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Tesla Semi Megachargers go live at Pilot and Flying J, but only Teslas can plug in
Six 1.2-megawatt stalls are running at the biggest truck-stop operator in the US, a couple of months behind schedule.
Megachargers open at Pilot
Six 1.2-megawatt stalls are up and running at a Pilot in Ellabell, Georgia, and the catch is that only Teslas can plug in for now. [1] That affects Semi owners and every other electric truck operator who might want to use them.
Pilot, which also runs Flying J, is the biggest truck-stop operator in the US. [1] A Flying J in Tulare, California, came online the day after the Ellabell site opened. [1]
The Pilot chargers were supposed to open this summer, so they are a couple of months late. [1]
What the stalls offer
According to Tesla, the 1.2-megawatt stalls can restore 60% of a Semi's charge in 30 minutes. [1] That matches the break federal rules require after eight hours behind the wheel. [1]
The stalls use the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) connector, the same standard Daimler, Volvo, and the rest of the industry are building their electric trucks around. [1]
One earlier site is at a TA truck stop in Ontario, California. It has been open since March and tops out at 750 kW. [1]
Scale and the build-out
Electrek counted four customer-facing sites and 26 stalls once Ellabell opened. [1] Sites in Fort Stockton, Texas, and North Las Vegas are next for Pilot Megachargers. [1]
Pilot runs more than 900 locations across the US and Canada, and 12 more Megacharger sites are under construction. [1] Semi program lead Dan Priestley has said the goal is 46 Megacharger sites by early 2027. [1]
As of February, Tesla's map showed 64 more sites marked as coming soon across 15 states, led by Texas with 19 and California with 17. [1] Forum is adding 30 megawatts of charging capacity across its new sites. [2]
Open to other trucks, eventually
Priestley has said other trucks will eventually be able to use the Megachargers. [1] Neither Tesla nor Pilot has said when. [1]
Tesla kept its Superchargers exclusive for years before opening them to other brands. [1]
There are not many Semis on the road yet to use the charging network. [1] A fleet manager will not buy trucks that cannot charge on the same routes their diesel rigs already run, which is the chicken-and-egg problem for electric trucking. [1]
What this means for you
If you drive a Tesla Semi, the Pilot stalls are open to you, because currently only Teslas can plug into them. [1] The Ellabell and Tulare sites are running, and Fort Stockton and North Las Vegas are next. [1]
If you run another brand of electric truck, the stalls use the MCS connector your industry is building around. [1] Priestley has said other trucks will eventually be able to use them, but neither Tesla nor Pilot has said when. [1]
If you are weighing a fleet purchase, the routes matter, since a fleet manager will not buy trucks that cannot charge on the same routes their diesel rigs already run. [1] Tesla is also preparing to take the Semi beyond North America, with a European launch planned for next year. [2]
Sources
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