Tesla wants to help city dwellers charge their cars with new "Supercharger stations" in downtown Chicago.
Tesla announced Monday that it has opened its first downtown Chicago charging station at 225 N. Columbus Dr., which can charge up to 10 vehicles at the same time, according to the AP. Tesla also announced it has opened a similar charging station in downtown Boston, which can charge up to eight vehicles.
Many Tesla owners charge their vehicles overnight at their home or along the highway during a trip. The idea for the downtown Supercharging stations, Tesla said, is to provide charging places for people who live in city centers and don't have access to at-home charging.
Tesla purposely places downtown charging stations near supermarkets and shopping centers, making it convenient for Tesla owners to charge their car while running errands, the company said.
There are currently Chicago-area Supercharging stations also along I-355 in Bolingbrook, I-57 in Country Club Hills, I-88 in North Aurora and I-94 in Highland Park.
Superchargers in city centers are designed to be smaller and easier to install. The chargers deliver 72 kilowatts of dedicated power to each car, allowing drivers to fuel up in 45 to 50 minutes, Tesla said.
Tesla plans to install more Superchargers in the future, and its map shows new downtown stations set to open in places like New York and Philadelphia.
