Having an electric vehicle ticks all ‘green’ boxes and yet there is a very limited number of these on the road. The reason for this is very simple. There are hardly enough plug-in stations around to allow freedom of driving without worrying that the battery will run out in the middle of our trip.
Currently, only a small part of the U.S can provide this comfort to electric vehicle owners, and manufacturers have acknowledged this limitation.
Tesla Motors, the leading electric vehicle maker, has decided to take measures against it. The company is planning to triple the number of plug-in stations and create a rapid-charging network.
Such initiative will allow drivers of Tesla’s premium electric vehicles to travel freely from New York to Los Angeles without having to think where the next charging station might be.
In addition to this, the rapid charging stations allow charging a battery in less than an hour, instead of overnight charge as it is the case with ordinary current.
Elon Musk, Tesla Motors CEO, promises to install a charging station every 80 to 100 miles alongside the heaviest traffic roads in the U.S. The ultimate goal is to have a station every 100 miles on all highways in the U.S. and Canada.
Tesla Motors is also working on improving the charging technology of their Model S vehicles. They hope to increase driving time up to 3 hours for every 20 minute charging.