Pilot and Tesla have launched their first heavy-duty electric vehicle charging site at a Pilot travel center just outside of Savannah, Georgia, marking the debut of a nationwide network designed to power semi-trucks along major U.S. freight corridors.
The initial site at Pilot #1390 in Ellabell features six heavy-duty charging stalls and is the first rollout from a collaboration announced in January to install Tesla Megachargers at select Pilot and Flying J locations across California, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada and Texas.
"With these initial locations, we're making fleet electrification a more accessible option for long-haul transportation and are excited to continue working with Tesla to move at the pace and preference of our customers," said Shannon Sturgil, Pilot's senior vice president of alternative fuels.
Pilot and Tesla launched their first heavy-duty Tesla Megacharger station at Pilot #1390 in Ellabell, Georgia.
Each location in the network will feature between four and eight high-power charging stalls powered by Tesla's V4 cabinet technology. According to Tesla, the stalls can deliver up to 1.2 megawatts of power, enabling a Tesla Semi to recover 60% of its charge in 30 minutes.
Twelve additional heavy-duty charging locations are under construction, with three nearing completion:
- Flying J #1071 at 979 E. Paige Ave. in Tulare, California, scheduled to open Friday.
- Flying J #553 at 2571 N. Front St. in Fort Stockton, Texas.
- Pilot #341 at 3812 E. Craig Road in North Las Vegas, Nevada.
The freight corridor rollout adds to Pilot's ongoing investments in alternative energy, which include a coast-to-coast passenger EV charging network, renewable diesel and biodiesel.
Knoxville, Tennessee-based Pilot operates more than 900 travel centers across 43 states and five Canadian provinces, serving an average of 1.2 million guests daily.
