The Tesla Semi is finally here, and it’s officially a beast. “If you’re a truck driver and you want the most bad-ass rig on the road, this is it,” said Tesla’s CEO at a delivery event at the company’s Nevada Gigafactory, just before he handed over key cards to two PepsiCo executives. EV pundits were… Read more »
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CharIN responds to Tesla’s release of its charging standard
Tesla’s recent announcement that it will make its charging connector design available to colleagues and competitors has been getting mixed reviews. Some pundits poo-pooed Tesla’s announcement—one commenter wrote, “This is not the way standards are developed.” However, we saw it as a step in the direction of a more interoperable EV ecosystem, which could… Read more »
Universal Tesla Supercharger access is gradually creeping across Europe
Tesla is gradually expanding its pilot program to open up its Superchargers to non-Tesla EVs. With the recent addition of Italy, the program now covers most of Western Europe. The pilot began in November 2021 with 10 Supercharger stations in the Netherlands. Since then, the program has been expanded to Norway, France, the UK, Spain, Sweden,… Read more »
Tesla makes its charging connector design and specification files available to all
Yes, Tesla can still do great things. “In pursuit of our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy, today we are opening our EV connector design to the world,” says the Prodigal Pioneer. “We invite charging network operators and vehicle manufacturers to put the Tesla charging connector and charge port, now called the… Read more »
The Tesla Semi is in production at last! Pepsico will get the first deliveries.
The Tesla Semi, an electric Class 8 truck, was hailed as a game-changer when it was unveiled in 2017. However, planned production dates were pushed back repeatedly, and other companies (Kenworth, Freightliner, Volvo) beat Tesla to the market, while the erstwhile EV trend-setter pursued other priorities. Now Tesla has announced that Semi production has begun,… Read more »
Chinese “Tesla clone” starts around $26,000
For better or for worse, Tesla’s presence in China has resulted in quite a bit of what you might call “technology transfer.” One example of this the emergence of “Tesla clones”—vehicles that are “inspired” by Tesla’s designs, as Electrek’s Fred Lambert puts it. Chinese automaker Xpeng, which has begun selling EVs in Europe, copied Tesla’s… Read more »
Tesla (finally) launches CCS adapter in North America
The day when all EVs can charge at any and all charging stations just moved a little closer, as Tesla announced the availability of a CCS adapter in the US. Of course, Tesla drivers can use the company’s superlative Supercharger network, but until now they’ve been unable to use most non-Tesla DC fast chargers in… Read more »
New Tesla V4 Supercharger site to feature Megapack battery storage and solar generation
As fast charging stations become more powerful, they will increasingly include energy storage and on-site generation. Tesla has been planning to phase in these features for some time, but widespread deployment has been delayed. In 2017, the company said it planned to add solar and batteries to all Supercharger stations, and even disconnect some of… Read more »
PG&E and Tesla to create giant “distributed battery” to support the electric grid
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and Tesla have launched a pilot program that will combine thousands of Powerwall home battery systems to create a “virtual power plant” or “distributed battery.” Tesla has invited some 25,000 PG&E customers with Powerwalls to join the program. PG&E residential customers are eligible for the program if they own a… Read more »
Startup led by Tesla alums aims to build electric RVs
As is the case with a legacy vehicle, towing a trailer with an EV greatly reduces range—as John Voelcker found in his recent test of a Ford F-150 Lightning (see the latest issue of Charged), towing can reduce range by 40% or even more. But what if the trailer had its own electric powertrain? That’s… Read more »