Not long ago, the American company opened three new fast-charging stations in Winchester, Exeter and Bristol

Feb 2, 2015 13:14 GMT  ·  By

American company Tesla Motors, whose working agenda boils down to designing, manufacturing and selling electric cars, together with electric vehicle powertrain components, now operates a total of 20 fast-charging stations in the UK.

These so-called superchargers can be used free of cost and take only 20 minutes to power Tesla Motors' Model S sedans to about 50% their battery capacity.

Even better, the American company promises that all the fast-charging stations it has until now set in place in the UK sit close to shopping centers, restaurants or WiFi hot spots.

The same is true about superchargers in other European countries and in the US, which means that no Tesla Model S sedan anywhere in the world has to worry about getting bored while waiting for their four-wheeler to charge.

Tesla has big plans for the UK

As mentioned, Tesla Motors presently operates a total of 20 superchargers in the UK. According to Business Green, the three stations that were most recently added to the collection all sit in car parks.

More precisely, they sit in the parking lot of Sainsbury's supermarkets in the cities of Winchester, Exeter and Bristol. What this means is that people can charge their cars while doing a little shopping.

“With Sainsbury's, Model S drivers can stop for a charge, use the Supermarket café, do a quick shop and get on their way again,” Georg Ell, Tesla's UK Country Director, said in a statement.

“We're excited to partner with Sainsbury's to continue the expansion of the country's fast-charging network for long-distance travel in electric cars,” Georg Ell added.

Interestingly enough, it appears that Tesla Motors hopes that, by the end of the year, it will manage to install enough fast-charging stations in the UK to provide whole-country coverage.

For the time being, it is unclear whether the company is considering extending its partnership with Sainsbury's and installing other fast-charging stations in car parks belonging to the supermarket chain.

The American company expects that, once this ambitious network of superchargers is completed, electric cars will become more popular and more people will consider giving such zero-emission vehicles a try.

In case anyone was wondering, Tesla Motors has until now installed over 1,600 superchargers all around the world, some 670 of these in European countries.