Tesla is putting down roots for what appears to be Michigan’s largest Supercharger hub, on a roughly 2-acre lot in Romulus, just minutes from Detroit Metro Airport. Plans call for up to 48 Level 3 DC fast-charging stalls in total, with a first phase of 32 stalls already under construction and room reserved for 16 more later. The site sits next to a new Sheetz and is slated to run 24/7 for any compatible electric vehicle, so late-night flyers and road trippers get a new place to plug in.
As reported by Crain's Detroit Business, the project occupies a roughly 2-acre parcel next to the Sheetz on Vining Road off I-94, and NorthPoint Development sold the land to Tesla. Construction is already underway on Phase 1, and NorthPoint expects that first stage to wrap up this summer. Developers have pitched the Romulus site as a regional charging hub aimed at airport traffic and drivers shuttling between Detroit and Ann Arbor.
City planning documents list the property as 9100 Beverly J. McAnally Drive and spell out a two-phase build. “The facility will include 32 EV charging stalls in Phase 1 with 16 additional stalls in Phase II,” the minutes state. They also describe solar canopies over the chargers and note that “Tesla will monitor the site remotely via security cameras and remote access.” The same record says Tesla has a deal with the neighboring Sheetz so customers using the chargers can access the store’s restrooms and concessions, and it calls for a maintenance and security plan, according to the City of Romulus planning minutes.
What It Means for Drivers and the Region
The build comes as Michigan pushes to expand fast charging along key travel corridors, with the state awarded $110 million under the federal NEVI program to help fund corridor chargers, according to MDOT. State officials say NEVI dollars and other incentives are meant to cut down range anxiety on busy intercity routes, and a high-capacity site near Detroit Metro Airport fits neatly into those corridor priorities. For drivers, that should translate into fewer long waits at smaller stations and more options for quick, high-power top-ups before or after a flight.
How It Fits Into the National Charging Push
The Romulus hub lands amid a broader wave of large, automaker-backed charging projects aimed squarely at highway travel. General Motors and EVgo, working with Pilot and Flying J travel centers, have set targets to add up to 2,000 DC fast-charging stalls across roughly 500 sites, as EVgo reported. Pairing high-power chargers with convenience retail is becoming a favorite play for both states and developers, since it turns what used to be a dull charging stop into something closer to a normal highway pit stop.
Timeline and Neighborhood Impact
Developers told planners that construction crews are already on site and that Phase 1 should be finished this summer, Crain's reports. The Romulus Planning Commission voted in mid-2024 to recommend site-plan approval, but it tied final sign-off to revised plans and a ground-maintenance and security program, according to the city’s meeting record. City officials told commissioners the new amenity should pull in travelers from DTW and help attract more retail investment along the Vining and Wick corridor.
Tesla has been opening parts of its Supercharger network to non-Tesla cars via the North American Charging Standard, and its station pages note that many locations require a NACS adapter for non-Tesla vehicles, according to Tesla. If the Romulus hub opens on schedule, it will give drivers another high-power option near Detroit Metro Airport and should help ease the crush on nearby stations during peak travel times.
