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Worker killed at Tesla Supercharger in Norfolk identified

Posted at 6:16 PM, Aug 19, 2015
and last updated 2015-08-19 18:16:11-04

Norfolk, Va. - Police have identified the electrical contractor killed Tuesday while working on a new Tesla Supercharger as Steven Weaver, 32, of Angier, N.C.

The Supercharger, the first to be located in Hampton Roads, was supposed to have a grand opening Wednesday.

Weaver was doing some of the final installation work.  A co-worker found his body inside a fenced-in area at the charging station Tuesday morning.

A cause of death has not been determined yet, but police say he may have been electrocuted.

The accident has raised questions from some about the technology's safety, but Fred Schoenfeld says that shouldn't be a concern when it comes to actually charging the cars.

"To compare this system to what happened is totally wrong," said Schoenfeld.

He has a smaller charging station for Tesla cars at his business, the Commodore Theater in Portsmouth.

Most people charge their cars at home, but people traveling long distances rely on charging stations like his, which is one of only two like it in Hampton Roads.

The Supercharger being installed in Norfolk charges cars much faster than those but works the same way.

"This is, I can't say it's perfect, but it's a very, very good design and my professional opinion as an engineer - there's no way you can get hurt with this system, period," said Schoenfeld.

It's still unclear exactly what the worker was doing when he was killed.

Related: 

Suspected electrocution death under investigation in JANAF parking lot