Tesla expands electric-car charger network

Tesla 20-minute “superchargers" will blanket the U.S. and Canada within two years, CEO Elon Musk said Thursday. Musk announced plans to greatly upgrade and expand the number of its superchargers in and between population centers of the United States and Southern Canada to link major cities via free electricity.

Musk said Tesla will start by tripling the number of charging stations from the current eight — six in California and two on the East Coast — by the end of next month, adding stations in California as well as Vancouver; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; Dallas; Illinois; Colorado; and four more spots on the Eastern Seaboard.

The new network will provide "… a sense of freedom, the ability to go almost anywhere," Musk said.

Within six months, there will be enough charger stations in place to drive from LA to New York in a Tesla Model S.

The charge rate at each station will also improve, going from the current 90 kilowatts to 120. The problem with the current 90-kw chargers is they start rapidly but then the charge rate tapers off, Musk said. The charge rate on the new 120-kw charger doesn't taper off until much later in the charge. The new units will allow three hours of driving from a 20-minute charge.

“Expect the average stop time to drop in half," Musk said. AutoWeek