One of the understated benefits of owning a Tesla is access to Tesla’s currently exclusive supercharger network in Australia.
Many of the new local sites have been Tesla’s V3 superchargers which can reach charging speeds of up to 250kW but that’s bound to change with designs showing the upcoming V4 supercharger designs.
Up to 350kW of supercharging is potentially on the way
Tesla currently operates 48 supercharging sites with 12 sites offering the 250kW V3 supercharging speeds. That will change with expected speeds of up to 350kW on offer at the newer V4 sites as Tesla rolls out in the USA and outside of North America.
Details of the new supercharging sites have been revealed in engineering drawings submitted for a site in Danvers, Massachusetts in the US. It shows a taller unit when compared to the current generation of V3 superchargers.
Currently, there are various manufacturers like Australia’s Tritium that offer 350kW chargers. These have been deployed across various Chargefox, NRMA and Evie Network sites around the country, although some have been restricted by local network constraints and are unable to operate at that capacity, even if the car allows it.
The news of speeds of up to 350kW would make wait times at supercharging sites during road trips shorter but it is unclear at this stage if Australia’s best-selling EV, the Tesla Model 3 would be capable of charging at those speeds. Many can get close to 250kWh at a low state of charge at current V3 superchargers across Australia.
V4 superchargers are taller & bigger in size
With speed comes an increase in the size of the V4 supercharger that looks physically taller than the current signature V3 supercharger design. Each supercharging post weighs around 91kgs (200lbs) and is nearly 2 metres in height.
Even with the height increase, the handle for the charger seems to be at the same height and will not have an impact on accessibility from the current design.
With many supercharger site openings postponed in Australia due to supply chain shortages, there is the potential of getting newer faster chargers from early 2023 when thousands more Teslas hit Australian roads
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.