New V4 Tesla Supercharger unveiled for all EVs with contactless payment option

Tesla has unveiled the all-new V4 Supercharger which has been designed not only to conform to the latest government charging regulations, but to also be used by owners of all types of EV.

That's right; the new V4 Tesla Supercharger won’t just be for the exclusive use of the electric-car maker’s own models, but will also be open to all electric car drivers – provided their car has a CCS charging port.

While drivers of the Tesla Model Y – as well as the Model 3, S and X – can simply drive up and plug-in in as normal, non-Tesla owners can make use of the V4’s new screen and contactless payment terminal. 

Introduced in-line with the UK government’s new regulations surrounding electric-car charging ease and transparency, the small display will set out the price of charging in ‘pence per kilowatt-hour’, with users able to pay via a QR code that takes them to the Tesla smartphone app, or by tapping their card on the contactless payment reader.

This isn’t the only quality-of-life update for the V4, however; Tesla’s newest ultra-rapid charger includes a much longer 3m cable in order to cater to vehicles with charge ports in unusual places – such as the MG ZS EV with its grille-mounted charging flap, or the Honda e which must be charged via the port in the bonnet. There's also cars like the Audi Q8 e-tron and Porsche Taycan which have their charge ports mounted on the wing – all surely benefiting from the longer reach of the new cable.

Tesla claims the new V4 Supercharger can charge at speeds of up to 250kW – identical to the old V3 unit. This can charge a Tesla Model 3 Long Range – as well as the aforementioned Model Y – from 0-80% in just 27 minutes.

Speaking to DrivingElectric, Tesla claimed that all V4 Superchargers are “futureproof” and are capable of “even higher charging speeds”. At this stage, noone at Tesla was willing to give us exact figures, but it’s possible the new V4 Supercharger could match the 350kW speeds of the IONITY ultra-rapid charging network.

The first V4 Tesla Superchargers can be found at Tesla’s flagship dealership in Tottenham – located just alongside the North Circular. Locations are still under wraps but Tesla says it’s planning to open more locations with V4 units by the end of the year – in addition to the more than 100 older-type sites already across the UK.