It’s been a bit of a difficult week for Tesla amidst recall notices; however, the EV automaker has released some good news to its loyal legion of fans in the form of an updated version of its Supercharger map. The updated map details many new stations that will be added to the already expansive network, as well as updated timelines for expected completion.
Earlier last year, Tesla revealed plans to significantly increase its network – specifically, the automaker plans to triple the size of it over the next two years. Currently, Tesla is behind schedule on this plan, but it’s encouraging to see so many newly planned stations added to the map.
See the updated Supercharger map here
While charging infrastructure remains a concern and common pain point for EV drivers, it is notoriously difficult to open new fast-charging stations due to stakeholder agreements and logistical barriers. In Tesla’s case, when the company identifies an area in which it wants to place a new Supercharger, it must find a property to built it on and obtain contract approval from the property owner(s) before they can begin the design process. There are also municipality and local electric utility approvals required before a contractor can be selected to perform the installation.
Understandably, if Tesla runs into a roadblock at any of those steps, the planned Supercharger expansion can become burdened with delays. Looking at the updated map, this appears to be a common challenge for Tesla, as many projects that were previously expected to reach completion in 2021 are now slated for Q3 and Q4 2022 completion.
Despite these delays, however, Tesla has still increased its Supercharger network from 23,277 chargers across 2,564 stations at the end of 2020 to 31,498 chargers at 3,476 stations at the end of 2021. This growth represents a 35% year over year pace.
