SQUAMISH, B.C. — Membership, the saying goes, has its privileges.

And that’s certainly the case if you’re a key-carrying member of the ever-growing Tesla ownership club. How so? Well, for starters, you can now drive from Whistler to San Diego — and back — without incurring any fuel charges whatsoever. By the end of the year, you’ll be able to take a side trip to Calgary and Edmonton — and back — without spending a dime on fuel. And by the end of 2015, to Montreal — and back. (For a station map, visit tesla.com/supercharger).

In the case of the revolutionary Tesla Model S, and of course all forthcoming Tesla models, said fuel is electricity, and the “free fuel” part comes by way of Tesla’s ever-expanding Supercharger Station network.

There are currently 105 such stations in North America, the latest to open located in Squamish, B.C., this summer, the first such station in Canada.

The concept behind the network is to allow Model S owners to travel for free along well-travelled highways throughout the continent by simply plugging into a 120-kW supercharger, which provides half a charge to the Model S in as little as 20 minutes. For comparison’s sake, that’s more than 10 times quicker than a Level 2 charging station, the typical system you’ll find at public charging stations.

Tesla supercharger stations are strategically located near amenities like restaurants and shopping centres. In the case of the new six-bay Squamish station at the Garibaldi Village Shopping Centre, there’s a Starbucks, a Boston Pizza and a Subway mere metres away.

Though not a member of the club, I recently had the privilege of driving a 2014 Tesla Model S P85+ — with an approximate full-charge range of 430 kilometres — from North Vancouver to Whistler for an overnight stay and to check out the new supercharger station.

Given that the one-way distance is around 120 kilometres, there was no need to stop to charge up at the midway point in Squamish, and in fact you could cover the distance to Whistler and back without ever needing to plug in for a recharge and still have more than 100 kilometres of range left.

But the Squamish supercharger station is a welcome rest stop for Tesla owners coming from Washington State, where a supercharger station along I5 just north of Mount Vernon is just under 200 kilometres away.

Heading out of North Vancouver on the Upper Level Highway toward Horseshoe Bay and the start of the Seat to Sky Highway in the Model S, I was reminded again what a fantastic vehicle it really is. The acceleration is breathtaking — zero to 100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds — the ride is silky smooth and almost silent, and the handling is nimble and precise. All said, an amazing road trip sedan.

Before we knew it, we were quietly rolling into Squamish, and following the pre-programmed navigation instructions to the supercharger station, we backed into one of the open spots.

Clever is a word synonymous with all things Tesla, and the supercharger stations are no exception. The plug at each station is locked in place, and can only be unlocked when the charging station senses a Model S within a couple of metres. Once unplugged, a press of a button on the plug handle pops the charging door on the driver’s side rear fender of the Model S, and the charging can begin.

Just over 25 minutes later — 15 or so of those spent in the snaking line at Starbucks — we unplugged, some 100 kilometres or so in range to the better.

From there it was back on the Sea to Sky for the second leg up to Whistler, and another rendezvous with a Tesla charging station.

In conjunction with the Squamish supercharger station, Tesla installed High Power Wall Connectors at two Whistler hotels — the Four Seasons and the Pan Pacific Mountainside Lodge. Free for hotel guests, at maximum amperage an HPWC can supply power at 20 kW, adding up to 94 kilometres of range in one hour, and a full charge in about five hours. In Metro Vancouver, there are Tesla HPWCs located at the Four Seasons Vancouver, the Loden Hotel and the Hollyburn Country Club. And more are expected soon.

Tucked in, and plugged in, for the night in the Four Seasons’ underground parking garage beside another Model S, our Model S fully charged overnight and was raring to go for the dash down the Sea to Sky back to North Vancouver.

In total, we covered 241.5 kilometres from North Vancouver to Whistler and back, using a grand total of 50.9 kWh of electricity. According to BC Hydro, one kWh costs 7.52 cents. So, the trip to Whistler and back in a sport luxury sedan would cost you $3.82.

But of course, thanks to the Tesla charging stations, it was free. My kind of club.