Tesla to solar power EV supercharging in Australia

Tesla Motors is planning to install supercharging station network operated with solar, before the launch of its EVs in Australia, reports Renew economy.

This decision is a wise one for Australia, as the country has excellent solar resources and that relying entirely on the main grid will deliver costly electricity.

Solar will be a core part of its marketing strategy for the first part of the network linking Sydney and Melbourne, and presumably Canberra, by establishing the supercharger at first service center in Artarmon, on Sydney’s lower north shore.

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The combination of solar and electric cars can actually work extremely well for a country like Japan. There is enough sun on Japan to completely power Japan with just solar, pointed out, Elon Musk, CEO, Tesla earlier this month when officially launching Tesla in Japan.

Company has planned a program according to which, the first group of customers who will take delivery of the first privately owned Teslas in Australia will use rooftop solar in their homes to charge their cars as this would be cost-effective for the EV owners.

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Musk is also chairman of SolarCity, installer of residential solar in the US, which is now bundling solar systems with battery storage. Right now they are exploring ways on integrating Tesla batteries with solar.

Besides, the $5 billion “giagfactory” to be built in Nevada will also generate more than 100 per cent of its electricity needs with wind and solar

Solar is looking like a clear choice for users of Tesla and other electric vehicles. Already, Nissan Leafs and Mitsubishi MieV use solar to charge their vehicles.

The Tesla Superchargers allow Model S owners to travel for free between major cities in North America, Europe and Asia, and soon in Australia.

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It may cost an additional amount of $2,000 for installing this super-charging facility, with Tesla profiting from the venture.

The superchargers provide half a charge in as little as 20 minutes, and are usually located near amenities like roadside restaurants, cafes, and shopping centers. Usually they have between 4 and 10 stalls.

So far, there are 231 super charging stations across the world, out of which majority of them are US.

In China, Tesla teamed up with Hanergy Solar to manufacture the solar PV supercharging stations to be launched in Beijing and Shanghai.

The first Beijing mobile carport used Hanergy’s GSE flexible thin-film solar modules, while the first Shanghai carport was a fixed structure, having Hanergy’s MiaSole CIGS high-efficiency modules.
Sabeena Wahid
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