One advantage Tesla has over its competition is its Supercharger network. No one else comes even close to having such a vast charging network. That's not even taking other considerations into account such as the speed of chargers.
Tesla to add WiFi to their Superchargers
Tesla's v3 chargers can charge at rates of to 1,000 miles per hour according to Tesla. It really starts rivaling the speed of gas stations. Of course, you may not always see those speeds, since there are various factors to consider. You'll need to have a battery that's at least 50% depleted. Usually having a battery around the 30% mark is what will result in the fastest charging speeds.
The car will also need to have a warm battery in order to achieve such a high rate of charging. Your car will do automatically warm up the battery as long as you have a Supercharger destination set in your GPS. And of course, the Supercharger can't be crowded or that could affect the amount of power available to each vehicle as well.
The other big advantage that I feel is often overlooked is the simplicity of the whole thing. When you arrive at a Supercharger, you know what to expect, you're not dealing with different charging networks or figuring out how to pay. You literally just plug it in. It couldn't be simpler.
Adding WiFi
Now, Tesla is going to add another advantage to it's already great charging network. Elon tweeted that Tesla will be adding WiFi networks to all of their Superchargers.
Even for owners with Premium Connectivity, the WiFi access will be nice if you have other devices in the car that are WiFi only, such as a gaming device, laptop or an iPad.
Adding WiFi to Superchargers actually makes a lot of sense for Tesla. The amount of data Tesla vehicles use is probably fairly small, with the exception of video streaming.
Considering that streaming YouTube or Netflix is likely one of the more popular entertainment options if you're waiting in the car while charging, this could lead to large amounts of data usage.
If Tesla added WiFi to Superchargers, they'll likely greatly reduce the amount of data that is being consumed through the car's cellular network.
In the US, Tesla has a partnership with AT&T. Since the very first Model S in 2012, all Teslas have used AT&T's network. We don't know the exact details of Tesla's partnership with AT&T, but Tesla is likely paying AT&T based on the amount of data used. After all, there's a reason why Tesla forces software updates to be downloaded over WiFi.
This move is likely to improve the customer experience at Superchargers while also saving Tesla some money.
Software Updates
Tesla is selling almost a million vehicles a year. Many of these are now being sold to owners who may not be able to get their car close enough to their homes in order to connect to WiFi and download the latest updates.
By adding WiFi to Superchargers, Tesla will now give owners a reliable and easy way to download software updates, regardless of their connection at home.
How to Connect to Tesla WiFi
We discussed earlier how easy it is to use a Supercharger. There's no need to authenticate, process payments or anything. It's all seamless. Expect Tesla to provide a similar experience when connecting to their WiFi network. You may not have to do anything. Just driving your car within range of Tesla's WiFi network will be enough to get it to automatically connect.
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Tesla’s Giga Texas factory usually gives us the first site of Tesla’s upcoming products. We first saw the Cybertruck and Model Y castings here. With Giga Texas being one of Tesla’s largest factories, it’s logical that most products would originate here.
Tesla has also stated that it intends to manufacture the Cybercab, Semi, the next-generation vehicle, and Optimus at Giga Texas over the coming years. The affordable vehicle and Cybercab were originally intended to be manufactured at Giga Mexico, but the plans for that facility were waylaid by changes in economic policy.
Robotaxi Castings
These new castings were spotted by Joe Tegtmeyer, who regularly does drone flights of Giga Texas. Joe pointed out that these castings don’t look like the usual Model Y or Cybertruck castings usually seen outside Giga Texas.
With an eagle eye, @minusYCore on X also spotted some interesting text on the frames holding the castings up. In particular, the castings say “RTTX050” and “W68-RSF AS-CAST”. These could be interpreted as ‘Robotaxi Texas’ and ‘Rear SubFrame,’ as Tesla marks Cybertruck castings as “CTTX.” The as-cast portion indicates that these particular castings haven’t been trimmed yet, according to the X user.
The castings laid out.
@JoeTegtmeyer
The size and shape of these castings—combined with rumors that Tesla’s more affordable vehicle has been delayed—suggest that these castings are intended for the Cybercab.
These castings are much flatter and appear to be a different size than the castings found throughout Giga Texas, indicating that they are intended for an entirely different product.
It’s possible that these are the first castings used by Tesla to test their unboxed assembly process, which the Cybercab is expected to rely on. If you take a closer look at the video below, you’ll note that these new castings look very similar to the ones in the unboxed assembly video.
Interestingly, Tesla did say that they don’t intend to have the Cybercab available for customers before late 2026 or early 2027, but we’ll likely hear updated timelines as Tesla’s Q1 2025 Earnings Call tomorrow.
A more vertical look at the castings.
@JoeTegtmeyer
New Giga Presses
To top it all off, new parts for a Giga Press - the machine Tesla uses to make these castings - were also sighted in Texas. These machines are few and far between, and each one is highly specialized for the particular vehicle it produces. Seeing new parts coming in usually indicates that a new assembly line is under construction, or that changes are being made to an existing line to either expand it or update it.
There’s a lot happening and we will hopefully know more tomorrow evening.
Tesla’s first large-scale partner for the Tesla Semi - PepsiCo - is building out another Semi Megacharger site per a recent filing found by MarcoRP. Building out these Semi charging sites is expensive due to their much higher power output when compared to Superchargers.
Name Change
Interestingly enough, Tesla appears to have shifted its terminology recently, now often referring to the Semi’s high-power charging solution as Tesla Semi Chargers instead of the previously common "Megachargers." Regardless of the name, these chargers are crucial for the Semi. They’re designed to deliver 1.2 megawatts of charging power capable of adding hundreds of miles of range in roughly 30 minutes.
Frito-Lay Site
The new site detailed in the recent filing will be located at a Frito-Lay production plant on Hageman Road in Bakersfield, California. Permits were filed just a couple of days ago for the installation of eight Tesla Semi Charger stalls along with their associated electrical equipment.
This facility adds to PepsiCo's existing network of chargers, supporting the Tesla Semis operating out of their Sacramento facility, and highlights Bakersfield as the next expansion of the Semi’s operational area. Notably, this new Frito-Lay charging site is strategically located just five miles (approx. 8 km) away from a massive future public charging complex Tesla is planning on Kelton Way.
Kelton Way Charging Complex
Tesla’s planned charging complex in Bakersfield, which is just down the road, will feature 72 Supercharger stalls, as well as 18 Semi charger stalls. According to pre-permits filed last month, this site will be fairly large and accessible to both the public and Tesla’s partners.
A rendering of the Kelton Way site - with the Semi Chargers on the outside, and the Covered Supercharger site in the center.
@MarcoRPi1 on X
Tesla plans to develop a vacant plot right off the interstate into a large charging hub, which is now the second major public Semi Charger site we’ve heard about. For now, these sites will remain rare, but we expect that Tesla and its partners will be happy to expand them out further as required.
Carson Semi Charger Site
These Bakersfield developments – both the private Frito-Lay site and the large public Kelton Way hub will help lay out the necssary infrastructure for the Tesla Semi, much like the early days of Tesla’s Superchargers. Since Semi cannot be charged at a Supercharger site (the MCS plug is notably different than NACS), these sites are a must-have.
Tesla's first publicly accessible Semi Charger site planned near the Port of Long Beach in Carson, California, was one of the first signs of these types of Semi Charger facilities being established - and like Kelton Way, it also includes amenities for truck drivers. Tesla is also considering what long, medium, and short-haul truckers need for their stays at these sites.
As Tesla works to ramp up production of the Semi itself, the parallel expansion of dedicated, high-power charging infrastructure by both Tesla and its key partners are essential to making electric heavy-duty trucking a reality.
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