Electric carmaker Tesla Motors and rail operator Deutsche Bahn opened four new charging stations along key autobahn routes on Tuesday in an effort to make electric cars viable for long-distance commuting in Germany. Tesla's efforts to build out a network of so-called "supercharger" stations, aims to broaden the appeal of electric cars which have failed to gain widespread acceptance in Germany because of concerns about range and a lack of charging stations that allow for a fast battery top-up.Rival carmakers such as BMW, which recently launched the i3 electric vehicle, and Daimler which offers an electric version of its Smart car, are marketing these vehicles as "city cars" suitable mainly for short distances.Tesla says its Model S has a range of 500 kilometres, but a lack of a charging infrastructure has limited its appeal.On Tuesday Tesla and DB Energie, a unit of Deutsche Bahn which provides electricity for Germany's rail network, said they had built charging stations with 120 kilowatts of direct current power, allowing drivers to replenish half a battery charge in about 20 minutes, making long-distance commuting more viable.
Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) designs, develops, manufactures and sells electric vehicles and advanced electric vehicle powertrain components. Shares of TSLA traded higher by 3.64% or $6.18/share to $176.19. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $33.80 and as high as $194.50. On average, 11462700 shares of TSLA exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 7471650.
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