Electric car maker Tesla Motors has unveiled a so-called ‘Supercharger’ network. It revealed the locations of the first six stations, which will allow its Model S EV to travel long distances with claimed “ultra fast charging throughout California, parts of Nevada and Arizona”.

The technology was developed in-house and, Tesla said, “leverages the economies of scale of existing charging technology already used by the Model S, enabling [us] to create the Supercharger device at minimal cost.

The electricity used by the charger comes from a solar carport system provided by SolarCity, claimed to result in almost zero marginal energy cost after installation.

“Combining these two factors, Tesla is able to provide Model S owners free long distance travel indefinitely,” the automaker said.

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 charger. 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, Tesla said.

The New York Times, however, noted that the system is not compatible with existing Level III fast chargers.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

It complements elements of the company’s charging system unveiled earlier, including the high-power wall unit and plug design the company demonstrated for the paper last year.

“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,” Tesla said in a statement. It is also promoting the system on its website.

The six California locations unveiled this week are just the beginning, the automaker added.

“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 with the potential to go as high as 120 kilowatts in the future.

“This can replenish three hours of Model S driving at 60mph 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 9am 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, the automaker’s co-founder and CEO.

“We are giving Model S the ability to drive almost anywhere for free on pure sunlight.”

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