If we were to make a list of the things we like about the Tesla Model S, just one blog post wouldn’t cover it all, maybe a weeks’ worth? Free charging on the Tesla Supercharger network has to be pretty close to the top of the list, though.
Aside from five-star crash-test ratings given by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration [NHTSA] and have the highest standard electric vehicle range in the market, the Tesla Model S has also driven Tesla Motors to become one of the most valuable automotive companies in the world, in spite of being one of the smallest. One of the keys to the popularity of the Tesla Model S has been the deployment of the Tesla Supercharger network, which gives Tesla Model S owners the opportunity to recharge, for free and sometimes on solar power.
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk expects that, by 2015, nearly 100% of the country will be accessible by the Tesla Model S in combination with the Tesla Supercharger network. Of course, the greatest concentration of these stations has been on the west coast, where electric vehicles, of all kinds, have been adopted on a far greater scale than other parts of the country.
Still, in order to make it from, say, Los Angeles to New York City, as Elon Musk is planning, a more robust Tesla Supercharger network is needed. Mr. Musk is confident he’ll have no problems making it through the heartland and to another ocean, powered only by Superchargers. On the other hand, only half of the originally-planned eighteen Tesla Superchargers have been opened on the East Coast. Another five are expected by the end of the week, just in time for the end of summer.
Each Tesla Supercharger costs about $250,000 to install, amounting to at least $25 million, and supports fast-charging in less than an hour for the Tesla Model S 85kWh. Other electric-vehicle owners, beware, the Tesla Supercharger network does not support charging of anything other than the Tesla Model S.
Photo credit: jecoopr / Foter / CC BY
