Tesla to offer "free" EV charging stations for office parking lots.

Tesla is expanding its electric vehicle charging structure into office parking lots. The new "workplace charging" program offers businesses free Tesla wall connectors and free installation but the lots must meet certain qualifications set by Tesla.

Tesla won't cover the cost of the charging or operation of the stations and there could also be some other costs not covered.

Chargers only good for Tesla electric cars

While the chargers will work with all Tesla cars they will not be compatible with other electric vehicles (EVs). The chargers will show on the maps showing publicly available Tesla charging stations.

Stations are level 2

The chargers are 240 volts or Level 2. The station can charge a battery pack in just a few hours. However, Tesla says the charge rate will vary by location depending on the available infrastructure.

Tesla has a variety of chargers

As well as the fast-charging Supercharger network, Tesla has diversified its efforts over the past few years. It already runs a "destination charging" program that is somewhat similar to the new workplace program. Hotels and restaurants are able to install chargers at no cost. Just last year the company also announced smaller Superchargers that are made specifically for cites with space shortages. Tesla also offers home charging as well as energy storage.

The Supercharger network

Tesla began building its Supercharger network back in 2012. By December of last year there were 1,045 of the stations worldwide. There were 443 stations in the U.S., 31 in Canada, 6 in Mexico, 353 in Europe, and 230 in the Asia/Pacific region.

The Supercharging stations can deliver up to 145 kw of power distributed between two cars. It can charge to 50 percent in just 20 minutes and only 75 minutes for a full charge. The next version is expected to charge more than 350 kw. The charges are free for owners of Model S and Model X Teslas purchased up to January 15 of last year, but later purchases are limited to charges that would give only about 1,000 miles of free charging,

The smaller Superchargers

The smaller superchargers announced last September were rolled out first in Chicago and Boston and are suited for cities where space is at a premium.

The smaller superchargers deliver up to 72 kw a car slightly more than half what the larger units deliver to each car on a two car hookup. It will take longer to charge a car. Tesla intends to place the stations near supermarkets shopping centers and downtown districts. This should be a boon for those who either lack home charging options or have only lower capacity chargers.

The Tesla network will help build the infrastructure needed to power its electric cars but it is of no use for those who purchase the many other models of electric cars,

Previously published in Digital Journal