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- 25 Sep
Tesla takes California one step closer to viable electric vehicles
There is general consensus from NACS and fuel management analysts that for the next 20 years, liquid petroleum fuels will continue to be the predominant energy source for how consumers power their vehicles. And though electric vehicles have yet to put a big dent in the number of vehicles sold, the electric vehicle company Tesla today made an announcement that could have a significant impact on how quickly electric vehicles are embraced in California and the rest of the US.
Today Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that Tesla is building Supercharging stations that charge twice as fast as any chargers now in use. Mr. Musk announced that these Supercharging stations will be installed at highway rest stops. Six are already installed in California, allowing drivers to make it from Los Angeles to San Francisco and from Los Angeles to Sacramento. Tesla plans to have over 100 of these stations throughout the US over the next three years.
The new Supercharging stations are intended to allow drivers to fill up their battery while they take a bathroom break and have a fast meal, similar to the standard practice of taking a road trip pit stop today.
Will demand for these Supercharging stations be overwhelming for travelers and make it inconvenient because people need to wait in line to use one? Perhaps, but certainly that is a problem Tesla would love to have, since it means there must be enough electric cars on the road to cause such demand.
One thing we can count on: the trend of decreasing gasoline consumption is going to continue, as gasoline and diesel fuel vehicles become increasingly fuel efficient, and the electric vehicle market share continues to grow. From a fuel price management perspective, that means a more competitive marketplace, where c-stores are competing for an ever-shrinking part of the liquid fuel pie, and only the most savvy c-store chains running robust fuel pricing software will survive.
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