The switch from V3 to V4 Tesla Superchargers might bring much more than just new taller stalls with longer cables.
According to Tesla Owners UK (@TeslaOwnersUK / Twitter), Tesla has displayed, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kingdom, a V4 Supercharging stall with a contactless bank card reader and a space for a small display.
“Exclusive: We can reveal a new Tesla V4 Supercharger with contactless bank card area and space for a screen! Global debut at @fosgoodwood, never been shown before!”
The report includes two photos:
Previously, Tesla’s fast chargers were available only for Tesla vehicles, so there was no reason to add any additional systems for authentication, payment or info (everything was displayed inside the car or on the Tesla app).
However, as Tesla tries to open its charging network to non-Tesla EVs, things like longer cables, bank card readers, displays or built-in CCS1 adapters (aka Magic Dock) in North America, are not surprising.
Another thing is that in some markets, like in the UK, there is a general plan to add bank card readers to all chargers. This is so that any EV driver would be able to pay for charging, without joining a particular charging network (membership and/or dedicated RFID card), just like in the case of fuel stations.
The first two known V4 Superchargers – one in the Netherlands and one in France, are not equipped with displays or bank card readers.
It’s also worth noting that in Europe Tesla uses CCS2-compatible charging plugs/inlets on its new chargers/cars for quite some time, so there is no necessity to use Magic Dock to enable other EVs to charge (except for CHAdeMO-compatible EVs and, of course, the older Model S/Model X).
Non-Tesla EV drivers were currently able to use Superchargers – included in the non-Tesla EV Supercharging Pilot – through the Tesla app. In the future, maybe there will be an option to use the Superchargers without a phone by simply using a bank card.
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