But the foray into urban parking garages is a first for Tesla, which acknowledges that city dwellers in places like New York face a tougher time finding an easy way to charge.

“We wanted to move to an urban charging network that meets the needs of those who live in apartments or commute into a big city,” said Alexis Georgeson, a Tesla spokeswoman. “Naturally, Manhattan was the place to try this for the first time.”

The plan, Ms. Georgeson said, is to offer Tesla owners the ability to park by the hour, day, week or even month, at participating garages — which initially include two dozen locations stretching from Wall Street up to 94th Street. Over the coming months, the company plans to sign several dozen more locations to the network.

But unlike Tesla’s highway superchargers, the electricity will not be free for Tesla owners. Each garage will determine how much, if any, cost will be added to their existing parking fees, Ms. Georgeson said.

Paul Gardi, a 49-year-old technology entrepreneur and West Side resident, came home with his new Model S P85D edition (the fastest version of the car) in May. He said he had loved driving it around the city this summer, and out to the Hamptons, but finding a place to park and charge it had been a challenge.