By Zachary Shahan 4 Comments It’s crazy to think about. Fewer than 3 years ago, there were no Superchargers. Today, Tesla opened Supercharger #500 — in Moers, Germany. Incidentally, it is the same day that Consumer Reports revealed the Tesla P85D had broken its rating system, achieving 103 out of 100 points. The Supercharger network, something Tesla either didn’t think was that critical or pretended wasn’t that critical before it existed, is without a doubt one of Tesla’s huge competitive advantages. Not only is it “free,” but it’s also much more reliable, faster, and more usefully spread out and integrated than any other charging networks on the planet. It makes a US cross-country drive, a drive up and down the East Coast or West Coast, a drive from one corner of Europe to another, and plenty of other long drives easy and convenient… for Tesla owners/lessees. It is shocking, on the one hand, that Tesla has built out the network now in place in under 3 years, but, to many of us, it is more shocking that no other automakers have mentioned doing anything comparable or (even more logically) partnering with Tesla on the Supercharger network. While other automakers sit on their butts, though, Tesla is not pausing to see if they ever intend to catch up. Tesla has been building about one Supercharger a week lately, and even in the following broad maps, you can see how much better the US and Europe Supercharger networks are expected to get in the coming year or so: Kudos to Tesla. Amazing work. One reason why I’m a Tesla shareholder and enthusiast.
According to Supercharge.info, Tesla recently opened its 500th Supercharger (globally) in Germany, however it must be noted that this is not a Tesla-backed site. The site also notes that the company has been working on an electric car for several years, and that they are currently testing their first prototype at the company’s factory in Fremont, California.