and I believe they may have been awarded to him posthumously.”
Construction began on the Soldotna, Alaska Supercharger last August, and took just about three months.
“Of course, I couldn’t contain myself and I said, ‘Hey, let me know, I’ll do whatever you need,’” Krull said, when Tesla agreed to install a Supercharger in the state.
Tesla sought space on the Krull property for the Supercharger site and then got down to work.
“My wife and I, the developers of Whistle Hill, really thought that that would be a big draw to our development in getting Tesla owners to come and charge at our location and maybe visit our business facilities up there,” explained Krull. “And likewise, Tesla thought it was a very good fit, because that’s the kind of place they like to put superchargers is places where Tesla owners can get out, stretch legs, get something to eat, something to drink.”
The Supercharger site includes four stalls total and is located on the town’s Whistle Hill development.
