At the end of January, science educator Tim Dodd, who is widely known and loved for the content he creates on his YouTube channel Everyday Astronaut, replied to someone else's tweet about V3 Supercharging saying:
"If the majority of new charging stations become V3, it’s game changing. I hope to see more and more because it really makes for an incredible charging experience."
If the majority of new charging stations become V3, it’s game changing. I hope to see more and more because it really makes for an incredible charging experience.
— Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) January 24, 2020
It didn't take long for Tesla CEO Elon Musk to chime in and announce that "V3 Supercharger deployment will accelerate considerably this year" – and he meant it.
V3 Supercharger deployment will accelerate considerably this year
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 24, 2020
Just days after Musk's original tweet, it became known that Tesla will build its biggest Supercharging station in Europe to date in Hilden, Germany, with all 40 stalls being V3 Superchargers.
Hilden is close to the Benelux counties – and right next to a huge Autobahn interchange, making it a convenient stop for people traveling from and to the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and perhaps even France.
V3 offers charging speeds up to 250 kW – compared to Tesla's earlier V2 stalls, which could only deliver up to 150 kW, this is another massive improvement in charging experience. And since V3 stations don't share power like Tesla's other charging stations do, Tesla says that – combined with the higher output – they anticipate the average charging time to drop to around 15 minutes.
Source: Tesla
In the past, the company has also stated that V3 Superchargers will be able to serve more than twice as many vehicles per day compared to V2 chargers, which results in the investment they're making in the network going significantly further with every V3 station deployed.
With Model 3 sales going through the roof, especially in the Netherlands, and Model Y on the way, the new station in Hilden, Germany will certainly attract lots of customers. With its unique location, it might even reduce travel times for some people, as Hilden is perhaps closer to their destination than other Supercharger stations in Kamen or Moers are.
In the meantime, Tesla will add 16 mobile Superchargers in Hilden on February 14th to support the growing demand for charging stations following record deliveries in Q3 and Q4 2019.
In addition, charging station operator Fastned is also building its largest charging facility in Europe to date directly next to Tesla's planned V3 Supercharger station, featuring about 20 rapid charging points that are each delivering 350 kW. While Fastned has not given a specific time frame, the station is expected to be up and running at some point later this year.
