As a brand, Tesla Motors is still relatively new. Its first vehicle was revealed only nine years ago. But like the cars it produces, the company itself likes to move quickly. Just how quickly? According to the automaker’s website, Tesla has officially installed its 500th Supercharger station in Moers, Germany.
If you’re tuned in to the world of Tesla (we like to call it the Elon Muskosphere), you’ll know that the automaker hasn’t been producing Superchargers since the beginning. In fact, the brand starting installing the charging stations less than three years ago, which makes the feat all the more impressive. Each station features multiple Superchargers as well, totaling some 2,832 individual units around the globe.
Part of the reason the Supercharger network is so appealing is its ability to give Tesla owners a lot of charge in a little time. The company claims an 85 kWh Model S can be replenished to 80 percent capacity in just 40 minutes, which gives the car over 170 miles of driving range. Unlike standard outlets, the stations use multiple chargers working in tandem to provide up to 120 kW of DC power directly to the battery.
If you have a flair for the unconventional, you’ll love Tesla’s prototype “Snakebot” charger, which was revealed in a slightly creepy testing video in early August. The device appears to automatically locate the charging port on a Model S once the door has been opened, and then slowly but surely plug itself in and replenish the car’s batteries autonomously.
It’s still in the development stage for now, but you may very well see this product available for sale one day. Back in December 2014, Elon Musk wrote on Twitter, “Btw, we are actually working on a charger that automatically moves out from the wall & connects like a solid metal snake. For realz.”
