Tesla’s V4 Supercharger is coming, with higher power, solar panels and battery storage

Tesla’s next-gen Supercharger is on the way. The company is now producing V4 Superchargers, which feature even higher charging rates, plus CCS charging capability for non-Tesla EVs.

Above: A Tesla Supercharger stall. Photo: Paul Steuber / Unsplash

Tesla is also expected to start adding energy storage and on-site solar generation to more Supercharger sites. These features are becoming near-necessities as charging power levels increase, threatening to overwhelm local grid connections.

In 2017, the company said it planned to add solar and batteries to all Supercharger stations, and even disconnect some of them from the grid. Since then, quite a few Supercharger V3 stations, which offer a maximum charging rate of 250 kW, have been rolled out, but solar panels have appeared at only a few sites.

Now Electrek has learned that one of the first V4 stations is planned for construction in Arizona, and the plan shows both solar generation and battery energy storage. According to the building permit, the station will have 40 stalls, including at least one pull-through stall for vehicles towing trailers. It will also have two large solar arrays and a Megapack.

Generating and storing energy on site is a way to even out energy consumption and avoid utility demand charges, which can be shockingly high. Electrek’s Fred Lambert believes that Tesla will be deploying more solar+storage out of necessity. “Demand charges are going through the roof in some important markets for Tesla, including California, and it is badly affecting charging network operators,” he writes.

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This article originally appeared in Charged. Author: Charles Morris. Source: Electrek