Tesla says Model S can recharge in an hour, given the right equipment (a Supercharger)

Get this: the recharge time in the humongous Tesla Model S battery pack – yes, the 300-mile version – could be as short as an hour. That is, if you happen to have one of Tesla's Supercharger stations handy.

At the big Model S launch event Friday, Tesla chief technology officer J.B. Straubel told Automotive News that the upcoming 90-kW 440-volt Superchargers will be able to recharge a top-of-the-line, 300-mile-range car in an hour. Say what you want about proprietary technology, that's far, far faster than today's DC Fast Chargers, which take 20-30 minutes to give an EV around 80 miles of range. He said that, "If you recharge a Nissan Leaf in 30 minutes, it's much different than if you can do a 300-mile Model S in 30 minutes," adding that putting 150 miles of range into a Model S in a half-hour is "not science fiction," and will be unveiled "in less than one year."

Other numbers from Friday's event:

• Tesla is building a Model S a day right now, but this could ramp up to 80/day by the end of the year. That equals 8,000 from the first year, given a single shift working.
• At the end of Q1 2012, there were 9,800 reservations for the Model S, which means putting money down today equals a delivery in May 2013. This could be shortened if Tesla ramps production up quicker than anticipated.
• There should be 22 Tesla stores in the U.S. by the end of the year (there are 12 today). Tesla had expected 1,000 people a month to stop in, but apparently around 4,000 stop by.

For more on Tesla's Supercharging network, read this and this.