Automotive

Tesla's west coast Supercharger corridor extended to Vancouver

Tesla's west coast Supercharger corridor extended to Vancouver
Tesla sent out two Model S to make the trip from San Diego to Vancouver using only the supercharger network to demonstrate the new corridor's effectiveness in a real world application
Tesla sent out two Model S to make the trip from San Diego to Vancouver using only the supercharger network to demonstrate the new corridor's effectiveness in a real world application
View 5 Images
Model S customers can now drive essentially free between San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver
1/5
Model S customers can now drive essentially free between San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver
Tesla's supercharger stations will be located along U.S. Highway 101 and Interstate 5 right up into Vancouver, British Columbia
2/5
Tesla's supercharger stations will be located along U.S. Highway 101 and Interstate 5 right up into Vancouver, British Columbia
Tesla sent out two Model S to make the trip from San Diego to Vancouver using only the supercharger network to demonstrate the new corridor's effectiveness in a real world application
3/5
Tesla sent out two Model S to make the trip from San Diego to Vancouver using only the supercharger network to demonstrate the new corridor's effectiveness in a real world application
Supercharging stations charge Model S 20 times faster than typical outlets by bypassing the car’s onboard charging equipment, and delivering DC power directly to the battery pack via special power cables
4/5
Supercharging stations charge Model S 20 times faster than typical outlets by bypassing the car’s onboard charging equipment, and delivering DC power directly to the battery pack via special power cables
Model S’ equipped with the 85 kWh battery receive supercharging access for free while owners of 60 kWh models can purchase station time for $2,000 - $2,500 after delivery
5/5
Model S’ equipped with the 85 kWh battery receive supercharging access for free while owners of 60 kWh models can purchase station time for $2,000 - $2,500 after delivery
View gallery - 5 images

Elon Musk has given Model S owners living on the US/Canadian west coast an early Christmas present with the announcement that its fast-charging “Supercharger” network will now extend all the way from California right up into British Columbia.

Earlier this year, Gizmag reported Tesla’s development of its “West Coast Supercharger Network.” The corridor that previously only included California and Oregon has now expanded to include San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. Model S’ equipped with the 85 kWh battery receive supercharging access for free, while owners of 60 kWh models can optionally purchase station time for US$2,000 - $2,500 after delivery.

Tesla says its propriety Supercharging stations are capable of charging a Model S 20 times faster than 30 or 40 amp outlets by bypassing the car’s onboard charging equipment and delivering a shot of high-grade DC power directly to the battery pack via specially-designed power cables.

The system provides Model S driver’s with a 200 mile (320 km) charge in only 30 minutes. Although the time factor will be seen as an inconvenience to some, the fact that Tesla owners can essentially drive from California to Canada for free should negate any concerns rather quickly.

By the winter of 2013, Tesla is expected to make coast-to-coast travel possible across the US, reaching 98 percent of the country, and some parts of Canada, by 2015. According to Tesla, more than 99 percent of Californians are already within 200 miles of a Supercharger station.

Source: Tesla Motors

View gallery - 5 images
9 comments
9 comments
Craig King
What happened to the battery swap out plan?
flylowguy
"....... delivering a shot of high-grade DC power directly to the battery pack via specially-designed power cables."
Needless to say they are not off-the-shelf goods from the local auto parts store. This whole charging station idea solves lots of problems for would-be owners. It creates costs, though. If the idea is to build something that's better and cheaper, it only swings at one of those for the time being.
f8lee
Certainly a lovely idea in theory; I'm not sure how soon it would get old to have to stop every 200 miles, though. Sure, a lunch stop is spiffy, but having to stop twice going from LA to SF would be a bit of a PITA.
Stephen N Russell
Next extend from CA to TX? Or down to Baja CA Mexico from San Diego\ Or to AZ via Lake Havasu & Las Vegas NV Awesome does snow or ice effect hwy??
Australian
Free charging for how long? The electricity bill needs to be paid by someone somewhere. I'd be checking the fine print pretty closely!
moollar
With kids in the car, we make more stops than would be required for recharging at a Supercharger (if we can get away with driving for 300km straight, we're doing really well!) and usually stop for for at least 20-30 minutes to stretch legs and use the bathroom. So, this would be perfect for us.
Don't know about f8lee's situation, but in Australia drivers are encouraged to stop every 2 hours (there's a massive campaign every summer holiday season called "Stop, Revive, Survive"). 320km (i.e. 200 miles) is about 3 hours of driving. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't wait to stop after driving for 3 hours!
Ed Yee
ROFLMAO! “a shot of high-grade DC power “? This sounds so much like a PR statement from the manufacturer. I did not know that DC power has grades. Supercharger Network seems to work if one wants to limit the driving to along the West Coast. Driving from LA to SF usually requires one stop anyway. I could see that an additional stop would work. However, I am wondering what is this Rapid Charging would do to the life of the battery.
Martin Rayner
What superb value. Everybody who complains about fuel bills must be kicking themselves for not having a Tesla on order. I'm still waiting for my British version Tesla S ordered two years ago.
Nigel Quinton
@Australian even if they charged for the electricity it would still be a fraction of the cost of petrol required in a conventional car.
@f8lee having test driven the Tesla S, and being a Roadster owner for just over a year, I cannot imagine ever describing a Tesla journey as a PITA.