Tesla Supercharger fast-charging system for electric cars
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk revealed that little tidbit at a press conference today, where plans were detailed for an expanded network of the company's Supercharger rapid-charging stations.
“We actually have grid storage going on at some of our Supercharging stations,” said Musk, noting that two stations in California currently have 500 kilowatt-hours of combined energy storage—with the potential of “putting out a megawatt if need be.”
And that extended grid storage is “probably” part of the long-term plan for every Supercharger station, according to the CEO. Under the scenario, stationary battery packs take in energy through the week from an overhead solar panel array—which in turn doubles as a shelter from sun or rain.
“The chargers are generating energy cumulatively throughout the course of the week, and it cumulatively adds up to more than what the cars consume,” said Musk. “So it's actually capable of going completely off-grid,” and of continuing to charge cars when the power goes out.
Musk wouldn't exactly where in California those two grid-storage prototypes are, but he confirmed they're in California, and that the grid storage is being planned together with utilities, who have received the plan well—as that excess energy could be fed back into the grid when it's needed, as a buffer to help prevent brownouts or help reduce pollution during off-peak situations.
“Even if there's the Zombie Apocalypse—seems like a popular theme nowadays—you'll still be able to travel throughout the country using Tesla Supercharging system," quipped Musk. "Even if the entire grid goes down, it'll still work.”
**[Ed. Note: Elon Musk's comments may be seen as building on a misconception that the grid is unreliable. Let the record stand: The entire national grid has never gone down, and major regional outages are extremely rare. Also, zombies are not real.]
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