Tesla has confirmed its V4 Superchargers will be capable of 350kW. Currently, V4 Superchargers are limited to 250kW, the same as its V3 counterparts.
Tesla confirmed this information in a planning submission for a charging site in Swindon, UK. The submission also contained images of the charging stalls, which confirmed a payment screen and an oval base. The submission also states, “All charging units are universal and can be used by an EV user.” EV owners that want to use Tesla’s “ultra-rapid” V4 Superchargers will be able to take advantage of them, despite not having the Tesla app or account.
Maximum Charging Speeds For V4
V4 Superchargers are currently limited to 250kW, but with the increase to 350kW, we'll see much higher burst speeds. Charging at 350kW could allow Teslas to charge at up to 1,400 miles per hour, or 115 miles in just five minutes. While these are tremendous speeds, your vehicle will not charge the entire time at these high speeds.
To achieve the full 350kW speed, your battery will need to be pre-conditioned and at a low state of charge. For Teslas, this is between about 5 to 30 percent. If those criteria are met, your vehicle will ramp up to its maximum charging speed for a short period of time.
As your vehicle gets closer to finish charging, the speeds will slow down to preserve battery health and longevity.
Faster Future Charging
Tesla doesn't plan to stop at 350kW. At the Tesla Semi unveiling event, CEO Elon Musk and Dan Priestley, Tesla Semi program manager, confirmed that the Cybertruck will use the same charging technology as the Tesla Semi, allowing it to accept 1MW of DC fast-charging. This will apparently be possible because of Tesla’s innovative “immersion cooling technology.”
V4 Superchargers Make Appearance at Goodwood Festival
A few weeks ago, the V4 Superchargers were on full display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK. The Tesla Owners UK Twitter account shared close-up images of the new Superchargers, which interestingly had space for a screen and contactless payment terminal.
Tesla allows owners to seamlessly pay for their charging sessions. Their car is linked to their Tesla account and credit card, which is charged upon the completion of a session. When Tesla started opening Superchargers to non-Teslas, these owners needed a way to pay for their EV juice. They added the “Charge Your Non-Tesla,” which guides non-Tesla owners to create a Tesla account and add their payment information.
However, the addition of the contactless payment device in V4 removes the need for an app entirely. Non-Tesla owners may be able to simply pull up to a Supercharger, swipe their card, and charge.
First V4 Supercharger Opens
Tesla opened its first V4 Supercharger in Harderwijk, Netherlands earlier this year. The site has 16 stalls and includes longer charging cables to make it easier for non-Teslas to charge. The first V4 site was originally going to be in Danvers, Massachusetts.
European regulations state that an app shouldn’t be required to use an EV charging station, which is likely why V4 stations will have the contactless payment terminal.
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Tesla is officially opening up its long-anticipated Robotaxi service — but only for a select, invite-only group. Invitations have gone out to influencers to experience the first autonomous rides this Sunday, June 22, in Austin. Dubbed an “early access” program, this marks the official launch of Tesla’s Robotaxi service and the new Robotaxi app.
Invitation Details
Tesla is taking a cautious approach to its initial rollout. Only invited users — largely influencers and carefully selected individuals — will get to hail a ride using the new Robotaxi app. These early testers will be among the first to experience what Tesla describes as a fully autonomous ride, although not entirely without human oversight.
The invitations were sent out early this morning and offered plenty of new details about the Robotaxi service, the app and ride restrictions.
Human Safety Monitors
Elon Musk previously stated that there would be “no occupant in the driver seat,” and while that’s technically accurate, it’s not exactly what we expected. These Robotaxi rides will have a Tesla employee seated in the front passenger seat. This “safety monitor” will oversee the ride but not intervene unless necessary.
Interestingly, the documents shared with influencers indicate that these safety monitors will be subject to the same restrictions as Tesla owners with FSD Supervised. The cabin camera will monitor their gaze to make sure they’re paying attention and presumably warn them if they stare off to the side for too long.
Teleoperators
While there will be safety monitors in the vehicle, there are also expected to be teleoperators. Although Tesla doesn’t explicitly mention teleoperators, it does note that the cabin camera will only be used in the event of a support request or if “operator assistance” is required in an emergency.
Teleoperators aren’t a surprise at all, as all autonomous vehicles use them today when a vehicle needs help. While in the case of a Model Y, it’s possible for the safety monitor to take over the vehicle, Tesla is preparing for the future when there won’t be a safety monitor in the vehicle and the vehicle doesn’t have a steering wheel like the Cybercab.
Cabin Camera and Mic: Off By Default
Passenger privacy appears to be a priority. Tesla confirms that the cabin camera and microphone will be off by default during the ride. These features will only activate if the rider opts in, requests assistance, or in the case of an emergency. This appears to contradict what Tesla mentions about the cabin camera monitoring the safety driver, but it’s possible Tesla means that these features will be off by default when there isn’t a safety monitor in the vehicle.
Tesla says that after the ride, the camera may be temporarily activated to check for cleanliness or forgotten items before the vehicle continues to its next destination.
Will React to Emergency Vehicles
While we know that these vehicles will be equipped with a newer version of FSD, it’s not yet clear exactly which version it's. However, it appears that this version will now feature sound detection, allowing it to detect and react to emergency vehicles.
Tesla says the vehicles will use the vehicle’s microphone to recognize sirens or other road alerts. If a safety event is detected, the vehicle will reduce media volume and notify users on screen.
Like Tesla’s vision processing, all audio is processed in the vehicle and not transmitted unless explicitly enabled by the rider.
Recording and Sharing Encouraged
Tesla is allowing invited guests to bring one additional guest with them to experience the Robotaxi network. Tesla will be allowing the recording and sharing of photos and videos, so we should have plenty of new details on the Robotaxi soon.
Tesla is also asking users to rate their experience via the Robotaxi app, likely trying to identify any trouble points.
Restrictions for Robotaxi Rides
Tesla’s Robotaxi service will operate within a geofenced area of Austin and will be available between 6:00 AM and 12:00 AM. So, essentially, there are only six hours when Robotaxis won’t be available. Tesla states that users will be able to see the geofence area within the app; however, we currently don’t know the size of this area.
Airport rides are not allowed, presumably due to more complicated scenarios. Tesla also states that the Robotaxi service can be paused at any point due to inclement weather; however, the forecast for Austin over the next week is clear and sunny, so this is unlikely to be an issue.
Pricing and Fees
Tesla’s agreement states that all rides will be priced in U.S. dollars and may include tolls, airport fees, and other regulatory charges. It’s not clear whether invited guests will need to pay for rides, but since Tesla is mentioning prices and doesn’t explicitly state that these rides are free, they’ll likely have to.
We may soon find out what Tesla will charge for Robotaxi rides and compare it to other services, such as Uber and Lyft. However, like all other Tesla pricing, these will likely change over time as well.
Tesla reserves the right to charge users for damages or litter left in the vehicle, according to documents shared with influencers.
Robotaxi App, Not the Tesla App
One of the more surprising revelations is that Tesla is not using the Tesla app for this service. Instead, riders will be required to download a new Robotaxi app. While code related to Robotaxi features has been found in Tesla’s main app, it now appears that the Robotaxi app will serve ride-hailing passengers.
The Robotaxi details we’ve seen in the Tesla app may be for future support when owners start adding their vehicles to the Robotaxi fleet. This way, an owner can open up the Tesla app and know the status of their vehicle.
The Robotaxi app won’t be publicly available on the App Store yet. Instead, invitees will receive a separate download invitation, likely through a service like TestFlight, which allows users to test unreleased apps. Tesla emphasizes that only the original invitee can download and use the app, but hopefully, we’ll have our first look at the Robotaxi app soon.
What’s Next
While this represents a soft launch for Tesla’s Robotaxi service, it offers our first glimpse at what the service will be like in terms of restrictions, geo-fenced areas, price, and, of course, a look at the Robotaxi app. Like all things Tesla, they’ll iterate and improve the app, service, and process over time.
We should have a lot more details and the first ride-along videos soon.
According to a new report from Business Insider, Tesla is planning a week-long production pause for the Cybertruck and Model Y lines at Giga Texas. On the surface, the reason seems pretty straightforward: maintenance and line upgrades.
But Tesla has been infamous for never shutting down lines unless it's an absolute production necessity. Given that this is the third production pause in the last 12 months, this suggests that Tesla is planning something other than routine maintenance.
Official Story
The facts, as reported by BI, are fairly straightforward. Tesla will be shutting down the Model Y and Cybertruck lines from June 30th to July 4th. In a staff meeting at Giga Texas, Tesla stated that the pause would enable maintenance and upgrades to help ramp up production.
While this could seem odd for the recently updated Model Y and Cybertruck lines, it also makes sense as Tesla continuously makes production improvements, rather than waiting for model year updates.
There definitely feels like there’s more to this story than a simple pause, but the timing and context suggest this pause is far more significant.
The Affordable Model
The key to this shutdown is Tesla’s strategy for its more affordable model. Tesla has pivoted away from building Giga Mexico, and is instead planning to build both the Cybercab with its unboxed assembly process, as well as the next-gen affordable vehicle at Giga Texas.
For now, Tesla plans to build the affordable model based on existing production lines within Giga Texas, rather than build a standalone line. This is mostly because Tesla intends for the affordable model to have a high part familiarity with the Model 3 and Model Y.
The Model Y line, in particular, is the prime candidate for this retooling. It is Tesla's most refined high-volume production line, and the tooling and equipment on the line are perfectly suited to enable Tesla’s quick transition to producing the new model.
A week-long shutdown is not enough time for a complete overhaul, but it is the perfect window to begin preparatory work. This could include installing new mounting points for future robotics, rerouting utilities, or even running initial trials for new assembly processes in a portion of the line.
Timing is Everything
This theory makes even more sense in the context of recent events. The cheaper model was initially planned for the first half of 2025, but following reported delays, the timing seems right for Tesla to start incorporating changes to support the new vehicle. While Tesla initially planned for a cheaper model to be based on the Cybercab with its unboxed assembly, they decided to produce one based on the current assembly line to get to market sooner. This isn’t the cheaper, “$25k” vehicle we were all hoping for, but instead a more affordable version of the Model 3 or Model Y.
While the Cybertruck line is likely undergoing standard ramp-up tweaks, the shutdown of the Model Y line likely presents something more. While it could also include maintenance and incorporate updated tools, it may include changes required for the newer model.
More Than Maintenance
While the official reason reported by Business Insider seems fairly plausible, there’s always more under the surface when it comes to major decisions like this with Tesla. Using the planned maintenance window to quietly begin the process of retooling is the kind of move we expect from Tesla.
