Tesla Deploys Mobile Superchargers Using Megapacks Loaded On Trucks

Tesla has deployed mobile Superchargers to get ahead of the Thanksgiving crowds, a strategy that could be a game-changer for the all-electric automaker. One of the chief complaints people have with Tesla vehicles--or EVs in general--is the number of charging stations for long trips, especially during holidays when Superchargers can get congested. By deploying its mobile Superchargers, Tesla has come up with an ingenious solution to this issue.

According to Tesla owner-enthusiast Sofiaan Fraval, a truck of mobile Superchargers was deployed in San Luis Obispo (SLO) to provide a boost to the existing Superchargers in the area. Tesla-enthusiasts Brian Swenson and the creators of the YouTube channel Living Tesla visited the site as well. Based on the information they gathered, it appears that Tesla has attached several urban Superchargers to Megapack batteries and placed them on a truck to make its mobile charging station.

Megapack charger is open for charging! pic.twitter.com/QAVEOqvVH1

— Brian Swenson (@t3knerd) November 27, 2019

Tesla’s mobile charging station can reportedly charge up to 100 cars before the Megapacks need to be charged themselves. According to Living Tesla, there are already 10 Superchargers at the San Luis Obispo (SLO) station, with 4 more V3 Superchargers being installed.

In Fraval’s video, a Tesla personnel explained that during the holidays last year, the waiting time to get to one Supercharger stall became as long as an hour due to congestion. With the Tesla Mobile Superchargers, these circumstances are less likely to happen.

One way to fix the congested traffic at Tesla charging stations during holidays is to install more Superchargers. However, physical installations take time and are likely more costly than their mobile counterparts. Tesla's Megapack-powered Mobile Superchargers solve the issue in a way that is both cost-efficient and time-efficient. Its portable Urban Superchargers can be deployed only when necessary and then moved when they are no longer needed. Their upkeep seems relatively easy, too, since the mobile Superchargers are attached to Megapacks, which just need recharging at the end of the day.

My wife @veganShelly stopped by the San Luis Obispo #Tesla #Supercharger and got the scoop on the new mobile #megapack! It’s a bank of urban chargers on wheels! Also #V3 coming soon, like I suspected!!!😍😍😍 pic.twitter.com/J5HDaO4Tbu

— Sofiaan Fraval (@Sofiaan) November 28, 2019

Tesla’s Mobile Superchargers could give the company an advantage against its competitors. First, these portable charging stations can be placed anywhere, at any time, whenever necessary. With its portable Superchargers, Tesla can create charging stations where other EV companies can’t. For instance, at sporting events or outdoor concerts where there could be a large concentration of EV owners. After the events, the Mobile Superchargers can simply be transported someplace else. 

Second, unlike Tesla, the majority EV manufacturers don’t make their own big battery packs like the Megapacks. These same companies are already struggling to supply battery packs for their EVs because they don’t have their own chemistry or dedicated factories like Tesla. Designing a big enough battery to make a mobile charging station is another level altogether. Fortunately, this is a level that Tesla appears to have mastered over the years.

The number of existing charging stations remains one of the reasons EVs haven’t outnumbered ICE vehicles, yet. But once again, Tesla has thought outside the box and delivered something that even fossil fuel gas stations don’t have at the moment.

Featured Image Credit: Sofiaan Fraval/Twitter