Tesla Expands Charging Network to U.S. Cities

Tesla Inc. is adding more quick-charge outlets in city centers across the U.S. for owners of its electric vehicles.   

The new charging stations will be located in supermarkets, shopping centers and downtown districts, starting this week with a 10-stall site in Chicago and an 8-stall center in Boston. Others will follow in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere by the end of this year. 

The 72-kW chargers take about 45 minutes to fully replenish a Tesla EV. They are slower than the company’s Supercharger stations, which deliver 120 kW, but considerably faster than a home charging system. Tesla says it also will expand its network of Supercharger centers—most of which are along major highways—to 10,000 charging points by the end of 2017.

Initially, all Tesla owners had been able to plug into Supercharger outlets for free. Owners who purchased a Tesla this year have to pay a fee after surpassing a yearly limit of 400 kWh, which equates to about 1,000 miles of driving.

The company is beefing up its array of chargers as it begins selling its first mass-market EV, the $35,000 Model 3 sedan.