Tesla Motors charges into Wisconsin with stations - Full Story

Tesla Motors charges into Wisconsin with stations
Dec 6 at 21:09
Profile hits: QU4

By Barry Adams, The Wisconsin State Journal

      Dec. 06--The effort to build charging stations that can quickly charge
electric Tesla Motors vehicles is underway in Wisconsin.
      Christopher Allessi, who leads the Wisconsin Tesla
      Owners Club, said Friday that the St. Louis car maker plans to build five
supercharging stations along interstate corridors in Wisconsin.
      The first is scheduled to open in the next few weeks at a Culver's in
Mauston, about 75 miles northwest of Madison along Interstate 90-94. A station
at East Towne Mall near the food court in Madison could be open by the end of
the month while others are planned for Pleasant Prairie near Kenosha; Onalaska,
just east of La Crosse and in Eau Claire, Allessi said.
      "The idea is to get as much distance out of our cars as possible," said
Allessi, who has been helping Tesla test the six-kiosk charging station in
Mauston. "This will allow you to do more road trips."
      It can take 55 to 60 hours to fully charge a Tesla vehicle on a 120-volt
system and five to seven hours on a 240-volt system. A supercharger can cut
charging time to 20 to 40 minutes, he said.

      Tesla superchargers, which can cost up to $500,000 for a six-vehicle
station, allow Model S owners to travel for free between cities along
well-traveled highways. The company has 37 supercharging stations in North
America, most of them along the East Coast, West Coast and Texas.
      Currently, the closest supercharger for Wisconsin Tesla owners is located
at Cherryvale Mall in Rockford, Ill. Tesla, according to its website, hopes to
cover 98 percent of the country's population with superchargers by 2015.
      A Model S vehicle, which can cost $70,000 or more, can go at least 230
miles on one charge for those with a small battery pack and 300 miles for those
with larger battery systems, Allessi said.
      "This means people in northwest Wisconsin and people coming from
Minneapolis will be able to make it to the southern portion of Wisconsin," said
Allessi, of Greendale, who bought a Model S six months ago. "It also enables
people coming through the state to make it through the state."