With the increasingly widespread use of heavy-duty electrified trucks, commercial fleet operators have counted on the availability of truck charging centers to meet the needs of the transportation industry. To that end, Pilot Travel Centers LLC (“Pilot”), the nation’s largest operator of travel centers, entered into an agreement with Tesla to install Semi Chargers to facilitate heavy-duty electric-vehicle truck charging.
The Tesla charging stations will be built at select Pilot locations along I-5, I-10, and several other major corridors where the need for heavy-duty charging is highest. Construction of Tesla Semi Chargers will begin in the first half of 2026 at centers planned across California, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. The initial sites are expected to open in Summer 2026.
“Helping to shape the future of energy is a strategic pillar in meeting the needs of our guests and the North American transportation industry,” said Shannon Sturgil, senior vice president of alternative fuels at Pilot.
Inside the Cabinets
Pilot travel centers equipped with Tesla Semi Chargers will host four to eight charging stalls. They will leverage Tesla’s V4 cabinet charging technology, delivering up to 1.2 MW of power at each stall.
The cabinets use advanced power electronics, including silicon-carbide (SiC) technology to power the eight stalls. They’re said to achieve over 96% efficiency and 3X higher power density compared to previous generations. The result is 30% quicker charging for vehicles like the Tesla Cybertruck, while 400-V vehicles (Models 3/Y/S/X) maintain 250-kW speeds.
Semi Truck Details and Features
Tesla has stated that the majority of a Semi truck’s 500-mile range can be recovered in a 30-minute charge session, matching a normal mandated break period for professional drivers.
The Tesla Semi powertrain consists of three independent motors on rear axles. Its energy consumption is less than 2 kWh per mile, according to the company. The truck can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 20 seconds, fully loaded (82k lb. gross combination weight), and maintain highway-level speeds even up steep grades. In the future, the Semi Charger facilities may be expanded to be compatible with heavy-duty electric vehicles from other manufacturers.
Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, Pilot is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and employs approximately 30,000 team members. As the largest network of travel centers, Pilot has more than 900 locations in 44 states and five Canadian provinces, serving an average of 1.2 million guests per day. The company operates North America’s third largest fuel tanker fleet and supplies approximately 12 billion gallons of fuel per year.
