EVwire brief: Tesla has opened its first public Megacharger station for the Tesla Semi, giving fleet customers access to dedicated high-power charging infrastructure as the company continues expanding its commercial trucking network.
Located in Bloomington, California, about an hour east of Los Angeles, the new site features six Megacharger stalls capable of delivering up to 1.2 MW (1,200 kW) of peak charging power. The facility is open to all Tesla Semi customers.
As highlighted by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt:
The opening also drew several attendees from across the trucking and charging industries. Tesla Semi Engineering Vice President Dan Priestley was present at the event, speaking with guests about the Semi and the Megacharger platform, according to several LinkedIn posts shared by attendees.
Representatives from the Electrification Coalition also attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The nonprofit organization, which has spent more than a decade working to accelerate electric vehicle adoption across passenger and commercial transportation, has been actively supporting the deployment of charging infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks through initiatives such as its Advanced Freight Partners Group and Port Electrification Network, as per TeslaSemi.com.
The site is strategically located in San Bernardino County, one of the busiest freight corridors in the United States. The region links the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach with Southern California's vast inland warehouse and distribution network, making it a natural location for high-power charging infrastructure that supports commercial trucking.
Context:
The Tesla Semi team showed off an earlier station near Ontario International Airport back in March, its first Megacharger deployment, rated at up to 750 kW, though the is no longer listed on Tesla’s Find Us page. Today's Bloomington site is a step up from this site as it features more power per stall.
Earlier this year, Tesla also launched its Semi Charging for Business program, giving fleet operators a turnkey solution for deploying Megachargers at their own facilities. Public sites like Bloomington complement those private installations, providing charging access for a growing number of Semi operators as fleets continue transitioning away from diesel.
Source: Guy Barzilai, Electrification Coalition, and Anthony G. on LinkedIn
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