TeslaTeslaUnited States of America, 2003 > present4 models
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has officially announced its Supercharger electric car charging stations for the United States. These are not chargers that Tesla will sell to customers but charging stations located across the United States where Tesla owners will be able to charge their cars for free. The stations will provide three hours of driving time for a Tesla Model STesla Model SUnited States of America, 2012 > present7 versions
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after a 30 minute charge. The first six stations are completed in California, and more are coming in Arizona and Nevada soon. 

The Supercharged provides 150 miles of range from a 30-minute charge. Tesla is placing the stations at shopping centers, cafes and other roadside attractions. Each Supercharger location can charge four cars simultaneously. 

Tesla developed the Supercharger stations internally. They are solar powered and after their installation use almost no energy from the power grid. Tesla says that the solar system is designed to produce more power over the course of year than is expected to be used by Tesla drivers. Extra power is transmitted to the power grid. 

Tesla plans locations across North America by the end of 2015. The goal is to allow a Tesla driver to go from Vancouver, Canada, to San Diego, California, from Miami, Florida, to Montreal, Canada, and from Los Angeles, California, to New York, New York. There are over 100 charging stations planned. 

“Tesla’s Supercharger network is a game changer for electric vehicles, providing long distance travel that has a level of convenience equivalent to gasoline cars for all practical purposes. However, by making electric long distance travel at no cost, an impossibility for gasoline cars, Tesla is demonstrating just how fundamentally better electric transport can be,” said Elon Musk, Tesla Motors CEO.

The entire network will cost Tesla between $20 million and $30 million meaning that each station costs between about $200,000 and $300,000 to install. 

Tesla plans to launch similar networks in Europe and Asia in the future.