@ mahonj
The superchargers work because they have some massive stationary batteries that are able to discharge from the station/charge the car at a rate of 120kW. And yes, there are multiple cords drawing from the stationary battery much the same way a gas station has one big underground tank, but multiple pumps & hoses so multiple cars can be filled at the same time.

As far as battery swapping goes - wow you don't follow EV news much do you. One of the innovations of the Model S is it's designed from scratch to utilize a skateboard chassis (with the pack under the floorboard). No other car maker has done this, but then again no car makers are collaborating their pack designs with other car makers. Lack of a standard battery or multiple car companies collaborating is one of the main reasons battery swapping company "Better Place" went under. Battery swapping in general I think gets misconstrued by the public as an easier solution, but is in fact more complicated technically, and also adds complications financially as the batteries are the single most components in the car, so people would not want to swap it out without the possibility to get it back - think like swapping out the engine in a normal car - what if the replacement was in worse shape?

I really like this.
As long as the 'free' for life charging is kept at stations (and they increase beyond 2015 predictions for locations), 110&220V 'anywhere' charging is supported, and homeowners can have their own 3 hours or less superchargers at home, this is an excellent anti-gas station option. Further, through licensing, every oil change and tune up place could probably test and install these so it would be almost as widespread as gas stations eventually. As long as the price per mile is still less than 50% of gas prices of today including power, labour, and battery - all good. Hooray for Tesla bringing the convenience not environmentalism that people actually 'want' in an EV - affordability?, though - > hmmm. Maybe dramatic sales increase at drop to $70k on crossover model in 3 years? Question is, can any other manufacturer compete with this in the next 5-7 years?

mahonj, you're thinking "queue" like it's a conventional gas station with their drive-through lines with guys waiting behind you, but Tesla has designed the stations like a row of parking spaces; http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S6JHVFD04pU/UGX0LIVa5EI/AAAAAAAAAdM/3bX8Dt4rw9w/s1600/TeslaSupercharger.jpg

You drive in for a charge and back out when you're finished and anybody else who needs a charge just parks beside you, not behind you. If the number of EVs in the area increases beyond the capacity of the station the simple fix is to increase the length of the row of parking spaces.

Or better yet, we live in the 'Information Age' (you know, that whole thing with computers and the internet?) We could let the same on-board computers that would direct the drivers to the nearest charging station redirect them to the next nearest station if the driver tells it he doesn't want to wait for an open space.

Rethink your thinking about multiple cords per charger.

Think about rather than the currently being built Tesla charger, rapid charges that could be installed in restaurant/shopping center parking lots.

On charger, four cords. Say two cars side by side with another two parked nose to nose with those two and the charger in the center.

Or string them out in a line with a secondary post for the other two cables.

Four empty spots at a charger? You get charged right away.

One empty spot at a charger? You get charged after the other three are charged. First come, first served.

And you car would be smart enough to tell you which one of multiple "one spot left" chargers would get to you fastest. It's possible that the first two cars would have already been charged and the third was well underway.

You could park and be assured you'd be able to stay there for at least an hour. You'd know how long it would be before you could leave if you're in a hurry.

Merchants and restaurant owners would love having people get out of their cars and looking for something to do. Gas stations don't offer that opportunity except for the mini-mart and for a lot less time.

@Bob et al
That is what I meant:

N cords per charger, M chargers (I didn't make the 'M' clear).
(N might be 2-4], M would be based on demand.

(I am assuming a cord is cheaper than a charger).

You join the queue with the least number of cars, and get a disk (like in coffee shops). (Or the queue the system tells you to take).

The disk would count down until a: you were charging and B, you were charged. [ If no-one else was in the queue, the charging starts immediately. ]

With the disk, you can take your time doing other things (like eating a meal that takes > 30 minutes, or shopping).

As long as there is someone else connected to the charger, they can be charged, even if you are still connected, but no longer charging.

Thus, you get charged in the shortest time, but you don't have to hang around waiting for it to finish.

You can't drive off till you give the disk back.

Correction: "Tesla charges nothing for a simple charge" should be read as "With Tesla you pay nothing for a simple charge"

It means that the purchase of an 85 kWh Telsa Model S includes a surcharge for lifetime use of the Supercharger network.

It means that the purchase of an 85 kWh Telsa Model S includes a surcharge for lifetime use of the Supercharger network.

http://www.teslamotors.com/en_CA/models/options

The 60kwh model costs $77800 and the 85kwh model costs $88500 so each extra kwh costs you $428 ($10700 total difference between the two). But it should only cost $265 per kwh; http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/17590-Model-S-Battery-Pack-Cost-Per-kWh-Estimate

That's only $6625 extra for the extra 25kwh. Subtract that from the $10700 and we get a surcharge of $4075 for the free electricity - how far could you go on $4075 if you had to pay for the electricity?

Before reading kelly's link I like to see if the author is worth reading.

“I have been blogging professionally since 2008. ”

And what does he want to get paid.

“Blogging
$100–$1000 per post ”

Never mind not worth my time, GCC provided the info.

Jer writes, “I really like this. ”

Why is that? Do you really think that a '$70k on crossover model' is a good idea and will be what drivers have been waiting for?

“BMW and Mercedes ”

All this time I thought they were purchased for superior handling. I love the reason people use to justify compulsive behavior.

Ultra quick chargers for BEVs and PHEVs is a short term problem. The arrival of lower cost much quicker units will solve this real and perceived problem soon.

By 2020 or so, many thousands 400 KW to 1,000 KW chargers will be in operation in USA/Canada, EU and Asia.

Simultaneously, many thousands gas stations and a few dozen refineries will be closed. This progressive change has already started. Three out of five refineries have already been closed in our area and over 100 gas stations too. Smaller more efficient ICEVs and a growing number of HEVs, PHEVs and BEVs.

Fully automatic (unmanned) 24/7 ultra quick chargers will be much cleaner and more profitable than stinky gas stations.

If the battery can be swapped in 90 seconds, it means that you don't have to worry about the battery ever wearing out.  All you have to do is drive to a swap station and you get a new one.

Given the new battery chemistries coming down the pike, this is a huge selling point.

That bill might just be a bill of attainder, which would let Tesla tie New York up in the courts until they dropped the effort.