Tesla has only opened two of its latest V4 Supercharger stations in Europe, and it looks like they have already implemented a change in its design as a new unit on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed appears to include a credit card reader.
Tesla opened the first V4 Supercharger station in the Netherlands earlier this year, and last week opened a second station in France. As with previous generations of Superchargers, they all work without the need for manual payment, with the system seamlessly communicating with the car to recognize who it is, display charging session information on the in-car display, and bill their account accordingly. This is very different than other EV charging providers which have several payment methods like RFID cards, mobile apps, and credit card readers, and have to add screens to the charging stalls themselves display the charging session information.
While convenient for some EV owners, those methods all bring more failure point into the mix, and it is very common to see EV owners reporting reliability issues and third-party charging stations.
Even with Tesla opening up its Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs, they have been able to avoid installing screens at their stations by having them download and use the mobile app. Now Tesla appears to be getting ready to include a credit card reader on their V4 Superchargers, which better cater to non-Tesla EVs with their longer charging cords.
Tesla has a display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK this week, and one of the things on display is a V4 Supercharger. Thanks to the keen eye of the Tesla Owners Club UK, we see what appears to be a credit card reader just underneath the dock, and additional space for a screen.
Exclusive: We can reveal a new Tesla V4 Supercharger with contactless bank card area and space for a screen! Global debut at @fosgoodwood, never been shown before! Nice work @TeslaCharging / @Tesla / @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/7jIvVx1A3M
— Tesla Owners UK 🇬🇧 (@TeslaOwnersUK) July 14, 2023
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the V4 Supercharger in the Netherlands, and the unit on display in the UK this week, where you can very clearly see the new opening.
It could be that Tesla is being required to add this credit card reader in some markets in Europe, the only location where V4 Superchargers have been installed so far. In Canada Tesla will soon switch to kWh billing, and as part of the consultation process, they were able to get Measurement Canada to agree to not have them add screens and credit card readers at existing stations, and instead have the mobile app and in-car display certified as measurement devices. However in other markets the regulating bodies might be requiring Tesla to add these to their new stations.
