Tesla speeds up free nationwide charging network, 20-minute quick repower

If there's one nut left uncracked by Tesla Motors, it's the inherent range limits of electric vehicles. The Model S sedan can travel about 270 miles on a full charge, but the combination of lack of high-power vehicle plug-in stations and lengthy charging times keeps the Model S from being of use for a classic American road trip. Today, Tesla co-founder Elon Musk revealed the company would speed the expansion of its free Supercharger network to make a coast-to-coast journey viable within two years — and a new charging system that would drastically shorten how long Model S sedan owners would have to wait for juice.

Tesla says that starting from the few sites mostly along the East and West Coast today, it will triple its Supercharger locations by the end of the month. Within six months, it will expand to most of the upper Midwest and Canada; and before the next 12 months will have an intercontinental network of Superchargers that Musk said should cover 80 percent to 90 percent of the U.S. population. Within two years, Tesla will aim for full coverage, with more than 200 Supercharger stations.