All of the company's 60 kWh cars will be built with Supercharger hardware, too.
The 480-volt Supercharger adds about 150 miles of range to the car in about 30 minutes.
The Model S includes a proprietary cable for connecting with the Supercharger network.
It is also in the process of establishing a network of Supercharger electric car recharging stations across the country.
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In addition to eliminating the small battery, Tesla also decided to build access to the Supercharger network in every car.
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About the only demand we have left is to get enough Supercharger stations that there's never a repeat incident.
The New York Times' John Broder, for one, described being stranded 25 miles away from the nearest supercharger station.
By the end of this year -- you'll be able to drive from LA to NY just using the supercharger network.
Solar panels will supply the electricity at Supercharger stations, with a 500-kilowatt-hour supersize version of its car battery as backup storage.
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By the end of next month, we'll triple the supercharger coverage area.
Tesla is also revealing a small Easter egg today: all 60 kWh cars have been and will be built with Supercharger hardware included.
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But the test that Tesla offered was of the Supercharger, not of the Model S, which we already know is a much-praised car.
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Tesla is taking a slight cost risk that ultimately all customers will want to buy the Supercharger upgrade and receive unlimited, free long distance travel for life.
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The problem is other EVs need to charge constantly, and they charge slowly, and people just leave them there all day long, vs. 5-20 minutes with a Supercharger.
The front half of the car is brutally ventilated with multiple air scoops to feed the ravenous supercharger and to cool the engine, brakes and transmission heat exchanger.
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Broder also mentions that he didn't drive around a parking lot to run down the battery, but did so since he couldn't find the poorly-lit and unmarked Supercharger at night.
Elon Musk is being interviewed tonight at the D11 conference, and gave an early preview of news coming tomorrow: his company's Supercharger EV stations will be available in more areas soon.
The Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 is the most muscular of American muscle cars, with a 5.8 liter V8 plus huge supercharger putting out 662-horsepower for a top speed north of 200MPH.
Meeting in DC over the weekend, seven drivers from the Tesla Motors Club forums banded together to recreate the reporter's infamous trip to Tesla's Milford Connecticut Supercharger, minus the Manhattan detour.
Clearly, a Supercharger stop will take longer than refilling at a gas pump, but Tesla is targeting what it thinks most people will consider a reasonable rest period after 3 hours of driving.
Another thing making that easier is an incoming software patch for the cars that will let drivers route directly to the nearest Supercharger -- perhaps Tesla can get John Broder to give it a shot first.
These address some major concerns with the first Supercharger stations, particularly the long wait times for an available charge point and also some disappointment around the amount of additional range one could obtain in a reasonable stop time.
Most of the drivers had no trouble topping off their Tesla's at max range, ensuring they had enough charge to complete each leg of the trip -- but one car stubbornly refused to top off at a Delaware Supercharger.
In this case, the first six Supercharger stations Tesla has built in California to allow Model S owners to drive up and down the coast or travel from Los Angeles to Las Vegas or San Francisco to Lake Tahoe.
Sure, topping off a Model S in 30 minutes with a Supercharger is awfully handy, but production delays of the sedan will keep some future owners away from quick charge times -- and most importantly -- their cars for a little while longer.
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According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are more than 5, 800 electric charging stations in the United States, but just two public charging stations in North Dakota, and zero in Wyoming (Tesla plans to have a nationwide network of its so-called Supercharger stations within a couple of years).
After a series of short charges and a series of drives in a Model S (the very same car we tested, we would add), Broder ultimately ran out of juice and was left stranded, having to tow the car from Branford, CT to the nearest Supercharger, this one in Milford -- about 25 miles away.
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After a series of short charges and a series of drives in a Model S (the very same car we tested, we would add), Broder ultimately ran out of juice and was left stranded, having to tow the car from Brannford, CT to the nearest Supercharger, this one in Milford -- about 25 miles away.
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