After years of development, Tesla is ramping up production of its electric Semi, and simultaneously beginning to roll out the necessary charging infrastructure. The company currently plans to deploy 66 Megacharger locations across the US.
Tesla already has two Megacharger sites operational—one at Gigafactory Nevada and one in Carson, California. However, these appear to be designed to serve Tesla’s own fleet operations. Now the company has opened its first Megacharger station aimed at Semi customers, in Ontario, California.
Tesla’s Megacharger locations are planned for the busiest freight corridors in North America: I-5 on the West Coast, I-10 running east-west, and I-95 and I-75 on the East Coast. The company aims to have 37 sites operational by the end of 2026, and 46 sites by early 2027.
The Ontario site is in the heart of the Inland Empire, one of the busiest freight corridors in the world, strategically located near the junction of I-10 and I-15, as well as the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Tesla’s Megachargers can deliver up to 1.2 MW of charging power, but the company says this first public Megacharger cranks out only 750 kW.
Electrek’s Fred Lambert calls the opening of the Ontario Megacharger a significant step that marks the Semi’s transition from the pilot phase to commercial operation. The company has been moving at an impressive pace in recent months, demonstrating 1.2 MW charging in December, announcing a deal with truck stop operator Pilot in January, and opening its first customer-facing station in March (shades of the good old Tesla!).
However, as regular Charged readers know, there’s many a bottleneck between planning and plugging in, from permitting to utility interconnection to construction to commissioning. Electric truck fans will be following Tesla’s timeline closely over the next couple of years.
Meanwhile, the company’s competitors have not been idle. Chargers based on the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), an open standard that supports charging speeds up to 3.75 MW, are already in operation in Europe and the US, and truck OEMs Daimler, Volvo and Scania all plan to deploy MCS-compatible electric trucks in 2026. EVSE manufacturer Kempower has deployed MCS charging hubs at three locations in Scandinavia, and one in San Bernardino, not far from Tesla’s new site.
Source: Electrek
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