2 New Mexico Cities Opening Car Charging Stations

Two New Mexico cities are preparing to begin operating public charging stations for electric vehicles.

In late December 2013 Gallup opened a Tesla Motors supercharger station and Farmington is scheduled to open one this month.

The two stations are part of Tesla Motors’ mission to expand its supercharger stations nationally. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company is the maker of the all-electric Tesla.

Currently, there are 44 stations in the country, according to the company’s website. There are 18 down the West Coast, nine along the East Coast, 12 in the Midwest and five in Texas, according to the website.

According to Tesla, the cars range from $69,000 to $130,000 and can travel 265 miles before requiring charging. Supercharger stations allow Tesla owners to charge half their battery in 20 minutes. Tesla now has enough Supercharger stations for free travel between San Diego and Vancouver, and it wants to have enough stations for cross-country driving in the U.S. soon.

Farmington Mayor Tommy Roberts said the supercharger station will give visitors another reason to visit the Four Corners.

Tesla said it sold just over 5,500 of its Model S sedans in the July-September period. The company said it plans to deliver 6,000 Model S sedans in the fourth quarter, for total sales of 21,500 this year.