- Superchargers are getting longer cables in preparation for V4
- Tesla can detect when a non-Tesla EV is plugged in
- That means more accurate real-time stall availability
Ahead of the overdue rollout of its V4 Supercharger hardware, Tesla is installing longer cables and making other changes that may help avoid friction at Supercharger stations as EVs from other brands start using them more frequently.
The official Tesla Charging account on X (formerly known as Twitter), the social media network owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, recently posted that the automaker is increasing the number of longer-cable chargers—at locations set to be V4—and expects them to outnumber short-cable chargers within the next 18 months.
Tesla has also modified over 1,500 sites to help drivers better reach chargers, and it has updated the software that tells Tesla drivers which charging stalls are available, according to the same post.
Chevrolet EVs at a Tesla Supercharger station
To further account for EVs potentially blocking spaces to plug into chargers with short cables, Tesla claims it can now detect when an EV with a charge port located somewhere other than the left rear or right front of the vehicle is plugged in at shorter-cable spots in an effort not to overpromise on charger availability.
This is possible because Tesla can now detect what type of vehicle is plugged in, Max de Zegher, Tesla’s director of charging in North American said in an X post, adding that the charger-availability algorithm now refreshes about every 15 seconds.
Polestar 3 at a Tesla Supercharger station
Tesla announced V4 Supercharger hardware in 2022 and made some first installations in 2023—at that time pegged to provide the higher-power charging needed by the Semi and Cybertruck.
Tesla’s V3 Superchargers, and even charging stalls that appear installed today as V4, remain to V3 spec and are unable to charge 800-volt EVs at their peak rates.
A migration of most major car brands to Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) began in May 2023 with Ford, and it may have changed the trajectory somewhat. That led to the formalization of NACS as a true standard by the SAE and the backing of that standard by the Biden administration, which has prioritized funding for expansion of public charging. Musk, meanwhile, nearly shuttered the Supercharger team earlier this year before backtracking and promising a $500 million expansion of the network.
Such expansion will likely be needed as more automakers equip their EVs to charge at Supercharger stations. To date, Ford, General Motors, Rivian, Polestar, and Volvo have made adapters available to customers, while the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 will be delivered with a NACS port starting later this month and more non-Tesla EVs with them are expected to appear in 2025.