The First Tesla Supercharger V4 Chargers Don't Offer Speed Improvements Over V3

Everybody expected Tesla to deploy its first Supercharger V4 stations in the U.S., and, in a way, it did. As previously confirmed, the Megachargers developed to top up the monstrous battery inside the Tesla Semi are the same as the Supercharger V4. The Megachargers can deliver up to 1 MW of power over a 1,000-volt connection. People expected the V4 Superchargers to offer similar capabilities, even though no Tesla model (except for the Semi, of course) can benefit at the moment.

Surprisingly, Tesla decided to start the larger Supercharger V4 deployment in Europe, in a small town in the Netherlands. The decision was probably made because, in Europe, there's no need for an adapter. The non-Tesla Supercharger Pilot Program was introduced in the Netherlands in November 2021 and is now rolled out at all Supercharger stations in the country.

The work to install the V4 pedestals on-site began two weeks ago and was finished faster than expected. Soon afterward, Tesla opened the station to the public, and everyone got excited to see how the V4 chargers fare compared to the older V3 tech. Tesla fans in the Netherlands seized the moment, so we have the first impressions.

First, let's start with the obvious: the pedestals are taller and the cables are noticeably longer. This could be helpful when charging different types of electric vehicles, but it can also put the plug in danger of breaking if it's dropped on the pavement. In fact, at around 10 feet (3 meters) long, the cable is too long for its own good. One cord was lying on the ground when Felix Hamer, our reviewer of choice for this event, arrived at the station.

Although the pedestals are the new V4 generation, the power cabinets that feed them with electricity are still the old generation. That's probably the reason why charging specifications are no different. The new stalls can provide more current, 615 amps versus 425 amps in the V3 Superchargers, but the output is still limited to 250 kW. This was confirmed by the first people who charged their cars at the station.

In the video shared by Felix Hamer, we see the power maxes out at around 190 kW when charging his Tesla Model 3. Another Tesla owner driving a Model S confirms that the charging speed is no different than with a V3 station. One thing to note is that the cable still heats up noticeably, despite being liquid-cooled. For now, there's no test with an 800-volt EV because this station, at least for now, only accepts Tesla cars. It would be interesting to see how the V4 Supercharger charges higher-voltage vehicles because the V3 doesn't seem to play nice with these EVs.