Tesla Motors: Drive for free, forever on pure sunlight

Tesla Motors to build national network of free charging stations.

Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musk said there are three reasons people don't view electric cars as practical. Then he proceeded to solve each one.

1) "The range is too short."  His new super charger will give high-end Teslas a 150 mile trip on a 30 minute charge. "You could drive for three hours, stop at a rest area and recharge for 30 minutes and be ready to go again." There are six stations already deployed in California. "This is not some figment of imagination that may be happening at some point in the future. We built these up in secret and we are unveiling them for the first time tonight...Within two years we will cover almost the entire United States with Super Chargers. You'll be able to travel practically anywhere. Our long-term goal is (within 4-5 years) to cover the entire United States and the lower part of Canada." Europe and eventually the entire world are planned as well.

2) "You are just burning fuel at a power plant instead of the car."  The super chargers will be powered by solar panels from Solar City and "are designed to generate more power than required for the cars so the Super Chargers will actually put more power into the grid than the cars use."

3) "Electric vehicles are trendy but too expensive and not worth it."  The Tesla Model S cars equipped with the Super Charging technology will be able to use the stations at no cost. "You'll be able to travel for free, forever on pure sunlight. It's pretty hard to beat that. Free long distance? You're not going to be able to get that with gasoline."

At the start of his talk, a Tesla was plugged in. At the conclusion of his 10 minute presentation it had gained enough charge to drive 50 miles. From sunlight. For free.

Image: Tesla Motors

Video Description: Elon Musk introduces the Tesla Supercharger and the first part of a national network which will allow the Model S electric car to travel long distances with ultra fast charging. With the Superchargers' power supplied by solar energy, Tesla continues to move automotive transit towards a much more sustainable future.