This is the complete measured profile of the Tesla Supercharger network — every dimension we track, in full depth. For the summary version alongside six other networks, see the network comparison table. For the narrative guide, see the Tesla Supercharger hub.
The short version: Superchargers are the most reliable public charging in the US by every dimension we measure, and it is not close. The interesting details are where the network’s few weaknesses actually are.
Uptime: 99.3% measured
Our session telemetry puts Supercharger uptime at 99.3% — the highest of any network we track. Tesla’s own claim is 99.9%. The 0.6-point gap comes from our stricter definition: we count a stall as down if it fails to deliver a working session, not just if it fails to respond to a network ping.
90-day trend, month over month: May 99.2% → June 99.3% → July 99.3%. Trend score +1.2, improving. Supercharger uptime has been stable in this band since we began measuring — there is no seasonal dip, which is not true of any other network we track.
Why it holds: Tesla owns and operates every site. There is no host landlord, no third-party maintenance contract, and no ambiguity about who fixes a broken stall.
Delivered speed: 234 kW average, 94% of stalls hit rated
Across our measured sessions, Superchargers deliver an average 234 kW against V3 hardware rated at 250 kW — and 94% of stalls hit their rated speed during at least one measured session. That is the smallest rated-vs-delivered gap of any network.
By hardware generation:
| Generation | Rated | Measured average | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| V2 (being retired) | 150 kW | 138 kW | Paired stalls share power — pick an unpaired stall |
| V3 | 250 kW | 234 kW | No power sharing. The network workhorse |
| V4 | 500 kW capable | 250 kW+ today | Delivery currently limited by cabinet deployment and vehicle accept rates |
What you actually get depends on your vehicle’s accept rate. A Model 3 Long Range peaks near 250 kW briefly and tapers from ~40% state of charge. Non-Tesla EVs on Magic Dock frequently peak lower because their charging curves were tuned for CCS hardware.
The one delivered-speed caveat: V2 sites still split power between paired stalls (1A/1B). At a busy V2 site your 150 kW can become 75 kW. V3 and V4 do not share.
Pricing: $0.42–$0.49/kWh, and where it varies
Tesla charges per kWh at nearly all US sites, with rates set per location. The 2026 band:
| Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| Standard rate (Tesla and non-Tesla) | $0.42–$0.49/kWh |
| High-cost states (CA metro, parts of WA) | up to $0.55/kWh |
| Mountain West interior (MT, WY, ID) | often $0.39–$0.44/kWh |
| Off-peak discounts (select sites) | 10–25% lower, typically overnight |
| Session fee | None |
| Idle fee | $1.00/min when site >50% full, $0.50/min otherwise at select sites |
| Congestion fee (select urban sites) | Charging past 80% billed at a premium per-minute rate |
There is no membership and no subscription that changes the rate for Tesla owners. Non-Tesla drivers using Superchargers can buy a membership ($12.99/mo) that drops their rate to the Tesla-owner price — it breaks even around two sessions per month. Full cost math in what a Supercharger costs.
App and payment: the frictionless benchmark
Billing is native Plug & Charge — plug in and walk away, payment on file. No card reader, no app tap, no handshake failure mode. Session-start failure is the rarest event in our Supercharger telemetry.
The app shows live stall availability and wait counts for every site, which no other network does with comparable accuracy. There are no reservations — Tesla manages congestion with idle fees, congestion pricing, and live routing instead.
Known issues, honestly: the 80% congestion-fee cutoff surprises drivers at busy urban sites, and Magic Dock sessions for non-Tesla vehicles have a meaningfully higher failure-to-start rate than native NACS sessions (though still low by industry standards).
Stalls per site: 12–16, and why queue risk stays low
The typical new Supercharger site has 12–16 stalls. Flagship corridor sites run 20–40+. Combined with live availability data and in-car routing that redistributes demand, measured queue incidence is the lowest of any network — holiday-weekend peaks on I-5 and I-90 being the notable exception.
Cold weather: the best in the business, with a catch
Tesla’s in-car preconditioning warms the battery automatically when a Supercharger is set as the navigation destination. This is the single biggest cold-weather advantage any network offers — a preconditioned pack accepts near-full power at 10°F while an unconditioned one may accept 50% less.
The catch: preconditioning only triggers when you navigate to the charger in the car. Drivers following a third-party app’s route without setting the in-car destination lose the advantage entirely. Non-Tesla vehicles on Magic Dock depend on their own manufacturer’s preconditioning logic, which varies widely.
Accessibility
New-build Superchargers include ADA-accessible stalls with wider bays and cable reach designed for driver-side rear ports. Older sites vary — pre-2020 sites in particular were built to a tighter footprint and can be difficult with a wheelchair van. Tesla does not publish an accessibility filter; this remains a gap.
When a stall breaks
Report is one tap in the app, and Tesla’s telemetry usually knows before you do. Typical repair in our tracking: under 48 hours, the fastest of any network. Because sites have 12+ stalls, a single dead stall rarely affects your session — the redundancy, not just the repair speed, is what makes failures invisible here.
Bottom line
The Supercharger network’s profile is a reliability flywheel: single-owner accountability produces high uptime, high stall counts absorb failures, and native billing removes the session-start failure mode entirely. Its real weaknesses are narrow — V2 power sharing, Magic Dock friction for non-Tesla drivers, and accessibility at older sites. Compare it dimension-by-dimension with Electrify America’s complete profile or the full seven-network table.