One of the cons of owning an electric vehicle is the dreaded charging time which, fortunately, is slowly being improved on by automobile manufacturers like Tesla with the introduction of the Model 3 that is poised to have a larger charging infrastructure.
Thanks to Tesla's Supercharger and Destination Charger network plus some external grids, the process will become much easier as EV car owners will have more options when it comes to charging; more so with the planned expansion of charging stations prompted by the growing popularity of rechargeable automobiles worldwide.
Apart from Tesla, German car maker Volkswagen has also unveiled a structured plan to expand the landscape. According to a report by Wired, "VW will allocate $2 billion to finance EV education programs and charging infrastructure... [For context,] ChargePoint is the country's largest provider of charging stations, with more than 30,000 locations. Since its founding nine years ago, the company has raised $173 million. VW must spend more than 10 times that amount."
This is good news for Tesla owners who are already using charging networks like ChargePoint with the use of adaptors as they can also take advantage of VW's latest project. This is also applicable to soon-to-be owners of the upcoming Tesla Model 3 as the fruition of this new endeavor will be around the same time that the aforementioned car will finally start rolling out. Nevertheless, even if VW's initiative gets caught in a snag, Tesla is also continuing to expand their own charging network.
"Tesla started construction on its own new Supercharging coast-to-coast corridor. Tesla's Supercharger network already offers a few routes to travel coast-to-coast, but with the start of construction on 3 new stations, the electric automaker will offer yet another alternative to its owners," Electrek reports.
By the time the Tesla Model 3 is released in the market, the landscape of EV charging will have significantly changed for the better. It is not only private sectors like VW and Tesla that are supporting the cause as even the government is now rallying behind the initiative. The White House has announced that they will be creating 48 additional charging docks for EVs, covering 25,000 miles of U.S. highways bisecting 35 states.
The Tesla Model 3 is expected to start deliveries sometime in late 2017. But given the very short timeframe and Tesla's history of not meeting their deadlines, some car aficionados are still not convinced that this will be the case. The car, which has a starting price of $35,000, will first roll out in North America before making its debut in other countries.
