Tesla’s coast-to-coast network of electric vehicle recharging stations.

A cross-country road trip in a Tesla is now a reality. According to CEO Elon Musk, the electric car maker has expanded its network of Superchargers from coast to coast.

Back in the spring, Musk had talked about tripling the Supercharger network. Then, Tesla had nine Superchargers installed that could deliver a half-charge to the Model Sin 30 minutes. With 71 stations installed in North America, coverage now extends to 80% of the U.S. population and parts of Canada. By 2015, the aim is to increase that to more than 100 stations and 98% of the population.

Upon this announcement, Musk said two teams from the company will attempt to set a speed record for an electrical vehicle traveling cross country. The teams will depart from Los Angeles on Friday, aiming to arrive in New York on Sunday. Musk said his family will attempt a less-hurried version of this trek over spring break.

Two weeks ago, Tesla had voluntarily recalled 29,000 Model S charging adapters over fire concerns. The company said an over-the-air software update fixed the issue of potential overheating by reducing the charging current. Tesla also told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it was engineering a new safer adapter plug that will be sent to customers for free when available.

Photo credit: TechSpot

Via Fast Company