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Taking a road trip across Europe is entirely possible in a petrol or diesel car, but how hard would it be if you tried it in an electric vehicle? Probably near impossible.

Well, if Californian electric sports car maker Tesla has its way, it may not be so difficult in the near future.

The firm plans to open supercharger stations running across Europe by the end of the year.

The current network continues to grow steadily, with three new stations having opened up along Germany's autobahns last week alone. But there are still plenty of electric 'blind spots' across the continent.

How many stations Tesla will build remains a mystery, but the current European total of 23 is certainly not adequate for a truly pan-continental network.

Nine stations are in Germany, while Norway boasts six. Some European nations do not have any at all.

In contrast to Europe's meagre network, there are 97 supercharger stations in the USA.

But Tesla is keen to illustrate with both words and actions that they view Europe as a crucial market for its cars – and is willing to actually help create that market by making electric cars easier to use. In the vast majority of consumer markets, companies must rely on pre-existing desires completely. But arguably, Tesla is special.

Tesla believes deliveries of its Model S are likely to leap by 55 per cent this year.

But such assertions may be viewed as myth building – although Morgan Stanley does think Tesla will do well. In fact, it believes Tesla Motors is the world’s most important car maker.

But as always, time will tell if the firm succeeds in its lofty ambitions.