Register

Peak Oil is You


Donate Bitcoins ;-) or Paypal :-)


Page added on September 25, 2012

Bookmark and Share

Tesla Motors Launches Revolutionary Supercharger Enabling Convenient Long Distance Driving

Tesla Motors Launches Revolutionary Supercharger Enabling Convenient Long Distance Driving thumbnail

Tesla Motors( NASDAQ : TSLA ) today unveiled its highly anticipated Supercharger network. Constructed in secret, Tesla revealed the locations of the first six Supercharger stations, which will allow the Model S to travel long distances with ultra fast charging throughout California, parts of Nevada and Arizona.

The technology at the heart of the Supercharger was developed internally and leverages the economies of scale of existing charging technology already used by the Model S, enabling Tesla to create the Supercharger device at minimal cost. The electricity used by the Supercharger comes from a solar carport system provided by SolarCity, which results in almost zero marginal energy cost after installation. Combining these two factors, Tesla is able to provide Model S owners1 free long distance travel indefinitely.

Each solar power system is designed to generate more energy from the sun over the course of a year than is consumed by Tesla vehicles using the Supercharger. This results in a slight net positive transfer of sunlight generated power back to the electricity grid. In addition to lowering the cost of electricity, this addresses a commonly held misunderstanding that charging an electric car simply pushes carbon emissions to the power plant. The Supercharger system will always generate more power from sunlight than Model S customers use for driving. By adding even a small solar system at their home, electric car owners can extend this same principle to local city driving too.

The six California locations unveiled today are just the beginning. By next year, we plan to install Superchargers in high traffic corridors across the continental United States, enabling fast, purely electric travel from Vancouver to San Diego, Miami to Montreal and Los Angeles to New York. Tesla will also begin installing Superchargers in Europe and Asia in the second half of 2013.

The Supercharger is substantially more powerful than any charging technology to date, providing almost 100 kilowatts of power to the Model S, with the potential to go as high as 120 kilowatts in the future. This can replenish three hours of driving at 60 mph in about half an hour, which is the convenience inflection point for travelers at a highway rest stop. Most people who begin a road trip at 9:00 a.m. would normally stop by noon to have lunch, refresh and pick up a coffee or soda for the road, all of which takes about 30 minutes.

“Tesla’s Supercharger network is a game changer for electric vehicles, providing long distance travel that has a level of convenience equivalent to gasoline cars for all practical purposes. However, by making electric long distance travel at no cost, an impossibility for gasoline cars, Tesla is demonstrating just how fundamentally better electric transport can be,” said Elon Musk, Tesla Motors co-founder and CEO. “We are giving Model S the ability to drive almost anywhere for free on pure sunlight.”

About Model S
With the most energy-dense battery pack in the industry and best-in-class aerodynamics, Model S has the longest range of any production electric car in the world. Model S comes with three battery options to fit the unique needs of different drivers. The 85 kWh Model S has received a U.S. fuel economy rating of 89MPGe and an EPA rated range of 265 miles.

Model S is the first premium sedan designed from the ground up to take full advantage of electric vehicle architecture. A revolutionary powertrain sits under the floorboard of Model S, creating an ultra-low center of gravity. Paired with an aluminum body engineered for superior handling, Tesla has created a vehicle that raises the bar for performance and efficiency while meeting the highest standards for safety.

Without an internal combustion engine or transmission tunnel, the interior of Model S has more cargo space than any other sedan in its class and includes a second trunk under the hood. Model S seats five adults and two children in optional rear-facing child seats. Model S Performance models accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 4.4 seconds. The interior features a 17″ in-dash touchscreen with internet capabilities, allowing for streaming radio, web browsing and navigation.

Customers can reserve a Model S at one of Tesla’s retail stores or online.

About Tesla
Tesla’s goal is to accelerate the world’s transition to electric mobility. Palo Alto, California-based Tesla designs and manufactures EVs and EV power train components for partners such as Toyota and Daimler. Tesla has delivered more than 2,350 Roadsters to customers worldwide. Model S, the first premium sedan to be built from the ground up as an electric vehicle, began deliveries in June 2012.

Interested in keeping up with Tesla Motors?
For more information on Tesla Motors and its products, please visit: teslamotors.com
For more information for Tesla Motors investors, please visit: ir.teslamotors.com
For the latest information from Tesla Motors, including press releases and the Tesla blog, please visit: teslamotors.com/press

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release including statements regarding future Supercharger locations and capabilities are “forward-looking statements” that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations. Various important factors could cause actual results to differ materially, including the risks identified in our SEC filings. Tesla disclaims any obligation to update this information.

1 Supercharging hardware is standard on Model S vehicles equipped with an 85 kWh battery and optional on Model S vehicles equipped with a 60 kWh battery.

MarketWire.com



6 Comments on "Tesla Motors Launches Revolutionary Supercharger Enabling Convenient Long Distance Driving"

  1. DC on Wed, 26th Sep 2012 12:22 am 

    Electric propulsion is actually a very elegant idea, but this is not what we need. We dont need the same old big box, suburban sprawl, except powered by other means. The idea of driving across amerika to disneyworld in an electric trash-bin, is no less foolish than what we have now. Possibly more so. I dont want to drive across the continent in an EV. Id be totally happy just to be able to get from Vancouver to Calgary, or Toronto, on an electric train, or even be able to get across the small crap city I live in on an electric tram. But I cant do either! Neither system exists, or likely ever will given corporate control in N.A. In fact, I cant CYCLE safely form one end of town to other, the only roads that exists are for gas-burning cars only. Replacing them with EVs might help my lungs somewhat, but it wont be any safer or easier. But there working overtime on giving me the ability to drive in an EV from Vancouver to San Diego for the low low price of what…$60,000? give or take?

    Maddness…..

  2. BillT on Wed, 26th Sep 2012 1:19 am 

    More techno toys for the rich and/or foolish. 6 stations down, 99,994+ to go, to equal the number of gas station in America alone. At this rate it will be, oh, 16,000+ years until they are all replaced with electric. Dream on!

  3. MrEnergyCzar on Wed, 26th Sep 2012 2:01 am 

    It charges a few hundred miles in one hour…crazy stuff.. There might not be asphalt roads to drive Tesla’s on….

    MrEnergyCzar

  4. gandolf on Wed, 26th Sep 2012 10:32 am 

    Bilt, You would need more than that cause it takes about 5 min to fill a car with petrol for about a 6 hour drive. This takes 30 minutes for a 3 hour drive.

    so lets see 100,000 x 2 (Half the driving time) x 6 (difference in filling time) = 1,200,000
    Thats a lot of fueling stations
    I agree with dc just ride a bike

  5. Kenz300 on Wed, 26th Sep 2012 1:50 pm 

    Anything that helps move us away from fossil fuels is a good thing. We should all walk a little more, bicycle a little more and take mass transit a little more. We need more safe walking and bicycle paths that connect schools, work and homes. We need more convenient mass transit options. We will also need vehicles powered by alternative energy sources for longer distance travel and delivery of goods and services. Electric vehicles are not the sole solution but they move us away from the problem of fossil fuels and our dependence on them.

  6. BillT on Thu, 27th Sep 2012 12:35 am 

    Kenz, where does the electric come from? In the US, mostly coal burning plants that require oil to mine the coal and transport it.

    Will that change in the near future? Nope. Not for decades. So, where is the independence you speak of?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *