News
Tesla V4 Superchargers unveiled in Europe, could launch this month
Tesla’s first V4 Superchargers are set to launch in Europe in March, bringing the newest and fastest iteration of the company’s industry-leading charging infrastructure to light.
Tesla’s Supercharging network has been the best in the industry, and it’s no secret. Its locations, dependability, and innovation have contributed to the automaker being one of the few that has been able to offer enough charging stations to support its demand.
In 2019, Tesla first started rolling out V3 Superchargers, which were the fastest at the time and offered charging speeds of up to 250 kW, offering 1,000 miles of range per hour when obtainable.
Now, the new V4 Superchargers are ready to be launched in Europe just a few weeks after construction began. On March 3, the first installations were spotted at a Supercharging station in Harderwijk, the Netherlands, and are expected to support a 1,000-architecture that will enable faster charging speeds and could be used by more manufacturers.
It appears these stations are complete and have been revealed and tested by Tesla staff in the Netherlands (via fritsvanens on Twitter).
#V4 #Tesla superchargers are currently revealed and tested in #Harderwijk. All 16 stalls completed. Opening in March according to a Tesla official I spoke. Super excited! pic.twitter.com/Z43JzvtPnX
— fritsvanens (@fritsvanens) March 14, 2023
Fritsvanens said they spoke to Tesla staff at the site over the past several days. Yesterday, at least ten people were spotted at the site, but they were reprimanded for taking pictures.
However, the installation has been completed, and Tesla staff told them that these V4 Superchargers are set to open this month.
Tesla’s Supercharging website does not have this location updated yet. It still appears to list the previous Superchargers on the page, but it does state that non-Tesla vehicles are able to charge at the site. It is not known whether these vehicles will be able to utilize the V4 Supercharger
At first glance, the new V4 Superchargers appear to be similar to Tesla’s 72 kW chargers in appearance.
They also appear to equip a longer charging cable, which would enable other vehicles to charge with ease.
What do you think. Prettier than the V3 style or not. pic.twitter.com/MufGhGubfx
— fritsvanens (@fritsvanens) March 14, 2023
They also appear to be close in design to the Megachargers the Tesla Semi uses at the Frito Lay factory in California.
Credit: Teslarati reader Timke Klinker
The first rumors of the V4 Supercharger began to swirl in July 2022, hinting toward CCS support for non-Tesla owners.
Tesla has seemingly moved toward it this as it has been installing the Magic Dock on some Superchargers in the United States, enabling other EVs to utilize the robust network.
It is not yet known when Tesla will roll out the V4 Superchargers in the United States.
However, Tesla opened its non-Tesla EV Pilot Program in Europe several years ago, and just started enabling the same strategy in the U.S. Tesla could be utilizing the European market as an initial testing phase of the new V4 Superchargers before bringing them to its home country.
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Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.