Are you ready to drive your Tesla Model S from San Diego, California to Vancouver, British Colombia? That’s the tantalizing possibility now that the electric vehicle company’s Supercharger Corridor along the West Coast is filled out enough that, staying to major roads, you could likely do it without breaking much of a sweat.
image via Tesla Motors
Tesla Motors said today there are dedicated fast charge stations along U.S. Highway 101 and Interstate 5, which are the West Coast’s two major routes. Teslaprojects more than 99 percent of Californians and 87 percent of Oregon and Washington owners are now within 200 miles of a Supercharger.
Looking beyond this, would it be possible you think to drive a Model S from one end of the country to the other? That’s a possibility as well, especially when you look at the map below to visualize current and planned Supercharger locations by 2015. Gray markers indicate future places where you’ll be able to stop, and as you can see from how some are strung out, it is quite possible one might be able to some day drive between San Francisco and New York, stopping along the way to refill their electric car’s batteries while making use of nearby facilities such as roadside diners, cafes and shopping centers.
image via Tesla Motors
Tesla Superchargers are said to be “substantially more powerful than any other charging technology in the world,” capable of charging a Model S up to 20x faster than most public charging stations. Superchargers deliver up to 120 kW DC power directly to the vehicle’s battery, providing half a charge in as little as 20 minutes. It is also free to charge.
To prove one can now navigate the West Coast without range anxiety concerns,two Model S cars departed San Diego today on a 1,750 mile journey up into Canada. This trip will take them through Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Sacramento, Mt. Shasta, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, where they will stop off at famous landmarks and be part of owner and media events. Hopefully there are no issues around vehicle fires.
* Nino Marchetti, EarthTechling
