Tesla Seeks Funding for Megachargers
Tesla is planning to revolutionize the charging infrastructure for its fully electric long-haul trucks in the US. According to a report from Bloomberg, the company is seeking $100 million in funding from the Department of Transport to build an interstate Semi charging station route between Texas and California. Tesla is also contributing $24 million to the project, which will include nine charging sites, each equipped with 12 Semi Chargers with a capacity of around 750kW. Eight of these chargers will be dedicated to Tesla Semis, and four additional chargers will be available for other electric trucks.
The proposed charging route conveniently connects Tesla's factories in Fremont, California, and Austin, Texas, as well as being near Tesla's upcoming Mexico factory. Tesla has already installed its Megachargers for Semi trucks at PepsiCo's Modesto production facility, as the company has ordered 100 Tesla Semi trucks and has been trialing the truck for the past eight months. With plans to fulfill orders on trucks with an 800 km range, having reliable charging infrastructure becomes essential for both Tesla and PepsiCo as they move toward the future of electric long-haul trucks.
Elon Musk has recently spoken out against US government tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, calling them “not good” and market-distorting.