Tesla V3 Supercharging: 250kW charge stations announced
Tesla owners will be able to juice up faster than before, thanks to a new generation of Supercharger and smarter in-car software designed to prepare vehicles for max power.
Tesla has announced the latest generation of its 'Supercharging' fast-charge network, dubbed V3, with 250kW speeds bringing the brand closer to those promised by the European Ionity network.
Backed by a central 1MW power cabinet with a design inspired by the brand's industrial products, capable of charging at 250kW or, as Tesla is putting it, 1000 miles per hour of charge when operating at peak efficiency.
For reference, Supercharging currently tops out at 120kW. Porsche is promising 320kW 'Turbo Charging' across its dealer network when the Taycan rolls out, while the Ionity network being rolled out across Europe will do 350kW on vehicles that support it.
According to the company, a Model 3 Long Range charging at its most efficient can gain 75mi of charge in five minutes, in a move that'll cut the amount of time owners spend waiting at the charge station by 50 per cent.
Along with the faster chargers themselves, Tesla will roll out a software upgrade that warms the battery to the optimum temperature en-route to the charge station. That move alone should help drop charge times by 25 per cent.
The first V3 Beta site is now open in the Californian Bay Area, also known as the Tesla heartland. Although the Tesla blog post says the technology will start rolling out in the fourth quarter of 2019 throughout Asia Pacific, specific Australian timing hasn't been confirmed.
We've contacted the company for more details, and will update the story when they become available.
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