Tesla recently added its Supercharger site maps to the app, but it sounds like they’re already thinking about how to improve it. Alex Guichet, who works on human interface design for Tesla Energy and Charging, says the priority was to deliver a functional tool to non-Tesla drivers rather than achieve perfection. He added that the experience will improve over time.
How the App Maps Work
Tesla introduced the site maps in the app with version 4.61.0. When you zoom in on a supported Supercharger, the standard map switches to Tesla’s stall layout, showing live occupancy and an overhead view of the site. In the car, this feature appears as a full 3D scene you can zoom and pan, however, on the phone it a much simpler top-down view.
Zooming in currently switches the map platform being used, causing a small stutter, and the vehicle themselves are flat sprites instead of full 3D models like in the vehicle.
Why Tesla Shipped It This Way
Guichet said the team is glad the layouts are in the app now. The app allows everyone to use Supercharger site maps, even non-Tesla owners. He said API limits on the mobile map stack constrained what they could ship, and that they chose to give drivers a usable stall map now rather than wait for a polished experience.
When asked whether Tesla plans to change the map platform in the future, Guichet did not disclose any specific products or timelines. He stated, “We’ll know what the future brings when it ships.”
We’re excited by in app site maps—this makes site maps available to third party EVs
— Alex Guichet (@AlexGuichet) September 23, 2026
Unfortunately API surface limitations make the possibilities limited and forced our hand—we decided it was more important to get useful tools to drivers now. We’ll get it perfect later.
What is Limited Today
The current app view is still useful for trip planning. It shows the layout of stall rows and lanes and indicates which charging plugs are available before you arrive. However, you cannot rotate the scene or adjust camera angles as you can on the in-car screen. However, the app does does the Cybercab correctly, whereas the in-vehicle software still displays it as a different Tesla model.
While the app layout is less flexible and flatter compared to the in-car view, it still provides the real-time information that benefits drivers. It sounds like Apple Maps APIs may not have been as flexible as Tesla needed to build out the full 3D models. It’s not clear whether Tesla will look to use a different map platform in the future, or if they’ll wait for Apple to improve API support.
Written by Ammar Yasir Bayır.
