Elon Musk confirmed on July 15 that Tesla is working on upgrading its Supercharger network. The upgrade will boost its usual 250 kW maximum capacity to 300 kW maximum capacity for faster charging.
Elon Musk's Tesla is Getting a Charging Upgrade
Tesla is the leader when it comes to fast-charging electric cars. Its electric vehicles would charge faster than its competition. Its extensive Supercharger network made it very convenient to stop and charge your vehicle, especially if you are on a road trip.
However, in the past few years, other automakers have launched electric cars that can eventually charge at up to 350 kW, and several charging networks started rolling outstations with 350 kW capacity, according to TeslaRati.
Electrify America/Canada in North America is one of the third-party networks that is deploying charging stations.
In the past, Tesla talked about beating the 350 kW charging capacity. When Tesla CEO Elon Musk mentioned Tesla's Supercharger V3 update, he described the 350 kW charging capacity as a "children's toy."
Yet when Tesla launched Supercharger V3 in 2019, the automaker only increased its charging power capacity from 150 kW to 250 kW.
Tesla cars are more efficient than other long-range electric vehicles, resulting in Tesla staying competitive in fast-charging based on miles of range per minute of charging. However, Tesla's competitors are starting to catch up.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 has an impressive charging capacity. Porsche said that its Taycan would be upgraded from 270 kW to 350 kW soon.
Now that Tesla feels it is being outdone, the automaker has announced that it will finally increase the power at its Supercharger stations. Musk has confirmed an upgrade from 250 kW to 300 kW on his Twitter account.
The Tesla CEO did not disclose which Tesla car would be able to take the higher power output, but the new Model S and Model X, which are both equipped with new battery packs, could be the models that can take the 350 kW capacity.
The power output could also be focused on new models like the Cybertruck or Roadster that will have Tesla's new 4680 cells.
For years, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles were able to take 250 kW power output from Tesla's Supercharger stations than the more expensive Model X and Model S vehicles, according to Slash Gear.
The change with a higher charging speed for the latest versions of Tesla's electric vehicles launched earlier this year, but Tesla did not disclose the maximum charge rate for those new cars.
Tesla's Chip Shortage Problem
Tesla's charging capacity upgrade came as a surprise since Elon Musk admitted that the automaker is having problems producing its Powerwall due to the global chip shortage issue.
Musk said that the demand for Powerwall had reached 80,000 units, but they can only secure half of the demand, according to CNBC.
In 2015, Tesla showed off its Powerwall as part of its Energy business. Musk pitched the idea of running Tesla cars on clean solar power, making them sustainable.
Musk pitched the energy storage systems to create renewable energy reliability, as it can store solar energy generated during the day for night use.
Powerwalls have batteries that could allow people to live off the grid or avoid interruptions from blackouts.
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Written by Sophie Webster
