Tesla’s supercharger network could circumnavigate Australia

Tesla has flagged its long-range intention to help customers circumnavigate Australia on free electricity, courtesy of an expanded supercharger network.

The electric-vehicle importer is on track with plans to roll out a network of charging outlets that will theoretically allow owners to travel from Brisbane to Melbourne on free electricity by year’s end.

The superchargers are already dotted at intervals between Melbourne and Sydney, allowing owners to stop in at towns such as Goulburn and Gundagai, and fully re-charge their vehicles in about an hour. The outlets have had a double-pronged effect, with customers contributing an estimated $21 in discretionary spend in local towns while waiting for their vehicles to charge.

Speaking with motoring.com.au at the launch of the new Model X this week, Tesla spokesman Heath Walker said  the car maker’s ultimate vision is to follow its customer base.

“The idea was to make sure we connect Melbourne to Sydney, which we’ve done, and then the idea is to now connect Brisbane to Sydney and the plan was to do that by the end of this year,” Walker said. “That plan is still on track.”

“We haven’t announced [an expansion of that network] yet and won’t do so today but ideally we want to see superchargers across Australia – that’s our ultimate goal. We’ll go where the market is.”

While Tesla has enjoyed moderate success in Australia’s major cities – namely Sydney and Melbourne – it is yet to infiltrate the country’s other major concentrated areas and regional hubs, where range anxiety is more prevalent. However, Walker suggested this would change as the company grows its dealer or ‘shop’ network, and its vehicle range improves.

“As our fleet starts to build within any particular market we’ll look to support that with charging infrastructure, because it has a cyclical element to it,” he said.

“We sell nationally now through the website; we’re about to open our second store in Melbourne; we’ve opened another store in Sydney and we’re doing test drives out of Brisbane, so we’re looking to expand our market up there.”

motoring.com.au understands at least one Tesla customer has already crossed the Nullarbor aboard a Model S, and there is currently a team of drivers attempting to circumnavigate the country. For regular customers to achieve the same feat using superchargers, Walker said Tesla would need to space the outlets roughly 200km apart – a massive financial and logistical undertaking.

“Ideally we always map the supercharger station at 200 kilometres apart for our 60kWh owners, plus its optimal for quick 20 minute charges,” he said.

“In terms of mapping all of Australia we’d love to have the whole of Australia covered with these things, I think it will one day become that. The cost is quite a big thing though.

“It’s really cool that we’ve been able to do that so far, but it comes at a cost. Market penetration delivers greater infrastructure and you can see that if you look at our China supercharger breadth – it’s growing much more rapidly there just because there are more cars on the road.

“We’d love to see that happen here as well. Any support the government can give us will help and we’re agnostic; if they want to put in charging stations for other cars, we’ll put our station right next door to our superchargers. As long as it works with our mission we have no problem.”

Supporting Tesla’s growing supercharger network is its destination charging rollout, which currently sits at 130 chargers but will expand to 170 before year’s end, Walker said.

“The destination charger is like our wall connecters – they can be put in at single phase and three phase – we look at hotel and shopping centres, secure parking locations and resorts,” he said.