Truck Stops · Nationwide · October 27, 2026

Pilot and Tesla Open Their First Semi Charging Sites for Truckers, in Georgia and California

By Big Rig Daily Staff

Truckers driving electric rigs have two new places to plug in. Pilot Co. and Tesla opened heavy-duty electric truck charging sites at travel centers in Ellabell, Ga., and Tulare, Calif., in October, Transport Topics reported Monday, Oct. 26. They are the first two locations in a planned network. Transport Topics did not give the exact opening dates.

Stalls and charging speed

The Ellabell site has six heavy-duty charging stalls, and the Tulare site has four. Each location in the network will have four to eight stalls powered by Tesla's V4 cabinet technology, Transport Topics reported.

According to Tesla, each stall can deliver up to 1.2 megawatts, enough for a Tesla Semi to recover 60% of its charge in 30 minutes.

What comes next

Sites in Fort Stockton, Texas, and North Las Vegas, Nev., are nearing completion, Transport Topics reported. The companies announced the partnership in January, with plans for chargers at select Pilot and Flying J travel centers along Interstate 5, Interstate 10 and other major freight corridors. The network is expected to include locations in California, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada and Texas.

What Pilot says

"Pilot is proud to bring heavy-duty charging directly to key trucking routes and pair it with the services and amenities drivers rely on," said Shannon Sturgil, senior vice president of alternative fuels at Pilot. "With these initial locations, we're making fleet electrification a more accessible option for longhaul transportation and are excited to continue working with Tesla to move at the pace and preference of our customers."

The charging project is part of Pilot's wider energy investments, which also include a coast-to-coast passenger electric vehicle charging network and lower-carbon fuels such as renewable diesel and biodiesel, Transport Topics reported. Pilot ranks No. 33 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America.

Quick facts

• Open now: Ellabell, Ga. (six stalls) and Tulare, Calif. (four stalls).
• Power: Up to 1.2 megawatts per stall, per Tesla.
• Charging time: 60% in 30 minutes for a Tesla Semi, per Tesla.
• Next: Fort Stockton, Texas, and North Las Vegas, Nev.

Big Rig Daily has also covered Tesla Semi volume production in Nevada. For fuel stops of every kind, see the truck stop and weigh station map, including the Georgia and California maps, and the guide to the best truck stop chains.

A question for readers

Would you take a 30-minute charging stop over a fuel island, or is diesel still the only way for you?

Save this story for later

Save this to Pinterest