This just got posted in the Dallas Business Journal:
Why Tesla roadster owners can't charge at new free station
Here is the link: http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2013/09/16/tesla-roadster-owners-cant-charge-at.html?ana=e_du_pub&s=article_du&ed=2013-09-16
If a gas station offered free gasoline, just imagine the massive crowds that would flock there.
Then, you find out it’s not compatible with your vehicle.
That’s basically the situation that Scott Weber finds himself in. The Arlington computer programmer bought a Tesla Roadster in 2011, as he says, not because he’s “green” or a “tree hugger”, but “I’m buying this car because it’s cool.”
The car cost $130,000.
“It would be neat to be at trailblazer,” Weber said. “It would be neat to have a car that nobody else has. It was more the trailblazer thing than trying to be environmental or trying to save money.”
Last week, Tesla Motors opened a free charging station on Interstate 35 in Bellmead just north of Waco that only works on the newer Tesla Model S cars that have the supercharger feature. The stations are being installed around Texas and the country. It essentially “pours” direct current into the battery, allowing it to charge to 80 percent power in about 20 minutes.
Another station already is open on Interstate 35 in San Marcos with more to come along Interstate 45 and elsewhere.
The idea is that Tesla owners can take road trips across the country in a 100-percent electric car. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk recently tweeted that he plans to take his Model S from Los Angeles to New York, a 3,200-mile trip in six days.
There’s only one problem for Weber: The charging stations are incompatible with Weber’s two-seat roadster, which can silently zoom to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. The car only accepts alternating current like he has at his home charging station.
He and other Tesla owners who bought earlier models say they’ve pushed the Palo Alto-based company to set up standard AC stations so they can take advantage of the free charge as well.
After all, he says, they were the original “trailblazers” who helped make the company successful.
The Tesla website mentions that the AC connections are available at some sites and that some vehicles can be modified with supercharging capabilities.
Nicholas SakelarisStaff Writer-Dallas Business JournalEmail | LinkedIn | Twitter | Google+
Why Tesla roadster owners can't charge at new free station
Here is the link: http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2013/09/16/tesla-roadster-owners-cant-charge-at.html?ana=e_du_pub&s=article_du&ed=2013-09-16
If a gas station offered free gasoline, just imagine the massive crowds that would flock there.
Then, you find out it’s not compatible with your vehicle.
That’s basically the situation that Scott Weber finds himself in. The Arlington computer programmer bought a Tesla Roadster in 2011, as he says, not because he’s “green” or a “tree hugger”, but “I’m buying this car because it’s cool.”
The car cost $130,000.
“It would be neat to be at trailblazer,” Weber said. “It would be neat to have a car that nobody else has. It was more the trailblazer thing than trying to be environmental or trying to save money.”
Last week, Tesla Motors opened a free charging station on Interstate 35 in Bellmead just north of Waco that only works on the newer Tesla Model S cars that have the supercharger feature. The stations are being installed around Texas and the country. It essentially “pours” direct current into the battery, allowing it to charge to 80 percent power in about 20 minutes.
Another station already is open on Interstate 35 in San Marcos with more to come along Interstate 45 and elsewhere.
The idea is that Tesla owners can take road trips across the country in a 100-percent electric car. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk recently tweeted that he plans to take his Model S from Los Angeles to New York, a 3,200-mile trip in six days.
There’s only one problem for Weber: The charging stations are incompatible with Weber’s two-seat roadster, which can silently zoom to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. The car only accepts alternating current like he has at his home charging station.
He and other Tesla owners who bought earlier models say they’ve pushed the Palo Alto-based company to set up standard AC stations so they can take advantage of the free charge as well.
After all, he says, they were the original “trailblazers” who helped make the company successful.
The Tesla website mentions that the AC connections are available at some sites and that some vehicles can be modified with supercharging capabilities.
Nicholas SakelarisStaff Writer-Dallas Business JournalEmail | LinkedIn | Twitter | Google+
