2012 Tesla Model S

2012 Tesla Model S

The ground-breaking 2012 Tesla Model S electric sedan has just gone on sale and is proving to be quite the hit, in particular due to its 300-mile driving range when equipped with an 85 kWh battery.

However, soon the Model S will be making waves again, and that’s because of a new 440-volt fast-charging system Tesla plans to launch that could see the car’s battery fully charged within just an hour.

Compare that with current 240-volt systems, which take around 8 hours to top up the 85 kWh, 300-mile range battery of the Model S.

Tesla has nicknamed its new fast-charging system a ‘Supercharger,’ and states the technology will be ready within a year.

However, the company explains that its Superchargers are not for everyday use but rather for refueling quickly on road trips. They would be installed along high-traffic corridors, such as the I-5 running between Los Angeles and San Francisco for example. A popular route on the East Coast would probably be picked as well.  

Importantly, all Model S sedans with the 85 kWh battery are already designed to use Tesla’s Supercharger. And soon, the cars with 60 kWh batteries will be as well.

Fast, attractive, efficient, and with nearly the range of a gas-powered car, the 2012 Tesla Model S is certainly one of the most impressive cars of the year, if not the decade, and with the launch of this new fast-charging system the bar will only be lifted higher.