News
Porsche Taycan charging times to be 2X faster than Tesla’s Superchargers
When the Porsche Taycan starts production next year, the electric car market will be even more saturated than it is today. Tesla’s Model 3 would likely be at a production rate of 10,000 units per week. Electric cars from veteran carmakers, such as Jaguar’s I-PACE, Mercedes-Benz’s EQC and Audi’s e-tron, would be in the market as well.
For Porsche, this is not a problem. During the recently held Rennsport Reunion, a gathering of Porsche enthusiasts in Monterey, CA, the German legacy automaker noted that the Taycan would make a mark in the electric car market not because it was the first to enter production. Rather, it would establish itself as a competitor with its driving dynamics and rapid charging times. Detlev von Platen, Porsche’s executive board member for sales and marketing, described the company’s stance on the Taycan in a statement to Fortune.
“We don’t need and don’t want to be the first. It doesn’t make any sense to drive fast and then wait two hours to charge batteries. Achieving an 80% charge in a quarter of an hour is an argument for us.” he said.
Quite unlike the strategy employed by other legacy automakers like Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz, whose vehicles largely rely on established charging infrastructure, Porsche is looking to develop its own charging network. Just like Tesla’s ever-growing Supercharger Network, Porsche’s 350 kW Electric Pit Stops are designed to serve as an ultra-fast charging system for its electric vehicles. Porsche is even taking the idea of fast chargers a step further, stating that it is aiming to design a system that could recharge 80% of the Taycan’s batteries in just 15 minutes.
If Porsche successfully rolls out its Electric Pit Stops, it would create a network of rapid chargers that are twice as quick as Tesla’s Supercharger Network, which have an output of ~120 kW and are capable of recharging the company’s electric vehicles up to 80% in 30 minutes. That said, Tesla is also preparing the rollout of its Supercharger V3, which is expected to have an output of 200-250 kW. During Tesla’s Q1 earnings call, Elon Musk shared a critique of 350 kW systems, stating that such an output could compromise the battery.
“The thing about a 350 kW charger is that it doesn’t actually make a ton of sense, unless you got a monster battery pack or have like a crazy high C rating. We think 350 kW for a single car; you’re gonna frag the battery pack if you do that. You cannot charge a high-energy battery pack at that rate, unless it’s a very high kW battery pack. So, (for us), something along the couple of hundred, 200-250 kW,” Musk said.
Ultimately, Porsche is counting on the strength of its pedigree and the car’s driving performance to push the Taycan forward. The Taycan is Porsche’s first all-electric car, and it would be the flagship of the company as it transitions to an electrified fleet in the coming years. Considering that Porsche has already abandoned diesel and committed to electrifying 50% of its fleet by 2025, the Taycan is a vehicle that must resonate with the company’s loyal consumer base. Michael Steiner, Porsche research and development executive board member, believes that the Taycan will be up to the task.
“Even if you’re not looking for an EV, I’m convinced there will be a lot of customers driving it for performance,” he said.
Porsche is already seeing encouraging signs from its customers. Executives of the legacy automaker note that the demand for its green vehicles is increasing. In Europe, for example, plug-in hybrid variants of the Porsche Panamera already comprise 60% of the vehicle’s sales. Porsche is aiming to produce 20,000 units of the Taycan every year, and so far, the reception of the vehicle has been better than expected. In Norway alone, 2,000 reservations have been filed for the car. Pre-orders for the Taycan have started in the United States as well.
News
Tesla cleared in Canada EV rebate investigation
Tesla has been cleared in an investigation into the company’s staggering number of EV rebate claims in Canada in January.
Canadian officials have cleared Tesla following an investigation into a large number of claims submitted to the country’s electric vehicle (EV) rebates earlier this year.
Transport Canada has ruled that there was no evidence of fraud after Tesla submitted 8,653 EV rebate claims for the country’s Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program, as detailed in a report on Friday from The Globe and Mail. Despite the huge number of claims, Canadian authorities have found that the figure represented vehicles that had been delivered prior to the submission deadline for the program.
According to Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland, the claims “were determined to legitimately represent cars sold before January 12,” which was the final day for OEMs to submit these claims before the government suspended the program.
Upon initial reporting of the Tesla claims submitted in January, it was estimated that they were valued at around $43 million. In March, Freeland and Transport Canada opened the investigation into Tesla, noting that they would be freezing the rebate payments until the claims were found to be valid.
READ MORE ON ELECTRIC VEHICLES: EVs getting cleaner more quickly than expected in Europe: study
Huw Williams, Canadian Automobile Dealers Association Public Affairs Director, accepted the results of the investigation, while also questioning how Tesla knew to submit the claims that weekend, just before the program ran out.
“I think there’s a larger question as to how Tesla knew to run those through on that weekend,” Williams said. “It doesn’t appear to me that we have an investigation into any communication between Transport Canada and Tesla, between officials who may have shared information inappropriately.”
Tesla sales have been down in Canada for the first half of this year, amidst turmoil between the country and the Trump administration’s tariffs. Although Elon Musk has since stepped back from his role with the administration, a number of companies and officials in Canada were calling for a boycott of Tesla’s vehicles earlier this year, due in part to his association with Trump.
News
Tesla Semis to get 18 new Megachargers at this PepsiCo plant
PepsiCo is set to add more Tesla Semi Megachargers, this time at a facility in North Carolina.
Tesla partner PepsiCo is set to build new Semi charging stations at one of its manufacturing sites, as revealed in new permitting plans shared this week.
On Friday, Tesla charging station scout MarcoRP shared plans on X for 18 Semi Megacharging stalls at PepsiCo’s facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, coming as the latest update plans for the company’s increasingly electrified fleet. The stalls are set to be built side by side, along with three Tesla Megapack grid-scale battery systems.
The plans also note the faster charging speeds for the chargers, which can charge the Class 8 Semi at speeds of up to 1MW. Tesla says that the speed can charge the Semi back to roughly 70 percent in around 30 minutes.
You can see the site plans for the PepsiCo North Carolina Megacharger below.
Credit: PepsiCo (via MarcoRPi1 on X)
Credit: PepsiCo (via MarcoRPi1 on X)
READ MORE ON THE TESLA SEMI: Tesla to build Semi Megacharger station in Southern California
PepsiCo’s Tesla Semi fleet, other Megachargers, and initial tests and deliveries
PepsiCo was the first external customer to take delivery of Tesla’s Semis back in 2023, starting with just an initial order of 15. Since then, the company has continued to expand the fleet, recently taking delivery of an additional 50 units in California. The PepsiCo fleet was up to around 86 units as of last year, according to statements from Semi Senior Manager Dan Priestley.
Additionally, the company has similar Megachargers at its facilities in Modesto, Sacramento, and Fresno, California, and Tesla also submitted plans for approval to build 12 new Megacharging stalls in Los Angeles County.
Over the past couple of years, Tesla has also been delivering the electric Class 8 units to a number of other companies for pilot programs, and Priestley shared some results from PepsiCo’s initial Semi tests last year. Notably, the executive spoke with a handful of PepsiCo workers who said they really liked the Semi and wouldn’t plan on going back to diesel trucks.
The company is also nearing completion of a higher-volume Semi plant at its Gigafactory in Nevada, which is expected to eventually have an annual production capacity of 50,000 Semi units.
Tesla executive teases plan to further electrify supply chain
News
Tesla sales soar in Norway with new Model Y leading the charge
Tesla recorded a 54% year-over-year jump in new vehicle registrations in June.
Tesla is seeing strong momentum in Norway, with sales of the new Model Y helping the company maintain dominance in one of the world’s most electric vehicle-friendly markets.
Model Y upgrades and consumer preferences
According to the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV), Tesla recorded a 54% year-over-year jump in new vehicle registrations in June. The Model Y led the charge, posting a 115% increase compared to the same period last year. Tesla Norway’s growth was even more notable in May, with sales surging a whopping 213%, as noted in a CNBC report.
Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian EV Association (NEVA), stated that Tesla’s strong market performance was partly due to the updated Model Y, which is really just a good car, period.
“I think it just has to do with the fact that they deliver a car which has quite a lot of value for money and is what Norwegians need. What Norwegians need, a large luggage space, all wheel drive, and a tow hitch, high ground clearance as well. In addition, quite good digital solutions which people have gotten used to, and also a charging network,” she said.
Tesla in Europe
Tesla’s success in Norway is supported by long-standing government incentives for EV adoption, including exemptions from VAT, road toll discounts, and access to bus lanes. Public and home charging infrastructure is also widely available, making the EV ownership experience in the country very convenient.
Tesla’s performance in Europe is still a mixed bag, with markets like Germany and France still seeing declines in recent months. In areas such as Norway, Spain, and Portugal, however, Tesla’s new car registrations are rising. Spain’s sales rose 61% and Portugal’s sales rose 7% last month. This suggests that regional demand may be stabilizing or rebounding in pockets of Europe.
Tesla cleared in Canada EV rebate investigation
Tesla Semis to get 18 new Megachargers at this PepsiCo plant
Tesla sales soar in Norway with new Model Y leading the charge
-
Elon Musk2 weeks agoTesla investors will be shocked by Jim Cramer’s latest assessment
-
Elon Musk2 days agoxAI launches Grok 4 with new $300/month SuperGrok Heavy subscription
-
Elon Musk4 days agoElon Musk confirms Grok 4 launch on July 9 with livestream event
-
News1 week agoTesla Model 3 ranks as the safest new car in Europe for 2025, per Euro NCAP tests
-
Elon Musk2 weeks agoA Tesla just delivered itself to a customer autonomously, Elon Musk confirms
-
Elon Musk1 week agoxAI’s Memphis data center receives air permit despite community criticism
-
News2 weeks agoXiaomi CEO congratulates Tesla on first FSD delivery: “We have to continue learning!”
-
Elon Musk1 week agoTesla scrambles after Musk sidekick exit, CEO takes over sales