Tesla opens store in South Fayette

Volts and Jolts: Cars & Coffee event marks Tesla opening

Electric-vehicle owners celebrate new dealership in South Fayette

By Andrea Iglar

Before her first road trip in a Tesla, Jody Wilkinson of South Fayette was anxious about traveling in an electric vehicle.

How often would the car need to be plugged in? How long would each charge last?

But it turned out to be easy. The touchscreen computer in her husband Don’s Model 3 mapped a route showing each spot the car would need to plug in to a Tesla Supercharger between Pennsylvania and Virginia—once on the way south, once at the destination and once heading back. No gas stations were needed.

“After my first trip, I was not afraid at all,” Wilkinson said. “The car plans it for you.”

South Fayette residents Jody Wilkinson, left, Don Wilkinson and Marc Svaline join fellow Tesla owners Sandy Butchko and Jim Butchko at Cars & Coffee.

Photo by Andrea Iglar

Now, Wilkinson owns a Tesla Model Y, an all-electric compact SUV with an estimated range of more than 300 miles.

“I just fell in love with it,” she said. “It was time to get a new car, so there was no other choice.”

Wilkinson and fellow Tesla owners are charged up about the electric vehicle company’s new store in South Fayette Township.

Dozens of Tesla drivers gathered on a Saturday morning in May for a Cars & Coffee event at the sales and service center. The store opened in November at Newbury Market, near BJ’s Wholesale Club and Topgolf.

The event included a ribbon cutting, refreshments, company swag, test drives and the opportunity for car owners to socialize.

Tesla staff, electric-vehicle owners and other guests join store manager Jessica Beron, in front with scissors, and South Fayette Township commissioner Rebecca Sray, center left, in May for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the dealership opening at Newbury Market.

Photo by Andrea Iglar

In 2015, Marc Svaline of South Fayette had traveled to

Cleveland to buy his Tesla Model S because there were no local dealerships at the time. When a Tesla center opened in Wexford in 2017, he would drive 30 miles north on Interstate 79 for service. Now, he is about 3 miles from the South Fayette shop.

Tesla general manager Jessica Beron said the company chose the location largely because it is easily accessible from I-79, the South Hills and the Robinson area.

She said the branch plans to hold owner appreciation events and meetups periodically.

“We love our owners,” Beron said. “Our owners advertise for us, and we want to make sure they have a good experience.”

Model 3 owner Andy Quayle of Munhall said he likes to attend events to chat with fellow Tesla drivers about car tips and tricks.

“Everybody’s friendly,” he said. “There’s lots of stories exchanged about cars.”

Jim and Sandy Butchko of Economy each have a Tesla but prefer different approaches to driving. Jim Butchko is tech savvy.

“Mine has the full self-driving, so I put in the address for here this morning, and it basically drove itself," he said.

Sandy Butchko prefers driving her Tesla in a more traditional fashion. “It’s basically a giant computer on wheels,” she said. “I don’t do all the tech. I like to be in control.”

Coraopolis resident Scott Spencer, who grew up in South Fayette, enjoys the handling, minimal maintenance and simple dashboard of his Tesla Model 3. He uses the one-pedal driving feature that can speed up and slow down the car using only the accelerator pedal, so he rarely uses the brake.

He spends $30 a month to charge his Tesla.

“It’s economically better than a gas vehicle,” Spencer said.

A Tesla Model Y charges in the showroom in South Fayette.

Photo by Andrea Iglar

Technician David Savor was among more than a dozen Tesla employees who attended the event. A mechanic for 30 years, he joined Tesla four years ago.

“I see electric cars as being the wave of the future, so I jumped ship on gas cars,” he said.

Members of Three Rivers EVA, an electric vehicle club, attended the South Fayette event. The organization promotes electric vehicles as a better, more environmentally friendly energy alternative for transportation.

Club member Rick Price, who also is executive director of Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities, said more than 66,000 electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles operate in Western Pennsylvania, including over 7,700 in Allegheny County.

“Tesla has the biggest number of electric vehicles right now in the country,” he said.

Tesla enthusiasts can stay up to date on local events through the Facebook page called Pennsylvania Tesla Owners Club –Pittsburgh.

Tesla, 1400 Brockwell Street, Newbury Market, South Fayette: 412-319-5316; tesla.com