Tesla announced the installation of its 55,000th Supercharger stall. This milestone achieved three and a half months after installing the 50,000th Supercharger, demonstrates the company’s commitment to revolutionizing transportation. It took just 110 days to open up 5,000 more Superchargers, which averages to over 45 new Supercharger stalls opening daily. Tesla is the “gas station” of the future.
A Pioneering Force in EV Charging
The growth of Tesla's Supercharger network, and the charging network in general, is crucial in addressing one of the primary concerns of potential EV owners: the availability and convenience of charging facilities. With Tesla consistently adding Superchargers at an unprecedented rate, the network has become a backbone for current and future Tesla drivers, offering fast, reliable, and widespread charging solutions.
Several sources back up the claim that Tesla Superchargers are the most reliable chargers available, including a JD Power report and user experiences collected by Rate Your Charge. Tesla also monitors their Superchargers in real-time, so that they can address any issues and minimize potential downtime.
Opening the Supercharger Network
While Tesla has made a lot of smart, strategic moves, opening the Supercharger network may go down as one of the best. The decision reflects Tesla's vision of a more sustainable transportation future. By opening up its superior North American Charging Standard (NACS) plugs to all competitors and even adding the Magic Dock to allow Combined Charging System (CCS) adapters, Tesla has made its Superchargers accessible to all EVs, truly making it the gas station of the future.
Major players like Ford, Toyota, Honda, GM, and almost all other automakers have announced plans to integrate NACS ports into their EVs and access Tesla's Supercharger network. This collaboration is a significant step towards overcoming the challenges of public charging and enhancing the EV experience for all users.
Tesla's achievement of 55,000 Superchargers and the opening of its network to non-Tesla EVs marks a new era in electric mobility. These developments signify Tesla's role as an EV manufacturer and a catalyst for industry-wide change. As Tesla continues to innovate and collaborate, it reinforces its commitment to a sustainable future, leading the charge in transforming global transportation.
A Testament to Tesla's Vision
The journey from 50,000 to 55,000 Superchargers has been swift and impactful. At its current rate, Tesla will be over 70,000 Superchargers by the end of 2024. Tesla's rapid expansion of its Supercharger network is more than just a numerical achievement; it's a bold statement of intent. This growth spurt highlights the company's dedication to making electric vehicle (EV) use convenient, reliable, and accessible worldwide.
Tesla’s Supercharger network, a cornerstone of its strategy to promote EV adoption, provides fast and efficient charging solutions. This network not only supports Tesla's growing fleet of electric vehicles but also encourages a shift in public perception, making the switch to EVs a more viable and attractive option for consumers across the globe.
Ordering a New Tesla?
Consider using our referral code (nuno84363) to get up to $2,000 off your new Tesla and get 3 Months of FSD for free.
Tesla’s been on a roll with Supercharger improvements lately, from the 325kW charging update for the Cybertruck, to 500kW with V4 Superchargers coming next year. While those improvements have been limited to the Cybertruck, Tesla didn’t put all their focus on their new flagship vehicle, but looked at their more affordable vehicles as well.
LFP Battery Heating
Tesla’s Superchargers can now heat LFP Batteries - those that are in the Model 3 and Model Y Rear Wheel Drive variants. This applies to Long Range and Standard Range models, which saw a limited run. This is another update included as part of the 2024 Tesla Holiday Update - which really arrived with a lot of unannounced new features and capabilities.
The change is pretty interesting - Superchargers of the V3 and V4 variety can now pre-heat batteries for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with LFP battery packs. That means those vehicles are able to get back on the road faster when it's extremely cold. Of course, Tesla still advises you to precondition before you arrive, saving drivers time and money.
Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging, also commented on the new feature. Essentially, Tesla is inducing an AC (alternating) ripple current through the battery to warm it up. Keep in mind that Superchargers are DC charging. That means it is possible to get a cold-soaked LFP vehicle on the road 4x faster than before, assuming that it didn’t precondition at all and that it is in the worst-case scenario (below 0ºF).
In essence, Tesla is using some engineering magic to turn the circuits inside the LFP battery into an electric heater - and powering that heater through the Supercharger. An AC ripple current is a small oscillation in the DC charging current that generates heat through electrical resistance, warming up the battery. Those ripples are a byproduct of converting AC to DC and back - so Tesla is using the onboard charger to induce those ripples to warm up the battery. Definitely an innovative technique that’s really only possible with the versatility of the NACS connector.
We’re hoping Tesla can implement this across their full lineup of vehicles, but we’ll have to wait and see how it is trialed across LFP vehicles first and if it is even possible on vehicles with 2170 or 4680 battery packs.
Tesla launched two FSD updates simultaneously on Saturday night, and what’s most interesting is that they arrived on the same software version. We’ll dig into that a little later, but for now, there’s good news for everyone. For Hardware 3 owners, FSD V12.6.1 is launching to all vehicles, including the Model 3 and Model Y. For AI4 owners, FSD V13.2.4 is launching, starting with the Cybertruck.
FSD V13.2.4
A new V13 build is now rolling out to the Cybertruck and is expected to arrive for the rest of the AI4 fleet soon. However, this build seems to be focused on bug fixes. There are no changes to the release notes for the Cybertruck with this release, and it’s unlikely to feature any changes when it arrives on other vehicles.
FSD V12.6.1 builds upon V12.6, which is the latest FSD version for HW3 vehicles. While FSD V12.6 was only released for the redesigned Model S and Model X with HW3, FSD V12.6.1 is adding support for the Model 3 and Model Y.
While this is only a bug-fix release for users coming from FSD V12.6, it includes massive improvements for anyone coming from an older FSD version. Two of the biggest changes are the new end-to-end highway stack that now utilizes FSD V12 for highway driving and a redesigned controller that allows FSD to drive “V13” smooth.
It also adds speed profiles, earlier lane changes, and more. You can read our in-depth look at all the changes in FSD V12.6.
Same Update, Multiple FSD Builds
What’s interesting about this software version is that it “includes" two FSD updates, V12.6.1 for HW3 and V13.2.4 for HW4 vehicles. While this is interesting, it’s less special when you understand what’s happening under the hood.
The vehicle’s firmware and Autopilot firmware are actually completely separate. While a vehicle downloading a firmware update may look like a singular process, it’s actually performing several functions during this period. First, it downloads the vehicle’s firmware. Upon unpacking the update, it’s instructed which Autopilot/FSD firmware should be downloaded.
While the FSD firmware is separate, the vehicle can’t download any FSD update. The FSD version is hard-coded in the vehicle’s firmware that was just downloaded. This helps Tesla keep the infotainment and Autopilot firmware tightly coupled, leading to fewer issues.
What we’re seeing here is that HW3 vehicles are being told to download one FSD version, while HW4 vehicles are being told to download a different version.
While this is the first time Tesla has had two FSD versions tied to the same vehicle software version, the process hasn’t actually changed, and what we’re seeing won’t lead to faster FSD updates or the ability to download FSD separately. What we’re seeing is the direct result of the divergence of HW3 and HW4.
While HW3/4 remained basically on the same FSD version until recently, it is now necessary to deploy different versions for the two platforms. We expect this to be the norm going forward, where HW3 will be on a much different version of FSD than HW4. While each update may not include two different FSD versions going forward, we may see it occasionally, depending on which features Autopilot is dependent on.
Thanks to Greentheonly for helping us understand what happened with this release and for the insight into Tesla’s processes.
_300w.png)
