To welcome the new year with renewed excitement and enthusiasm, Tesla (TSLA) showed the impressive charging capability of its Semi-truck.
Since the launch of the Tesla Semi in 2017, the electric vehicle maker has been guarding the charging and battery pack specifications like a closely guarded secret.
However, in the last couple of months, Tesla has become more open about the Semi’s technical details. At its 2025 Shareholder Meeting, the automaker unveiled the updated design and basic specifications of the Tesla Semi. It has been so long in the making that Tesla Semi received a design refresh while still in the prototype testing phase.
It’s not a secret anymore that the Tesla Semi is equipped with a battery pack of ~850 kWh. To efficiently and speedily charge such a large battery pack (equal to around eight Tesla Model S or X battery packs), the system charging it needs to be fast and reliable.
In a new official video posted on Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Tesla engineers are seen cheering the truck reaching a peak charging rate of 1.2 Megawatts (MW).
To put this rate in perspective, a Tesla V3 Supercharger has a peak charging rate of 250 kW, and the latest V4 Superchargers can charge up to a maximum of 500 kW. Only the Cybertruck can benefit from the 500 kW peak charging rate in Tesla’s entire EV lineup.
Tesla Semi can charge at more than twice the Cybertruck’s peak charging rate. The 1.2 MW charging rate is crucial for the Tesla Semi to shorten its shipment timelines in real-world logistics operations.
A few years ago, when Tesla employees needed to charge the Semi prototypes on their testing trips, they used to plug in 4 or 5 Supercharger cables into a truck at once.
Tesla then developed the Megacharger plugs, cables, and the charge port specifically for the Semi-truck for ultra-fast charging. The Tesla Semi’s Megacharging charge port can be seen in the screenshot above. It’s not the same as Tesla’s NACS charge port installed in Tesla electric vehicles.
Related: Tesla Semi parts catalog diagrams show its huge battery pack, other systems, and components
Tesla is developing a Megacharger network to support zero-emissions logistics operations. The first Megacharger pilot station was built at Giga Nevada in 2021. These Megachargers need to be available at trucking rest stops for truckers to move towards their destinations smoothly.
The Megacharger availability is expected to expand this year as Tesla plans to start the Semi-truck production at Giga Nevada this year. The automaker shared the last factory construction update back in July 2025 (video below).
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been giving Semi production start timelines for the last few years, but each year it gets delayed to the next. However, the 2026 timeline looks much more promising than previous years.
“Tesla Semi will be in volume production next year,” Elon Musk announced on X in August of 2025.
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- Musk teases Bill Gates as the first Tesla Semi rolls off the volume production line at Giga Nevada
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