One of the smartest things Tesla did to help boost sales of the Model S was to rollout an all encompassing Supercharger network which enabled Tesla owners to recharge their vehicles for free during long drives. This move from Tesla was nothing short of brilliant as it addressed previously valid concerns that the Model S wasn’t an ideal car for road trips and perhaps even for long commutes.
Over the past few years, Tesla has continued to expand the footprint of its Supercharger network and today there are already more than 769 Supercharger stations strategically located across most of the United States and other locations across the globe. Now seeing as how Tesla has never been a company known for resting on its laurels, word emerged over the weekend that the company has ambitious plans to dramatically improve the Supercharger experience.
Responding to a tweet about upcoming Supercharger enhancements, Tesla CEO Elon Musk not only touched on the company’s plans to eventually incorporate solar arrays at Supercharger stations, he also teased that the third-generation version of Tesla Supercharger technology will be a huge leap forward.
When asked about the power of Tesla’s next-gen Supercharger technology, Musk coyly hinted that even 350 kW would be akin to a “children’s toy.” As a point of reference, most Supercharger stations have a capacity of 120 kW.
A mere 350 kW … what are you referring to, a children's toy?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 24, 2016
Incidentally, because the number of Tesla owners has skyrocketed in recent years, Supercharging stations have increasingly become more and more crowded. As a result, Tesla just last month announced that Tesla vehicles purchased in 2017 will receive 1,000 miles worth of Supercharger credits. Following that, Tesla owners will have to pay for Supercharger access, albeit a relatively small fee. For what it’s worth, Tesla said that it will still cost “less than the price of filling up a comparable gas car.”
