Tesla is reportedly set to build its first V4 Supercharger station in Yuma County, in Arizona, according to planning documents recently shared on Twitter.
As is typical for Tesla, which does not have a media department, there is no official source for the news. Rather, it’s down to Twitter sleuths and Tesla fans to dig around planning documents to gauge what the EV giant is going to do next.
We’ve known that a V4 Supercharger was on the cards for some time now – the next generation of Tesla’s Supercharger technology which started out life with a peak output of 90kW. The V1 Supercharger arrived at 120kW, before the V2 upped that peak output to 150kW.
Tesla introduced the new V3 Supercharger in 2019, a 1MW charger delivering up to 250kW peak output. Though a bare few have so far been installed in Australia – the V3s are set to be upgraded in order to deliver charging speeds of over 300kW.
However, the V4 Supercharger is expected to offer peak power of up to 350kW, according to statements made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk back in June of 2021.
Which brings us to the latest Twitter sleuthing, care of MarcoRPTesla, the self-proclaimed “Supercharger King” and “Unofficially the best account for Supercharger updates in North America.”
According to what appear to be council planning documents Marco posted on Twitter earlier this week, the first known V4 Supercharger will be built in Yuma County, Arizona, and will consist of 40 stalls plus two 4,500-square-foot solar arrays and a Tesla Megapack.
The world’s first known V4 Supercharger is coming soon to Yuma County, Arizona!!
40 stalls, plus two 4500 square foot solar arrays and a Megapack are planned on a new vacant lot by the Dateland Travel Center, right along Interstate 8 on the SD -> Tucson route. pic.twitter.com/Kbe5QyD20v
— Marco (Supercharger 👑) (@MarcoRPTesla) September 11, 2022
Located along Interstate 8 on the San Diego to Tucson route, the V4 Supercharger is expected to be built on a vacant lot by the Dateland Travel Center.
Amongst the 40 stalls will be two ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible stalls as well as a designated pull-through stall for trailers.
Two solar canopies will generate power for the stalls and adjoining Megapack, one covering a main block of 24 chargers and a second canopy covering the secondary block of 16 chargers.
There will be two solar canopies, one covering the main block of 24 chargers (excluding the pull-through), and another covering the remaining 16.
They will have Tesla logos on the side, a bit like the ones at Firebaugh and Baker. pic.twitter.com/iVhUHC6DQu
— Marco (Supercharger 👑) (@MarcoRPTesla) September 11, 2022
Only time will tell if Yuma County manages to get its V4 Supercharger installed in time to make it the “first”, and we’ll be waiting on news of a start of construction to guarantee any of these details are in fact accurate.
If accurate, though, the launch of a Tesla Supercharger station with its own power generating and storage capabilities will mark a significant moment for the deployment of Tesla charging stations.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.