SYDNEY: Tesla is making its mark on the Australian market, announcing its first rural supercharger in Goulburn New South Wales.
The installation in Goulburn, placed off the Hume Highway, will make travel for Tesla drivers effectively free between Sydney and Canberra.
Tesla said there will be eight bays on-site.
Most Tesla owner gets chargers fitted by an electrician at home but chargers are also available at various locations around the country. Superchargers, which charge the cars in minutes rather than hours, are now available to Tesla customers free of charge for the life of the car; Model S 60 owners previously had to pay $3000 for the functionality.
The Goulburn supercharger station is expected to be operational before the end of Q2 2015.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last month eventually Australian Tesla drivers will be able to drive “anywhere in Australia” without being too far from a charging station.
The enigmatic entrepreneur told journalists in a conference call that Tesla sales in Australia had been “surprisingly good,” leading to further “significant investment” from his US Company.
“Sydney to Melbourne is a key route for us,” Mr Musk said, adding that within 12 months ‘Southern Australia’ will be fully connected to Tesla’s supercharger network.
“Eventually you’ll be able to go anywhere in Australia in a Tesla,” he said.
The news comes following the introduction a new, improved and slightly more expensive entry-level model, the Model S 70D, which is set to hit Australian roads in September.
The all-wheel drive car features a slightly higher price tag than its predecessor, the Model S 60, but also boasts more features, including a new range of 440 km, a 0-100 time of 5.4 seconds and 15 per cent more battery capacity.
It is on sale in Australia for $102,400, excluding on-road costs and other fees, but Tesla’s website says delivery is expected from late September.
Technology Spectator recently conducted a full review of the Tesla Model S. For more, see the article I crashed a Tesla Model S – full review.
