Tesla has launched its “next-gen Megapack controls platform,” which it claims enables faster deployment and commissioning of large-scale energy storage systems than its competitors.
Megapack has become the go-to battery system for electric utilities looking to deploy large-scale energy storage, whether to stabilize the grid or take better advantage of renewable energy.
The battery system has become popular due to its cost, ease of deployment, and availability at scale, but these attributes are not solely due to Tesla’s expertise in building battery pack hardware. In fact, we have previously reported on Megapack customers taking advantage of Tesla’s software platforms for energy storage, like Autobidder and Powerhub.
Now we learn that Tesla is deploying a new ‘Megapack controls platform,’ which one engineer frames as a difference-maker, enabling meaningful savings for customers. Chris Bowman, senior staff product manager at Tesla in charge of software and firmware for battery energy storage platforms, shared on LinkedIn:
Our next gen. Megapack controls platform, combined with our industry-leading controller-hardware-in-the-loop test services (our “CHIL” platform), speeds up and de-risks deployment of Gigawatt scale battery and hybrid renewable plants. This matters because time and time again, our competitors fail on control system commissioning, causing multi-million dollar losses and 3-4 month project delays.
In short, the Tesla engineer claims that the platform enables quicker and smoother deployment and commissioning, which is important since those large-scale projects are often worth north of $100 million, and delaying turning on the batteries can result in critical losses.
Bowman continues with even harsher comments on Tesla’s energy storage competitors, claiming that the companies are deploying “un-tested” controls:
Un-like our competitors, who deploy bespoke and un-tested RTAC controls, Tesla’s innovative control system engineers productize regionally specific Control Templates (e.g. North America, Australia, etc.) that are CHIL-tested and approved. Our approach provides EPCs with turnkey control solutions that work the first time; and, meet the needs driven by electrical topology of large plants, the interconnection type, and regulations.
When the two factories are online and fully ramped up, they will produce 80 GWh of Megapacks per year – more than ten times Tesla’s overall energy storage capacity deployed in 2022. In the meantime, Tesla currently has a two-year backlog of orders for the Megapack.
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Today was the official start of racing at the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025! There was a tremendous energy (and heat) on the ground at NCM Motorsports Park as nearly a dozen teams took to the track. Currently, as of writing, Stanford is ranked #1 in the SOV (Single-Occupant Vehicle) class with 68 registered laps. However, the fastest lap so far belongs to UC Berkeley, which clocked a 4:45 on the 3.15-mile track. That’s an average speed of just under 40 mph on nothing but solar energy. Not bad!
In the MOV (Multi-Occupant Vehicle) class, Polytechnique Montréal is narrowly ahead of Appalachian State by just 4 laps. At last year’s formula sun race, Polytechnique Montréal took first place overall in this class, and the team hopes to repeat that success. It’s still too early for prediction though, and anything can happen between now and the final day of racing on Saturday.
Congrats to the teams that made it on track today. We look forward to seeing even more out there tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some shots from today via the event’s wonderful photographer Cora Kennedy.
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The numbers are in and they are all bad for Tesla fans – the company sold just 5,000 Cybertruck models in Q4 of 2025, and built some 30% more “other” vehicles than it delivered. It just gets worse and worse, on today’s tension-building episode of Quick Charge!
We’ve also got day 1 coverage of the 2025 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix, reports that the Tesla Optimus program is in chaos after its chief engineer jumps ship, and a look ahead at the fresh new Hyundai IONIQ 2 set to bow early next year, thanks to some battery specs from the Kia EV2.
New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.
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Tesla has launched its new Oasis Supercharger, the long-promised EV charging station of the future, with a solar farm and off-grid batteries.
Early in the deployment of the Supercharger network, Tesla promised to add solar arrays and batteries to the Supercharger stations, and CEO Elon Musk even said that most stations would be able to operate off-grid.
While Tesla did add solar and batteries to a few stations, the vast majority of them don’t have their own power system or have only minimal solar canopies.
Back in 2016, I asked Musk about this, and he said that it would now happen as Tesla had the “pieces now in place” with Supercharger V3, Powerpack V2, and SolarCity:
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All of these pieces have been in place for years, and Tesla has now discontinued the Powerpack in favor of the Megapack. The Supercharger network is also transitioning to V4 stations.
Yet, solar and battery deployment haven’t accelerated much in the decade since Musk made that comment, but it is finally happening.
Tesla has now unveiled the project and turned on most of the Supercharger stalls:
The project consists of 168 chargers, with half of them currently operational, making it one of the largest Supercharger stations in the world. However, that’s not even the most notable aspect of it.
The station is equipped with 11 MW of ground-mounted solar panels and canopies, spanning 30 acres of land, and 10 Tesla Megapacks with a total energy storage capacity of 39 MWh.
It can be operated off-grid, which is the case right now, according to Tesla.
With off-grid operations, Tesla was about to bring 84 stalls online just in time for the Fourth of July travel weekend. The rest of the stalls and a lounge are going to open later this year.
Electrek’s Take
This is awesome. A bit late, but awesome. This is what charging stations should be like: fully powered by renewable energy.
Unfortunately, it will be much harder to open those stations in the future due to legislation that Trump and the Republican Party have just passed, which removes incentives for solar and energy storage, adds taxes on them, and removes incentives to build batteries – all things that have helped Tesla considerably over the last few years.
The US is likely going to have a few tough years for EV adoption and renewable energy deployment.
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