Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that the Supercharger V3 Network is being upgraded from its existing 250 kW peak output to an even more impressive 300 kW. This should allow Tesla’s electric vehicles to recharge faster than ever before, making them even more convenient and viable for long-distance travel.
Elon Musk’s update came as a response to a Twitter post from electric vehicle advocate @jpr007, who shared the results of Car and Driver‘s 1,000-mile EV test.
The motoring publication’s “EV 1000” event involved 11 vehicles that were tasked to go through a 1,000-mile journey. Three Teslas were used in the test: a “Raven” Model S Long Range, a Model 3 Performance, and a Model Y Performance. All three dominated the competition.
In his response, Musk explained that the new Tesla Model S Long Range would have performed even better as it has more range and faster charging capabilities. The CEO also mentioned that the Model 3 Long Range and Model Y Long Range should have been used in the test instead of the Performance variants, as those vehicles were optimized for maximum range.
Musk then dropped a notable update, stating that the Tesla Supercharger Network is being upgraded from 250 kW to 300 kW. This is something that would most definitely be appreciated by Tesla owners, especially considering that the Supercharger Network — even in its present state and even if one considers its older V2 chargers — is already one of the best rapid-charging systems in the market.
Tesla’s Supercharger V3, which was unveiled in March 2019, features a 1MW power cabinet and peak charge rates of up to 250 kW per car. More importantly, Supercharger V3 stations do not split power between nearby vehicles, which meant that every user of the network is able to charge at the full power their battery can take. In Tesla’s blog post about the chargers, the company noted that a Model 3 Long Range operating at peak efficiency should be able to charge up to 75 miles of range in 5 minutes with V3 Superchargers.
Provided that a vehicle’s battery is warmed up and conditions are optimal, Tesla estimated that typical Supercharger V3 stops would last about 15 minutes. With peak rates of up to 300 kW, however, this time is likely going to drop even more. And considering that an internal combustion vehicle typically takes about 5 minutes to refuel, Tesla’s Supercharger Network V3 upgrade will likely be a definitive step forward for the transportation sector’s transition to sustainable vehicles.