Tesla Motors has struggled with range anxiety in the past, but today, the company took a big step towards defeating some of those worries. This morning, the company opened up the first leg of its ambitious Supercharger network, a series of more powerful charging stations made available for free use to Model S drivers. The new West Coast corridor stretches from Tijuana to Vancouver, with particular emphasis on California's Highway 101 and Interstate 5. To celebrate the trip, Tesla sent two Model S drivers on a road trip from San Diego to the network's northern edge, 1,750 miles in total.

The new supercharger stations pump through significantly more power than a standard charger, and 33 percent more than the previously available Tesla chargers. According to the company, that will let drivers charge the car's battery halfway up in just 20 minutes, providing enough power for three hours of driving. The company's next step is to complete the East Coast network, stretching from Miami to Portland, Maine, which Musk predicted would happen "in a few months." By 2015, the company plans to extend the network to cover 98 percent of the population of the US and Canada.