Charging stations will be built at about 20 Pilot truck stops along interstates 5 and 10 plus several other major freight corridors. (Pilot; Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)
January 30, 2026 11:10 AM, EST
Key Takeaways:
Pilot Travel Centers and Tesla said Jan. 27 that they will build Class 8 charging stations at about 20 Pilot truck stops, mainly along Interstates 5 and 10.The sites, beginning construction in early 2026, will use Tesla’s V4 chargers delivering up to 1.2 megawatts and initially serve Tesla Semi customers with potential future access for other electric trucks.Tesla said its Reno, Nev., Semi plant remains on track to ramp up production in the first half of 2026.
Pilot Travel Centers is teaming up with Tesla to build a series of charging stations catering to the Elon Musk-led manufacturer’s Class 8 battery-electric Semi tractor, mostly in Western states.
Charging stations will be built at about 20 Pilot truck stops along interstates 5 and 10 plus several other major freight corridors, with the first sites set to open in the summer, the partners said Jan. 27.
Construction of the facilities will start in the first half of 2026 at truck stops in California, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas, they added.
Each site will host four to eight charging stalls for Class 8 tractors and leverage Tesla’s V4 cabinet charging technology, delivering up to 1.2 megawatts of power at each berth.
“Helping to shape the future of energy is a strategic pillar in meeting the needs of our guests and the North American transportation industry. Heavy-duty charging is yet another extension of our exploration into alternative fuel offerings, and we’re happy to partner with a leader in the space that provides turnkey solutions and deploys them quickly,” said Shannon Sturgil, Pilot’s senior vice president of alternative fuels.
While the initial focus is serving the needs of Tesla Semi customers, such as PepsiCo or DHL Supply Chain, the charging infrastructure could eventually also be open to carriers operating battery-electric trucks built by other original equipment manufacturers, Pilot said.
Pilot has more than 900 locations in 44 states and five Canadian provinces. Pilot is also working on offering hydrogen, renewable diesel and higher-blend biodiesel refueling for heavy-duty trucks. The company ranks No. 33 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America.
Semi Production on Track
The world’s most valuable automaker has promised to build as many as 50,000 tractors a year at a truck production plant currently tooling up in Reno, Nev.
Tesla said in a presentation Jan. 28 accompanying the release of its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings that the Reno plant was currently tooling up and remained on schedule to ramp up production in the first half of 2026.
Tesla’s Q4 profit slumped 61% year over year to $840 million from $2.13 billion as car sales fell and capital expenditures on six new factories plus artificial intelligence, robotaxi and robot development ramped up. The six factories include the Reno Semi plant.
Construction of the Reno plant was completed, Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy said Oct. 22 when Tesla reported its third-quarter 2025 earnings.
Tesla previously said manufacturing would ramp up to capacity through 2026. However, the company has a history of missing deadlines, including with the Semi.
“We’ll have larger builds toward the end of this year and then our first online builds in the first part of next year, ramping into the Q2 timing with real volume coming in the back half of the year. That’s going quite well,” Moravy said during the Q3 earnings call.
Transport Topics reporters Eugene Mulero and Keiron Greenhalgh examine the critical trends that will define freight transportation in the year ahead. Tune in above or by going to RoadSigns.ttnews.com.
Construction of the manufacturing facility started in 2023 at the site of Tesla’s existing Gigafactory Nevada. No mention of the Semi or the Reno plant was made during Tesla’s Q4 call.
Tesla first unveiled plans for the truck in 2017 with a slated production launch of 2019.
In addition to the Pilot partnership, Tesla laid the groundwork for the launch of the Semi by revealing a specialist sales program in September.
The company teamed up with Uber Freight on an all-inclusive program for carriers that will package trucks, charging infrastructure and guaranteed freight as a means of jump-starting appetite for Semis.
Want more news? Listen to today’s daily briefing below or go here for more info:
