Skip to main content

Tesla begins rolling out its fast-charging V3 Superchargers

While steam power was actually adopted as a fuel source for some early automobiles, gasoline of course became the standard, and has remained so for over a century. Now, however, electric vehicles are making inroads, and one of the challenges the new tech must meet involves charging. Tesla knows that the availability of convenient, fast charging is critical to bringing electric vehicles into the mainstream. In a blog entry on its website, Tesla has introduced the V3 Supercharger. This is a first step in taking on the Electrify America chargers owned by Volkswagen, which offer faster charging times at present.

What this means in practical terms is you can charge for a mere five minutes and give yourself a range of approximately 75 miles. On average, Tesla expects Supercharging to drop charging times by 50 percent. When you consider your typical road trip fuel stop with restroom visits, store browsing and checking out with snacks and drinks, supercharging a Tesla may come close to rivaling fossil-fuel fill-up times.

Recommended Videos

Tesla currently has a network of 12,000 Superchargers across North America, Europe, and Asia, and that number is growing daily. What this means is right now 99% of the United States is covered by the network. Europe should be at that number by the end of this year while China is now at 90% coverage. Supercharger-equipped stations are breaking ground in great numbers; the first was in the San Francisco Bay area back in March.

In the blog Tesla states, “Supercharger stations with V3’s new power electronics are designed to enable any owner to charge at the full power their battery can take – no more splitting power with a vehicle in the stall next to you. With these significant technical improvements, we anticipate the typical charging time at a V3 Supercharger will drop to around 15 minutes.”

We can add to this advance another new feature from Tesla designed to help decrease charging times: On-Route Battery Warmup. Now, whenever you navigate to a Supercharger station, your vehicle will intelligently heat the battery to ensure you arrive at the optimal temperature to charge, reducing average charge times for owners by 25%.

Tesla plans to increase charging rates via a software update in Model S and X vehicles. Supercharging will roll out to the wider fleet in an over-the-air firmware update to all owners that has already started.

John Elkin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Worked for many off road and rally and sports car publications throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Decided to go look for a…
Waymo recalled 1,200 robotaxis following collisions with road barriers
Waymo Jaguar I-Pace

Waymo’s autonomous-car technology has made great advances over the years to the point where it’s now allowed to offer paid robotaxi rides in select locations in the U.S.

But the development of the technology is ongoing, and the robotaxi rides continue to gather valuable data for Waymo engineers to pore over as they further refine the driverless system to make it as reliable and efficient as possible. Which is why glitches will sometimes occur.

Read more
Apple CarPlay Ultra looks stunning in Aston Martin supercar debut
Apple CarPlay Ultra

Apple CarPlay Ultra is the next generation of the Cupertino, California-based firm's smartphone projection system for your car, and it's available in new vehicles in the US and Canada.

When we say "new cars", your options are very much limited to one brand... Aston Martin. So you'll need deep pockets if you want to experience CarPlay Ultra for yourself.

Read more
Archer’s flying taxis head to LA for the 2028 Olympics
archer air taxi la28 inglewood aerial a final

Remember the buzz about flying taxis zipping through Paris for the 2024 Olympics? That sci-fi fantasy never got off the ground —Germany’s Volocopter dream was denied certification, leaving fans staring at the same old ground traffic. But now, the skies are opening again for a second shot at glory—this time over Los Angeles.
Archer Aviation, the California-based electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company, has been named the exclusive air taxi provider for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Archer’s Midnight aircraft, a piloted electric air taxi designed to carry four passengers, will be whisking around VIPs, fans, and stakeholders between venues and key locations like LAX, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and even Orange County. Think 10-20 minute flights that skip the infamous LA gridlock and land you right where the action is—on the roof, basically.
“We want to transform the way people get around Los Angeles and leave a legacy that shapes the future of transportation in America. There’s no better time to do that than during the LA28 Games,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of Archer Aviation.
And Midnight isn’t just a pretty rotor. It’s a whisper-quiet, emission-light aircraft with 12 rotors and a redundant, airline-level safety design.
What’s more, Archer and LA28 are working together to electrify vertiport hubs around the city—think futuristic sky stations—to serve not only Games-time needs but also to plant seeds for a post-Olympic air mobility network.
The air mobility market has been fast developing over the past few years, featuring the likes of Hyundai partnership with China’s XPeng HT Aero and Toyota's backing of Joby Aviation, a U.S. venture. Joby bought Uber Elevate in 2020, hoping to someday pair its air taxis with Uber’s ride-hailing app.
Archer, for its part, has been busy building a strategic partnership with United Airlines, which has already placed orders for the aircraft and is helping with logistics to integrate air taxis into airport-to-downtown travel. More than a demo for the cameras, the LA28 partnership will showcase urban air travel for real-world daily use, starting with one of the most high-profile events on Earth.
After raising false hopes in Paris, the air taxi dream is aiming for liftoff in LA—and this time, it might just stick the landing.

Read more