Jonathan Welsh
https://blogs.wsj.com
Electric-car maker Tesla Motors has expanded its network of fast-charging stations, called Superchargers, to allow drivers of the Tesla Model S sedan to drive across the U.S. without the long charging times and “range anxiety” long associated with electric vehicles.
To prove the trip is possible, the Palo Alto, Calif., company held a cross-country rally that ended in New York yesterday, relatively little-noticed in the shadow of Super Bowl XLVIII. A team of two Tesla Model S sedans drove from Los Angeles using only the Supercharger stations for recharging.
The trip took 76.5 hours and, the company said, recorded the lowest charge time for an electric vehicle traveling across the country. Tesla said the crossing is “being assessed for recognition as a Guinness World Records achievement.”
Tesla has installed a total of 73 stations so far. They can charge the car’s battery to half its capacity in about 20 minutes or top off a partially depleted battery in 30 to 40 minutes. The charging rate slows as the battery reaches full capacity, so a full charge can take more than an hour. However, the company said it placed the charging stations close enough to each other that drivers do not need a full charge to get from one to the next.
While there are many more gasoline filling stations than charging stations, Tesla’s network reflects the possibilities of an electric-car infrastructure that could support travelers across the country. For now, coast-to-coast drivers will have to take a northern route through South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
People who would rather traverse Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee, would have to find other charging stations that probably would not charge as quickly. Tesla said it plans to have southern routes covered by sometime next year.
Read more
https://blogs.wsj.com
Electric-car maker Tesla Motors has expanded its network of fast-charging stations, called Superchargers, to allow drivers of the Tesla Model S sedan to drive across the U.S. without the long charging times and “range anxiety” long associated with electric vehicles.
To prove the trip is possible, the Palo Alto, Calif., company held a cross-country rally that ended in New York yesterday, relatively little-noticed in the shadow of Super Bowl XLVIII. A team of two Tesla Model S sedans drove from Los Angeles using only the Supercharger stations for recharging.
The trip took 76.5 hours and, the company said, recorded the lowest charge time for an electric vehicle traveling across the country. Tesla said the crossing is “being assessed for recognition as a Guinness World Records achievement.”
Tesla has installed a total of 73 stations so far. They can charge the car’s battery to half its capacity in about 20 minutes or top off a partially depleted battery in 30 to 40 minutes. The charging rate slows as the battery reaches full capacity, so a full charge can take more than an hour. However, the company said it placed the charging stations close enough to each other that drivers do not need a full charge to get from one to the next.
While there are many more gasoline filling stations than charging stations, Tesla’s network reflects the possibilities of an electric-car infrastructure that could support travelers across the country. For now, coast-to-coast drivers will have to take a northern route through South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
People who would rather traverse Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee, would have to find other charging stations that probably would not charge as quickly. Tesla said it plans to have southern routes covered by sometime next year.
Read more