New Tesla Supercharger station coming to Bismarck

Six Tesla Supercharging stations are set to open across North Dakota.

Plans are in place to install in Bismarck, Dickinson, Jamestown, Pembina, Grand Forks, and Fargo by the end of 2019.

Construction at the Bismarck station located in Pinehurst Square is underway with plans to open by the end of 2019.

As of now, North Dakota offers two Tesla Destination Charging stations.

According to a Tesla spokesperson, these stations tend to offer a slower charge providing less charge power than a supercharging station.

Supercharging stations are meant to enable long distance travel. They typically charge cars faster and offer more range per hour.

"There's no more issue of how much charge you have when you leave from Dickinson to Bismarck, Jamestown, Fargo, Grand Forks.

You just get in the car and go like any other car because you stop and charge here at a Tesla Supercharger," says Tesla owner Brian Kopp.

As for the power behind these supercharging stations, Montana Dakota Utilities will be providing the energy.

Mark Hansen with MDU says the way power reaches the chargers and where it comes from is a complicated process.

Hansen says the power used to charge your Tesla could be coming from wind, coal or natural gas energy plants.

"We have two coal plants and a natural gas unit in Mandan, but we also have wind in southwest North Dakota. So, we could be getting supplies from either of those if they're running. Or we could be buying from the market that's coming into Bismarck. And so, in the broad sense it's more than likely coming from all three sources," says MDU Senior Public Relations Representative Mark Hanson.

The source depends on the daily energy price, what's available on the electric power market, and the demand for power on a given day.

For more information on these charging stations, you can visit www.tesla.com/findus.