Tesla is planning to build a solar powered charging station network
For all the articles that we’ve written and we’ll continue to write about electric vehicles and various advancements in EV technology, there is always one massive caveat to consider, and that is the lack of an infrastructure to support these types of vehicles.
Well it would appear that EV pioneers Tesla Motors, are going to put a dent in that problem with the creation of a 100 solar-powered charging station network all throughout America, by the end of 2015. The overall investment will be somewhere between twenty million to thirty million dollars, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The fast-charge stations should be capable of delivering three hours worth of highway driving range with only a thirty minute charge, and the service will be free to Tesla owners.
The plan says that the stations will be located at key highway rest stops, close-by to established restaurants, and that they will feature between four and six charging ports.
Now this might seem like a lofty goal, however Tesla have already unveiled four such stations in Southern California and they’ve been working since September 24th, with two more going online in early October; after which, the network will expand towards Las Vegas, north California – of course – and Oregon by next summer.
It is expected that within the next couple of years, the majority of the United States will be covered, wil the following time being used to backfill areas between the already existent stations so that they will never be more than two hundred miles apart.
The plan isn’t limited to the US though, Tesla’s CEO said that similar sized networks will be built in Europe and Asia starting with summer 2013.
The solar panels that will be powering the charging stations will actually generate more power than charging cars can draw, so when they’re not in use, the will add to the electrical power grid.
