TeslaTeslaUnited States of America, 2003 > present4 models
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is in the process of establishing itself in Europe. In less than a year of sales, the Model STesla Model SUnited States of America, 2012 > present7 versions
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has already proved itself as a bestseller in Norway where electric cars are incredibly popular, and Tesla’s next goal is to conquer the German market. It is partnering with railroad company Deutsche Bahn to open charging stations along its major route. It is working with other countries to build stations in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria. It has already opened four stations and more are on the way.

The German charging locations are in Wilnsdorf, Bad Rappenau, Aichstetten and Jettingen, and they allow a Model S to have the range to travel between Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main, and Cologne. It also has stations in Zevenaar and Oosterhout in the Netherlands, Lully, Switzerland, and St. Anton, Austria. By March 2014, Tesla is promising that it will have enough charging stations to put half of Germany’s population within 320km of a Tesla Supercharger charging point. The entire country will be covered by the end of the year.

Currently, Germany’s electric car charging network is limited to large cities, and German automakers have not been doing much to help because the i3 and electric Smart are marketed as city cars.

The chargers along the Deutsche Bahn have 120kw of DC power. They give the Model S a 50% charge in 20 minutes.

The goal of the project is to create a viable long-distance charging network in Germany. The Deutsche Bahn charging stations also work with the EVs rented from its Flinkster car-sharing service.

Source: Auto News