Tesla’s drive-in theatre and diner imagined in new renders – UPDATE

UPDATE, 1 September 2023: Tesla has received official clearance from Los Angeles authorities to begin building a new Supercharger site in Los Angeles that will double as a 1950s-inspired drive-in diner and cinema.

According to Tesla enthusiast blog Teslarati, the LA Department of Building and Safety granted permit approval on August 9, meaning Tesla can now commence construction.

The development is set to feature 32 Supercharger stalls, two movie screens and a food service area.

The movie screens will only display short snippets from classic films, given Tesla's fast-charging technology will likely mean patrons won't need to stay any longer than 15 to 30 minutes for a charge.

Tesla provided a sneak peek at the development during an Investor Day in March 2023, with an official render showing a red-and-white design, a two-storey layout and a retro sign that reads 'Tesla Diner'.

The Supercharger site will be located on the busy Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.

Our original story continues unchanged below.

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26 June 2022: Tesla is planning a new Supercharger site in Los Angeles with a drive-in movie theatre and 24-hour diner – and this is what it could look like.

Using official construction plans filed by the American electric car maker, architectural modelling expert Ed Howard has provided a sneak peek at the 29-stall site, set to be located in Hollywood.

Howard's renders preview a circular, retro-style building housing a diner and surrounded by fast charging stalls, greenery and large cinema screens.

The location was first mentioned by CEO Elon Musk back in 2018, when he Tweeted that Tesla wanted to open an "old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant" at an upcoming Supercharger site.

According to Electrek, Tesla applied for building permits for a location in Santa Monica soon after Musk's tweet, but local regulations resulted in Tesla having to relocate and delay its plans.

In May 2022 – more than four years after Musk's tweet – the car maker officially filed plans to build the Supercharger diner and drive-in at new venue, located at 7001 Santa Monica Boulevard.

According to the plans, the building will be two stories tall, with seating for guests both inside and around the outside of the building.

There will also be two movie screens playing feature films "lasting approximately the same amount of time it takes to charge a vehicle(~30mins)".

Tesla's plans state the movie theatre portion of the site will operate from 7am to 11pm, but the restaurant and Superchargers will be open 24 hours a day.

The site is expected to be roughly 2286 square metres in size, and will be located on a bustling corner site currently occupied by a pizza restaurant.

Tesla's global network of Superchargers comprises around 30,000 Superchargers across roughly 3000 sites, with more than 1000 of those sites located in North America.

By comparison, Australia is home to more than 40 Supercharger locations.