Oneida Indian Nation and Tesla announce EV sales center coming to Canastota

VERONA, N.Y. —The Oneida Indian Nation will partner with Tesla to develop the electric vehicle (EV) maker’s first sales, service, and delivery (SSD) center in the region with a showroom expected to open by 2025.

The 25,000-square-foot SSD will be built on the current site of the SavOn convenience store in Canastota, just off Thruway exit 34, with the Nation building a new Maple Leaf Market across the street.

“We are proud to expand access to EVs in upstate New York,” Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Oneida Nation Enterprises CEO Ray Halbritter said in a news release. “This initiative and partnership with Tesla align with the Nation’s commitment to environmental stewardship, the constant diversification of our enterprises, and warm hospitality for all who enter our ancestral homelands.”

The partnership aligns with the state’s climate action council scoping plan and will help the state meet its EV adoption goals, Tesla VP for Public Policy and Business Development Rohan Patel said. “We are also excited to work with the Nation to foster top local talent through Tesla’s workforce-development programs which will specifically provide members of the Oneida Indian Nation with opportunities to learn diverse skills which can lead to full-time careers at Tesla,” he added.

Currently, the nearest Tesla showroom is located in Westchester County. While the new SSD in Canastota is under construction, the Nation and Tesla will offer EV delivery at Turning Stone Resort Casino beginning the week of June 12. The EVs will be available on the top floor of the parking garage with Tesla maintaining offices at Turning Stone for delivery processing and registration.

Along with aligning with the Nation’s commitment to environmental stewardship, the sale of Tesla vehicles on Nation land will generate funds dedicated exclusively to supporting Oneida government programs and services for Nation members. There won’t be any loss of tax revenues to local communities as Tesla will remit the state’s portion of its sales tax collections on all EVs sold to the Nation in the county where the buyer lives.

The Nation and Tesla are also working to expand the EV charging infrastructure in upstate New York and will add 16 additional Tesla Superchargers at two locations in Verona. Tesla is also partnering with Oneida to install more than 120 Level 2 chargers across the Nation homelands including 12 each at the community center, administrative offices, and the elder center, as well as chargers dedicated to tribal residences. With a “magic dock” feature, the chargers are able to charge other EV brands as well as Tesla. There are already 12 Superchargers at Turning Stone Resort Casino.

The partnership between the Nation and Tesla is made possible through a 2013 settlement agreement between the Nation, the state, and Oneida and Madison counties. Under the agreement, the Nation has paid more than $600 million to the state and local counties in consideration for the state’s recognition of the Nation’s sovereign right to land use and economic development.

Oneida Nation Enterprises employs more than 4,500 people at its various business ventures which include casinos, hotels, convenience stores, and more.