Until now, Tesla has focused the development of its Supercharger fast-charging network on enabling longer-distance travel. Meanwhile, Nissan and BMW, the two automakers who were bullish on urban charger installations several years before Tesla started its network, have largely put their focus on urban infrastructure of the sort commuters might use. Now, in something of a role reversal, BMW and Nissan are placing more investment in highway corridors and road-trip routes, while Tesla is looking inward to urban cores.
The infrastructure moves make sense given the companies? respective electric-vehicle products. Tesla plans to make the first deliveries of its more affordable electric car, the Model 3, later this year, so it?s preparing its Supercharger network (which is no longer free) for a dramatic increase in traffic. Tesla is also preparing for a different kind of buyer?one who might lack charger access at work or have a less than ideal home-charging setup?and it?s looking ahead to those younger, urban buyers by installing more of its Supercharging fast chargers within city centers. Taking Supercharging into the City
The California automaker is undergoing a major expansion of the network?with 1000 new Supercharger locations in its home state expected by the end of the year. Also by the end of 2017, Tesla expects to have 10,000 fast-charging Superchargers and 15,000 of its slower Destination Charging connectors globally, with the number of locations in North America alo...