I HEART CHAOS

While electric cars are good for the environment, they haven’t yet taken over the road because of the lack of a nationwide charging infrastructure. Oh, and a global conspiracy by oil companies. But a new charging system from Tesla takes solar power and uses it to fill up an electric vehicle in less time than it takes to fill your tank with gasoline.

To solve (or at least, drastically mitigate) the electric car charging problem, Tesla Motors (who makes the Model S) has installed the first six of an eventual nationwide series of rapid recharging stations that act just like a gas pump for electric cars. The secret isn’t much of a secret: these stations (called Superchargers) can provide almost 100 kilowatts of power to a Model S, with the potential to go as high as 120 kilowatts in the future. That means that you can put enough energy into the car in 30 minutes to charge the batteries halfway, giving Model S owners an additional three hours of driving at 60 mph. 30 minutes is longer than the five or 10 it may take to pump gas, but it’s just about the maximum amount of time that people don’t generally care about. By the time you hit the restroom, get some snacks, check the nonexistent oil, and clean the windshield, you’re ready to go again.

Via