Image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica
Tesla’s V3 Supercharging Stations Force Owners To Abandon Meals In Favor Of Coffee
Update: CleanTechnica has taken to calling Tesla’s V3 Superchargers “Nanochargers” because nano applies to everything and, thus, means nothing. Elon vented about “nano” in a mini Tweet storm last year and I have to admit that it endeared us to the word. Just the same, we’re pulling it from the title to keep the confusion to a minimum. With that out of the way, on with the show! (And to get a little more background on how we came to call Tesla’s V3 Superchargers “Nanochargers,” you can watch this semi-comprehensible video — which some people may find funny and others will surely find ridiculous and totally not funny. —Kyle & Zach
Tesla continues to roll out version 3 of its Supercharging stations to new locations around the world and has opened them up to more and more of the public. As part of that, CleanTechnica had a chance to slip into the nanocharger at Tesla’s Design Studio in Hawthorne, California, and we were simply blown away by the new charging profile at the 250 kilowatt charging station.
We stopped by the new charging station on a late-night trip back up north from a wedding in Orange County, and with three passengers in tow, we were really hoping for a quick pitstop before jumping back on the road. When we pulled into the Supercharger and saw the new 250 kW stations empty, I knew we were going to have to give it a shot.
Upon plugging into the Supercharger, the thinner, liquid-cooled cable was immediately apparent. It is a significant reduction in size compared to the previous-generation cables that only operate at up to 150 kilowatts. The power on the new stations ramped up quickly, blowing past the previous record of 150 kW before topping out at the full 250 kW rating, translating to a mind-numbing 1,722 kilometers (1,070 miles per hour) charging speed.
Image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica
In the real world, that translated to an impressive 286 kilometers (178 miles) in a mere 15 minutes of charging. Being at the Tesla Design Studio lounge before its 11pm closing time, we barely had time to walk in, say hi, grab a cup of coffee, and look at the merch before we were ready to get back on the road. The new speeds are a paradigm shift compared to all other charging solutions deployed today.
I’m sure you’re thinking about the handful of non-Tesla 350 kW charging stations out there, and yes, there are a few of them, but the fact that there aren’t any cars that can actually charge at those speeds makes it a moot point. Tesla continues to deliver an impressive pairing of charging stations and vehicles that can utilize those stations that brings true electric mobility to the masses.
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