Tesla increases Supercharging rate for Models S and X to 225kW
The catch is that only the newest cars are getting the update so far.
Tesla's Model S is still a looker, and now can charge faster (if it's new).
Tesla's V3 Supercharger was a pretty big deal when it debuted, primarily because it offered a much higher 250-kilowatt charging rate, but the catch is that only Model 3 owners could take advantage of it. Owners of the more expensive (and older) Models S and X were stuck charging at 200kW.
Now, Tesla is boosting the S and X Supercharging rate again, and while it's still not at parity with Model 3 or Model Y -- likely due to pack design -- the new charge rate of 225 kW is pretty damned close.
What does this mean in practical terms? Well, that 225kW figure is a peak charge rate, so if the Supercharger station is busy or you haven't used your Tesla's navigate-to-Supercharger feature that helps condition the battery pack for faster charging, you're likely not going to hit that number.
Oh, and there's another catch. So far, according to a report published Wednesday by Electrek, only fairly recently-produced S and X models can take advantage of the update. Again, this is likely due to small changes in pack specifications.
Will older models be able to take advantage of this? We asked Tesla, but it didn't respond immediately to our request for comment, so it's anyone's guess.
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