Gary Zhou 
Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison announced plans to move earlier this month from Silicon Valley to his island of Lanai, Hawaii. And not only will the island get a new full-time resident, but it might also get the state’s first Tesla Supercharging station.
The electric-vehicle manufacturer recently applied for a permit in Maui County to build a new Supercharger in Lanai City, the island population center mostly owned by Ellison, first mentioned by the electric-car website Electrek.
Lanai, the smallest populated island in Hawaii, has around 3,200 inhabitants, just 30 miles of paved roads, 400 miles of unpaved roads, and not a single stoplight. Theoretically, on a single charge of a Model S Long Range Plus, which has an EPA-estimated range of 402 miles, one might cover almost every inch of the island’s highways.
According to Forbes, Ellison, who sits on Tesla’s board and has a net worth of about $88 billion, bought 98 percent of the island, 87,000 acres, for a record $300 million in 2012. The tech magnate wants to transform Lanai into a tourist destination and an environmental sustainability experiment, and with both of those goals, a Supercharger could help.
Tesla Model X crossovers are used by Lanai’s Four Seasons Resorts, owned by Ellison, to shuttle tourists across the island and to and from the airport. According to Forbes, Ellison’s wellness agency, Sensei, runs hydroponic farms powered by 1,600 Tesla solar panels.
Ellison seeks to create “the first economically viable, 100 percent green community,” one that is self-sufficient, powered by renewable energy, and fed by sustainable agriculture. Not counting the initial acquisition of the island, he has so far invested over half a billion dollars on the endeavor.
The tiny island appears closer to having a Supercharger than any of the more heavily populated areas of Hawaii like Honolulu and Kailua, while, according to its website, the automaker plans to install Superchargers in those locations. It is also preparing to build one in Anchorage.
Tesla now operates superchargers in all 48 continental US states, having added stations in North Dakota last summer.
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