--- title: "Tesla Semi Megachargers go live at Pilot and Flying J, but only Teslas can plug in" description: "Six 1.2-megawatt stalls are running at the biggest truck-stop operator in the US, a couple of months behind schedule." url: https://cars.skoop.news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops-37d870/ published: 2026-10-28T19:20:19.526339-04:00 modified: 2026-10-28T19:20:19.527516-04:00 section: "Cars & EVs" publisher: "skoop.news" language: en keywords: ["Pilot", "North Las Vegas", "Flying J", "Fort Stockton", "As of February", "Megawatt Charging System", "Dan Priestley", "Ellabell", "California", "MCS"] hashtags: ["#NorthLasVegas", "#FlyingJ", "#FortStockton", "#Tesla", "#cars"] image: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Long_Beach_California_by_Don_Ramey_Logan.jpg/1280px-Long_Beach_California_by_Don_Ramey_Logan.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail --- # 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. Published 2026-10-28 · Updated 2026-10-28 · Cars & EVs, [skoop.news](https://skoop.news/) ## In brief - 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]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) - According to Tesla, the 1.2-megawatt stalls can restore 60% of a Semi's charge in 30 minutes. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) - Electrek counted four customer-facing sites and 26 stalls once Ellabell opened. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) ## 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]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) 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]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) A Flying J in Tulare, California, came online the day after the Ellabell site opened. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) The Pilot chargers were supposed to open this summer, so they are a couple of months late. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) ## What the stalls offer According to Tesla, the 1.2-megawatt stalls can restore 60% of a Semi's charge in 30 minutes. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) That matches the break federal rules require after eight hours behind the wheel. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) 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]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) 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]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) ## Scale and the build-out Electrek counted four customer-facing sites and 26 stalls once Ellabell opened. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) Sites in Fort Stockton, Texas, and North Las Vegas are next for Pilot Megachargers. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) Pilot runs more than 900 locations across the US and Canada, and 12 more Megacharger sites are under construction. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) Semi program lead Dan Priestley has said the goal is 46 Megacharger sites by early 2027. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) 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]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) Forum is adding 30 megawatts of charging capacity across its new sites. [[2]](https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/tesla-expands-semi-charging-network-151218317.html) ## Open to other trucks, eventually Priestley has said other trucks will eventually be able to use the Megachargers. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) Neither Tesla nor Pilot has said when. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) Tesla kept its Superchargers exclusive for years before opening them to other brands. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) There are not many Semis on the road yet to use the charging network. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) 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]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) ## 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]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) The Ellabell and Tulare sites are running, and Fort Stockton and North Las Vegas are next. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) If you run another brand of electric truck, the stalls use the MCS connector your industry is building around. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) Priestley has said other trucks will eventually be able to use them, but neither Tesla nor Pilot has said when. [[1]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) 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]](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) Tesla is also preparing to take the Semi beyond North America, with a European launch planned for next year. [[2]](https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/tesla-expands-semi-charging-network-151218317.html) ## Sources 1. [Tesla Semis Are Now Charging at Mainstream Truck Stops](https://www.thedrive.com/news/tesla-semis-are-now-charging-at-mainstream-truck-stops) — The Drive 2. [Tesla expands Semi charging network with new California truck hubs](https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/tesla-expands-semi-charging-network-151218317.html) — Yahoo Finance Image: Photo: Don Ramey Logan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Long_Beach_California_by_Don_Ramey_Logan.jpg) --- Written from the sources above and checked twice (rules and an independent model) before publishing. How we work: https://skoop.news/how-we-work/ · Corrections: https://skoop.news/corrections/