tesla-charger
A Tesla supercharging station in action

Tesla is promising “free travel forever” for Model S drivers along Interstate 5, opening two new “supercharger” stations Thursday in Centralia and Burlington, Washington. That means drivers of the Model S can now travel from Portland to Vancouver, B.C., recharging their battery-powered vehicles along the way.

chargeTesla dubs its stations the “fastest charging station on the planet,” allowing drivers to get a half charge in about 30 minutes. That’s about 16 times faster than other charging stations. Historically, the company had operated recharging stations in 12 locations, most of them in California.

So the new locations in Centralia and Burlington offer an expansion into the Pacific Northwest, where Tesla has found a lot of success to date.

In addition to charging, Tesla also offers a battery swap program in which Tesla drivers can exchange their battery for a fully charged battery in less than five minutes.

The new station in Burlington, which included eight stalls and is open 24 hours per day, is located at The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott. The station is located 70 miles north of Seattle, and 75 miles south of Vancouver, B.C. The Centralia station, which includes 10 stalls and is also open 24 hours per day, is located Totes Factory store and Dress Barn. The station is located 85 miles south of Seattle, and 90 miles north of Portland.

Tesla has said that it plans to have 27 new charging stations open throughout the country this summer, and is promising full coast-to-coast travel in the U.S. coming this winter. It has sold more than 10,000 vehicles to date.

Previously on GeekWireHow Tesla is just like Apple: ‘Everything we do is impossible’

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