It’s widely accepted that Tesla’s Supercharging network is the best on offer and with that status, it’d be easy to take the foot off the accelerator, instead, it seems Tesla are ramping things up.
New reports online indicate an impending installation of V3 Supercharging which would be the first in Australia. The photos from Brisbane-based @ozevhcampions, show 2 power units under covers, which would be used to power multiple Superchargers. A label on the covered units reads ‘Supercharger v3, Cabinet, Top level’. You can see what uncovered units look like here.
Toombul Shopping Center, Queensland currently lists Electric Vehicle Charging as one of the draw cards on their website and that charging infrastructure looks like its about to get a boost as part of Tesla’s continued push to eliminate charging as a concern for potential EV owners.
For those not familiar with the location, Toombul is located just 7km from Brisbane’s CBD, the shopping center sees 5.83 million customer visits per year and offers 1,939 car spaces.
This site currently offers destination chargers that top out at 16.5kW (3phase 24A), while the new V3 Superchargers will offer a charging rate of up to 250kW. This increase in charging speeds means the difference between a Tesla Model 3 adding around 75km/hr of charging, to as much as 1,600km/hr. With the Model 3 offering 400-600km of range, its likely you’ll return from even a quick shopping trip with a full battery.
It is worth noting that an increase in Supercharging speed from 150kW to 250kW, but still lags behind third party charging networks like Chargefox and Evie Networks. These both offer Ultra-fast charging at up to 350kW using either ABB or Tritium charging infrastructure. Tesla charging locations often feature 4 or 6 Superchargers, while third party networks regularly offer a mix of 2x 350kW and 2x 50kW chargers.
Currently Australia has 37 Supercharger locations open, with another 4 under permit and 3 more already under construction. This means we’re likely to see a total of 44 locations by the end of 2021. The most recent is the Yea Supercharger located at 10 High St, Yea, it offers 4 stalls that has already started serving customers.
With what looks to be the first V3 Supercharger installation imminent, the question is now, how many of the existing Superchargers will be retrofitted to support it. This is not done without a significant cost, not only due to the faster speeds (and higher power) on offer with V3, but charging also takes another step forward in terms of dedicated circuits for each charging stall. This means if another Tesla pulls up to charge next to you, your charging speed is maintained.
It is interesting the packaging label includes an arrived date of 22nd of September 2020. Typically we’d expect Tesla to have the equipment installed not long after it arrives, but the delay in implementation could be explained by Covid-19 impacts.
Tesla first announced V3 Superchargers back in March 2019, and at the end of the press release, you’ll find a reference to Europe and Asia-Pacific coming Q4 of that year. Now more than 2 years on from that, V3 would be a very welcome addition to Australia’s charging infrastructure.
The destination units at Toombul are 22kw or 32 AMP three phase.
There are those. In addition, there are also very large chargers (250KW + and 50KW) on the top floor of the car park.