Tesla's Supercharger project picks up pace in Chongqing

US-based electric vehicle maker Tesla has taken a significant leap forward in its China market strategy with the launch of 55 V4 Supercharger stations in a single deployment across major expressways in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

This initiative marks Tesla's largest Supercharger project on China's expressway network since it entered the Chinese market in 2013.

During the launch event, held at the Dazu Rock Carvings Express Service Area in Chongqing's Dazu district on Saturday, Huang Lei, Tesla's general manager for western China, announced that the Supercharger stations will be accessible to all new energy vehicle brands, not just Tesla owners.

Equipped with Tesla's latest V4 Supercharger technology, the 55 Supercharger stations, including a total of 212 charging stalls, enable users to initiate charging via a WeChat mini-program by simply scanning a QR code.

A Model Y owner at the event exemplified the convenience of the new infrastructure. By scanning a code, he added approximately 250 kilometers of range in just 15 minutes, equating the charging time to the duration of enjoying a bowl of Chongqing noodles. "I used to worry about long waits to charge on long trips, but now there's another option in the service area," he said.

Strategically positioned across 10 national expressways and 55 service areas, the Supercharger network links urban Chongqing with its northeastern and southeastern regions. This ensures that drivers have access to a fast-charging station approximately every hour, significantly enhancing interprovincial travel between Chongqing and neighboring provinces such as Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi and Guizhou.

This initiative is a testament to successful collaboration between State-owned enterprises and foreign firms.

In March 2024, the Chongqing government launched a plan to build a high-quality charging infrastructure focused on supercharging stations. Later that year, Tao Lin, Tesla's global vice-president, announced plans to transform Chongqing into a "supercharging city". With support from local government departments, Tesla partnered with Chongqing Digital Transportation Industry Group, which provided locations and resources, while Tesla contributed equipment and operational expertise. This partnership leveraged State-owned assets to enhance the quality of charging services.

Tesla's presence in Chongqing has been steadily growing since it established a wholly owned subsidiary in 2018, and nearly 20 sales and service centers now operate in the city.

Chongqing has experienced rapid growth in the production of NEVs. Last year, over 1.3 million NEVs rolled off production lines, marking a 36 percent increase year-on-year. By the end of 2025, the city boasted an NEV ownership of approximately 952,000 vehicles, surpassing the national average, according to the Chongqing Municipal Economic and Information Technology Commission.

Publicly available data show that there are over 9 million Tesla EV owners globally, and in Chongqing, the Model Y became the most popular NEV in 2025.

As of March this year, Tesla had built over 2,500 Supercharger stations with more than 12,000 charging piles across the Chinese mainland.