I write about the culture of Silicon Valley for the San Jose Mercury News.
Tesla Model S gets an electric charge in Gilroy
Big day in Gilroy on the southern edge of Silicon Valley. One of the world’s first Superchargers for Tesla Motor’s electric sedan will open for business in just a couple of hours.
You can feel the electricity in the air. (OK. I’ll stop.)
Anyway, there is a lot of excitement in the same way there was back in the day when the neighborhood got the first telephone or when the folks next-door got the first color TV.
In other words: These are early days, baby steps etc. The Supercharger, though, is part of a vision; a vision that sees people being able to take long road trips in electric cars, rather than simply tooling around to the grocery store, bank etc.
If nothing else, the opening of the Supercharger station — which will service only the Model S, of which there are hardly any on the road — is a little bright spot in a bad week for the electric car biz.
On Tuesday, electric car battery maker A123 filed for bankruptcy, eliciting gnashing of teeth from clean energy fans and squeals of delight from Republicans who say it’s all President Barack Obama’s fault, and this is why we need to drill for oil in the Alaskan wilderness.
Back to Gilroy’s Supercharger, which is behind the Sony store at the Gilroy Premium Outlets. It’s one of a network of auto juicers lining the spine of California. It means Tesla CEO Elon Musk will be able to make the drive from his SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., to Telsa in Palo Alto without fear of the dreaded “Low Batt” indicator.
Not only that, but while powering up in Gilroy, the billionaire Musk can also slip over to Banana Republic for some rockin’ toggle jackets at 50 percent off.
Hey, how do you think you become a billionaire? Paying full price?
I write about the culture of Silicon Valley for the San Jose Mercury News.
3 comments
Tesla's Supercharger network goes live in six California towns, encourages EV ... - Engadget | Rushville Bytes | Rushville Pc Repair
[...] ChronicleWant To Trade Your Tesla Roadster In For A 2012 Model S? Now You CanGreen Car ReportsTesla Model S gets an electric charge in GilroySan Jose Mercury NewsGigaOM -Business Insider -Tampabay.comall 26 news [...]
Oct 19, 2012
Dennis Polack
I think the Tesla development is one of the most exciting technological advances we have experienced in the motor industry in the last 80 years. The idea of having a high performance prestige luxury car running on batteries boggles the mind. Just imagine your own Solar Powered charger at home. No more filling up with polluting gasoline, No more oil changes and expensive services. Power provided by an electric motor that will only require minimal servicing. Electric motors are renowned for their long life and reliabilty. Instant torque at your disposal allowing you to out-accelerate virtually any other car on the road. Luggage space which exceeds all other similar luxury cars.This is the car that every citizen in America should dream of owning. The standard gasoline cars have been developed over nearly 100 years. Just imagine what the electric car will be like in 100 years. Tesla the first all American viable electric car should be supported by everyone that can afford it. This is the way to support American endeavour and ensure that cheaper and more affordable electric cars will be available in the future. Fueled by demand, battery technology will improve and cheaper, smaller, lighter and more efficient batteries will undoubtedly become available. Tesla has now shown the way and produced a dream car with a performance that no one thought possible. Every logical thinking person will be seriously thinking about owning a Tesla. Every Telsa motor car on the road will help to support this technological ground breaking product. This project needs to be encouraged and get all the support possible. By continuing to hope for cheaper sources of fuel you are just delaying the inevitable. Electric cars are here and are to stay. Support local endeavour and not the rich oil producing nations.
Oct 20, 2012
U.S. Rep. Mike Honda cheers Coulomb, Better Place and risks GOP assault | SiliconBeat
[...] Ouch. Sure, Tesla has hit a few bumps in the road on its proposed path to redefine the driving experience, but it’s far from road kill at this point. And last week with much fanfare, OK with a little fanfare, the company opened its first Supercharging station in Silicon Valley. [...]
Oct 22, 2012