Tesla Wants To Bring Back The Drive-In Theater

A number of manufacturers are beginning to explore what a more “involved” charging experience for EV owners might look like. Electrify America has its take on the gas station, and Audi has its luxury charging lounge. Tesla might be joining those ranks, and bringing back some long-dead Americana in the process.

Filings reveal that Tesla is going to try and bring back the drive-in. Those filings define the project scope as “restaurant, drive-in theatre.” The new facility is set to be built over a SoCal pizza shop, located in Santa Monica, with a massive 34 available charging spots scattered across the 5,500 ft³ outdoor parking lot. 29 of those 34 will also be Superchargers, with the rest designated as Level 2 chargers. Soon it sounds like you’ll be able to grab dinner and catch a movie while you wait for your Tesla Model 3 to charge.

According to the filings, the Shakey’s Pizza which currently occupies the lot will have to be demolished first, rather obviously. The main structure itself will be a two-story affair, with what looks to be a somewhat retro styling ethos. The doors look very ’50s diner, as does the old-school styling of the building.

It’s tough to tell the exact scope due to the scale of the plans, but it looks like there will be bartop seating outdoors as well. Plans also make mention of a rooftop seating area located on the second floor of the building pictured above. Two screens will occupy the lot, apparently framed by “a decorative bamboo landscape screen.” Visitors to the facility will be able to view both screens either from their cars or from the rooftop seating areas.

It sounds like these movies won’t be whatever blockbuster is out at the time. The short features will “last approximately the same amount of time as it takes to charge a vehicle.” The plans say approximately 30 or so minutes. It’s unclear what kind of media will be shown there, but we’re betting it will be Tesla-related.

Supposing it isn’t Musk’s take on automotive promotion, we could see short TV shows being shown in the drive-in, but it’s simply too early to tell. Hours of operation will be from 7 AM-11 PM. Of course, those local to the area will know once demolition of the Shakey’s starts. Otherwise, the rest of us will have to wait for updates, likely from Musk via Twitter.