Tesla plans to double its charging network by the end of the year

Charging a Tesla is about to get a lot more convenient.

The Palo Alto-based electric car manufacturer announced today that it intends to double the size of the Tesla charging network by the end of 2017. This expansion, which will take place across the globe, comes at a time when Tesla is preparing to increase its manufacturing output to 500,000 electric cars in 2018. (It produced 83,922 in 2016.)

The charging network is a vital part of Tesla's mission to sell all-electric cars to consumers worldwide. While owners can always charge their car overnight at home, this isn't an option for those looking to go on road trips or people who don't have personal overnight parking (like apartment dwellers).

The charging network fills these gaps. It consists of the 5,400-station Supercharger network, and 9,000 Destination Charging connectors. The former is analogous to a gas station — scattered along high-travel corridors and allow car owners to drop in for a quick charge. The latter is like a home charger, allowing Tesla owners staying overnight at hotels or resorts to plug in for a full charge.

"Tesla will build larger sites along our busiest travel routes that will accommodate several dozen Teslas Supercharging simultaneously," the company's announcement reads. "In addition, many sites will be built further off the highway to allow local Tesla drivers to charge quickly when needed, with the goal of making charging ubiquitous in urban centers."

By the end of the year, the company hopes to have 10,000 Superchargers and 15,000 Destination Charging connectors up and running.

The timing of this announcement comes right as Tesla ownership is expected to dramatically increase with the shipping of the "affordable" Tesla Model 3 (it starts around $35,000). According to the company, there are approximately 200,000 Tesla owners around the world currently. If Tesla can hit its goal of manufacturing half a million cars next year, that number could dramatically increase.

In other words, as Tesla ownership rises, it's only natural that the number of charging locations will as well.