Tesla has plugged in its first fourth-generation fast-charging stations. The 16 V4 Superchargers are located in Harderwijk in the Netherlands. The site will open up to third-party brands soon.
The main difference to the previous generation is, besides the taller housing, the longer charging cable. That should make it easier for other brands to use the chargers. The new Superchargers in Harderwijk are initially only open to Tesla vehicles, as Tesla wants to test and evaluate the performance of the new stations. However, soon, all other EVs can plug in there as well.
Tesla has yet to communicate the performance of the new pillars officially. The site was discovered a few weeks ago when it was still under construction. A type plate photographed on one of the pillars indicates a maximum output of 250 kW – a maximum of 500 volts is possible, the current strength is up to 631 amps.
Now a new image surfaced of a type plate attached to the back of one of the V4 Superchargers. It indicates a “Rated Voltage” of 1,000 VDC and a “Rated Current” of 615 amps. That would translate to a charging capacity of up to 600 kW. However, if the same logic was applied to CCS charging stations from other providers, often specified as 920 volts and 500 amps, they could provide up to 460 kW in theory. But charging is limited to 350 kW.
First V4 Supercharger stalls now open in Harderwijk 🇳🇱!
Stalls are equipped with a longer cable, providing easy access for all EVs. pic.twitter.com/TnY3dBoyhP
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) March 15, 2023
The charging process for Tesla vehicles remains the same, as seen in the first charging videos made in Harderwijk. There is still no display or card reader; the cable, now attached to the outside of the columns, is removed from the holder and connected to the vehicle. So even for non-Teslas, nothing should change in the charging process other than that it requires the Tesla app.
Tesla tweeted that it plans to open new V4 locations across Europe. However, there are no details about the scope and rollout schedule yet.