Is the Tesla Semi Electric Truck Megacharger Network almost here?

Tesla Semi Megachargers

In 2017 Tesla unveiled the Tesla Semi alongside it's plan to deploy a network of "Megachargers" to provide enough power for an all electric semi truck. Elon Musk claimed it could add "400 miles of range to a Tesla Semi in 30 minutes."

But to date we have not seen this plan become a reality.

That being said, Tesla appears to be taking the appropriate steps to execute on this challenging goal to be able to provide a charging station capable of supplying a megawatt (or more) of power.

Tesla has stated numerous times during public earnings calls that their largest bottleneck is battery production. Third party lithium ion battery suppliers are struggling to keep up with Tesla's growing demand. This poses a real threat to Tesla Semi production as the large all electric truck will require a massive battery pack.

During his interview on the Joe Rogan podcast in May 2020, with regards to the Tesla Semi battery pack size Elon stated “You want something in the order of probably a 500 kWh pack. What we have in the Model S and X is a 100 kWh pack and probably something like a 500 kWh pack in the Tesla Semi.”

The Tesla Semi will therefore require roughly 5x the quantity of battery cells that are needed for any of their current vehicles. Therefore as a long term solution Tesla decided to design their own battery cells (and build their own custom designed factories which are required for high volume production).

On September 22, 2020 Tesla unveiled their master plan to increase production capacity to manufacture their new tabless 4680 battery cells while decreasing cost by more than 50% during their Shareholder Meeting and Battery Day presentation. The battery pack in the Tesla Semi will use the company's new 4680 battery cells.

PepsiCo has placed one of the largest Tesla Semi orders to date: 100 electric trucks. They are highly anticipating delivery of their first 15 Tesla Semi's which are expected to be delivered at the end of the year. This means that Tesla needs to deliver on the Megacharger network in the very near term prior to ramping up further Tesla Semi production next year.

Tesla is one of five companies that submitted a >1 MW high power charging standard concept design to CharIN, the industry association behind the CCS standard. CharIN is working to develop High Power Charging for Commercial Vehicles (HPCCV), and it is rumored that Tesla's design has been selected for further development and testing.

Coined the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), the connector design will be rated for charging at up to 4.5 megawatts. This is an incredible 3,000 amps at 1,500 volts direct current (DC). If anyone is up to the challenge, it is Tesla.

The current method that Tesla uses to charge their one-off Tesla Semi prototypes is essentially using a long Tesla extension chord that allows connection of multiple Supercharger stalls to plug into the truck via multiple charging ports. This is obviously not a sustainable long term solution. Luckily, Tesla seems to have all of their ducks in a row as they plan to rollout their Megacharger network in the very near future.

Summary

Although large scale deployment of the Tesla Megacharger network may take some time, it is becoming more likely that we may begin to see a few Megacharger locations pop up as early as the end of this year or early next year to support early deliveries of Tesla Semi trucks which will be built at the Giga Texas facility. It is rumored that Tesla may produce as many as 2,500 Tesla Semi trucks by the end of 2021.

What do you think!? When will Tesla begin a widespread rollout of their Megacharger network? Leave a comment below and join the conversation!