Tesla Developing Auto-Charging System for Semi Electric Truck

Tesla is developing an automated charging system for its Semi electric truck. In a recent conversation with blogger Jay Leno, Dan Priestley, Director of the Semi program, and Franz von Holzhausen, Chief Designer, revealed that the system will support megawatt-level charging. Currently, the Semi is capable of 1.2-megawatt liquid-cooled fast charging, adding 300 miles (approximately 483 kilometers) of range in just 30 minutes. The team is also exploring other automated refueling solutions, aiming to enable drivers and fleets to charge without any manual intervention. Von Holzhausen noted that this technology will also be applied to the upcoming two-seater Cybercab and clarified that it will be a "conductive" (i.e., wired) automated charging system, not wireless induction. Although Tesla has previously experimented with wireless charging—such as the "charging snake" concept—it has not yet been implemented. It remains unclear whether the final solution for the Semi will involve a charging plate, a robotic plug-in arm, or another form of automated connection.