Tesla plans massive expansion of supercharger network
What good is an electric car if you can't charge it?
It's not, which is why Tesla Motors has invested heavily in its superchargers -- a network of electric filling stations in various countries that can bestow enough charge for 170 miles of range in 30 minutes or less. At the unveiling of the Tesla Model 3 Thursday night, CEO Elon Musk promised a big expansion of that network.
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Musk said the supercharger network would double in size by the end of 2017. The number of supercharger stations throughout the world today is 613 with 3,628 individual chargers, so that will grow to more than 1,200 stations and 7,000 chargers throughout North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions.
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Musk also said the number of Destination chargers -- essentially a Tesla-branded plug that owners can use for free charging at places like hotels and restaurants -- will quadruple to 15,000 in the same time frame.
Tesla's charger network isn't the only thing expanding. Tesla is also planning to double the size of its retail footprint, currently at 215 locations, to 441 locations worldwide, Musk said.
If the Model 3, the company's mass-market electric car, proves a hit (and pre-orders suggest it could be), Tesla's going to need those extra chargers and stores. Given the demand, it might be a good thing the car isn't expected to ship until late 2017. If Tesla can keep Musk's expansion promises, there should be enough services to support all the sexy new EVs on the road.
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Topics Electric Vehicles Tesla
Pete Pachal was Mashable’s Tech Editor and had been at the company from 2011 to 2019. He covered the technology industry, from self-driving cars to self-destructing smartphones.Pete has covered consumer technology in print and online for more than a decade. Originally from Edmonton, Canada, Pete first uploaded himself into technology journalism at Sound & Vision magazine in 1999. Pete also served as Technology Editor at Syfy, creating the channel's technology site, DVICE (now Blastr), out of some rusty HTML code and a decompiled coat hanger. He then moved on to PCMag, where he served as the site's News Director.Pete has been featured on Fox News, the Today Show, Bloomberg, CNN, CNBC and CBC.Pete holds degrees in journalism from the University of King's College in Halifax and engineering from the University of Alberta in Edmonton. His favorite Doctor Who monsters are the Cybermen.
