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Tesla's Superchargers scale up in Norway

About 90 percent of people in Norway now live within 200 miles of one of Tesla's six "supercharger" stations.
Written by Kirsten Korosec, Contributor

 

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 Tesla Model S drivers traveling through Norway should have an easy time finding places to charge their electric vehicles for free.

About 90 percent of people in Norway now live within 200 miles of one of its six "supercharger" stations. Model S electric cars outfitted with an 85 kWh battery have a range of up 500 kilometers on a single charge (or about 310 miles). Cars with a 60 kWh battery have a 232-mile range, according to the company's website (note: Tesla's Twitter users cite 425 km-range, or about 264 miles).

There aren't a lot of Model S vehicles in Norway at the moment. The first Model S in Norway (and all of Europe) was delivered to its owner in Oslo earlier this month.

That single-digit number should change soon. Norway, which has the largest EV ownership per capital in the world, is at the center of Tesla's sales push in Europe.

Earlier this month, the electric car maker opened a plant in Tilburg, The Netherlands, a facility that will act as the final assembly and distribution point for Model S vehicles sold in Europe. The facility also will house Tesla's European service and parts headquarters.

The company says it plans to expand rapidly in Europe with 15 new stores and service centers to open in the next several months.

Tesla's 120 kilowatt superchargers provide half a charge in about 20 minutes, the company says. The chargers work by delivering direct current power to the battery using special cables that bypass onboard charging equipment.

There are 18 stations in North America with plans to expand to most metropolitan areas this fall. By 2014, Tesla plans to to have superchargers within reach of 80 percent of the U.S. population and parts of Canada.

Photo: Tesla Motors

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

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