Martin Eberhard's Tesla Roadster plugged in. Photo: Martin Eberhard.

Martin Eberhard's Tesla charger. Photo: Martin Eberhard.

The more important question is the market will see the proliferation of fast-charging stations. There are no public 440-volt fast charging stations. ECOtality, a clean-electric transportation and technology company, has implemented 5100 of these stations in 13 airports across the country, but none is public, said Colin Read, marketing directory for ECOtality.

CNET's CarTech blog reports that the upcoming Tesla Model S electric sedan (to be unveiled on March 26, mark your calendars) will feature 440-volt fast-charging capabilities. No word yet on how long the battery would take to recharge at that voltage, but considering that the Tesla Roadster takes about 3.5 hours using a 220V/70A system, it should be relatively short. CarTech asks:

Indeed, if the car has the capability but there are no fast-charging stations, it's a bit pointless. But this might be the way to get out of the chicken & egg problem; if Tesla starts making cars that have it, and other makers of electric cars and plug-in hybrids follow suit, it will then start making sense to build the fast charging stations (and maybe eventually start wiring residential houses so they can handle that kind of juice?).

Tesla Model S Teaser Photo

If you're curious to know what the Model S will look like, here's the best teaser photo that we have so far: Tesla Model S: First Official Teaser Photo, $350 Million DoE Loan

Via CarTech Blog

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