It’s the age-old “chicken and egg” conundrum, which comes first, the Tesla Supercharger or the Tesla Model S?
Depending on who you ask, public-access electric vehicle fast-charging stations, such as the Tesla Supercharger LIII charging network, may or may not be absolutely necessary. For example, considering that most electric vehicle drivers charge at night or at work on LI or LII chargers, enough to cover their daily driving needs, they may never use a public charging station. If they want to make the occasional trip out of town, beyond the available range of their particular electric vehicle, they might opt for a conventional vehicle, requiring a second car or a rental car. On the other hand, public-access charging stations, especially fast-charging LIII stations, could eliminate that problem.
So, following the Pareto Principle, the so-called 80/20 rule, does it make sense to install Tesla Superchargers for the 20% long-trip drives that Tesla Model S owners might require? Tesla Motors, in so many words and actions, says “Absolutely!” which explains the expanding Tesla Supercharger network across the United States and Europe. The United States’ network seems to be about 50% complete, and one can drive the entire East Coast, make a cross-country trip, and then drive the entire West Coast, without spending a dime on “other” public-access electric vehicle charging stations. The European network, however, started a little later than that in the States.
Tesla Motors has made assurances that European Tesla Model S customers are very important, even boosting the performance of the Tesla Model S Autobahn Edition for German drivers. The current Tesla Supercharger network could be cause for concern, however, as just 23 stations cover the sub-continent, mostly through Central and Northern Europe, but Western and Eastern Europe still have no access at all. Tesla Motors is reassuring their European customers and plans on having the rest of the continent covered by the end of the year. With so few days left in the year, will they reach that goal?
Image © Tesla Motors
