Tesla plans charging network in China

American electric car maker Tesla Motors has announced plans for a network of charging stations in China to allow owners of its cars to charge their cars for free and travel long distances.

A Model S can travel 250 kilometers after a 20 minute recharge, according to a Tesla statement.

Tesla is expected to establish service centers in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu before this fall, according to the statement, and is training third party electricians to install charging facilities.

Tesla is the first electric car maker to use lithium ion batteries and arrived in China last year, with a sales center in Beijing.

The Chinese government has been encouraging consumers to buy electric vehicles as one of the solutions against the country's pollution problems. But the plan has been partly hindered by the difficulties with charging infrastructure.