Tesla Opens Off-Grid 164-Stall Supercharger With 11 MW Solar
- EVs Infrastructure & Grid Connection News Solar + Storage Integration
Marin Holt
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- 5 minutes read
- Tesla opened 164-stall Supercharger at Lost Hills CA with 11 MW solar and 39 MWh storage (10 Megapacks)
- Station operates off-grid due to insufficient 1.5 MW grid connection; generates 20 GWh annually
- V4 dispensers with V3 power electronics deliver 325 kW peak per stall across 30-acre site
- First of Tesla's 7,000 charging locations to run as fully solar-powered facility
- Second 168-stall station planned for Coalinga CA plus 200-stall facility in Florida
Tesla has opened its largest Supercharger station in Lost Hills, California, with 164 active charging stalls powered by 11 MW of ground-mounted and canopy-integrated solar panels and 39 MWh of battery storage from 10 Megapack units. The facility, known as Project Oasis, spans 30 acres and operates largely independent of the local grid.
Critical Perspective
Tesla’s 11 MW solar array at Lost Hills, while impressive, generates only 20 GWh annually, a figure that pales in comparison to the 164 stalls’ potential demand. Given the stated goal of bypassing grid constraints, how will Tesla ensure consistent charging availability during extended periods of low solar irradiance or unexpected equipment failures?
What Was Built
The station uses V4 charging dispensers powered by V3 power electronics cabinets, delivering peak output of 325 kW per stall. Twelve stalls are pull-through configured for vehicles towing trailers. The site generates approximately 20 GWh of energy annually, enough to power roughly 1,700 homes. Tesla broke ground in late 2024 and opened the first 84 stalls in July 2025, with all stalls certified and operational by November 2025.
The off-grid design was driven by infrastructure constraints. According to Tesla’s charging director Max de Zegher, the existing 1.5 MW grid service connection was insufficient for a station of this scale, and waiting for substation upgrades was not viable. The Megapack BESS enables the entire station to operate without grid dependency, charging from solar during the day and dispatching stored energy overnight and during peak demand.
Why It Matters
Lost Hills is the first of Tesla’s 7,000 worldwide charging locations to operate as a fully solar-powered facility. The project demonstrates that high-power EV charging infrastructure bypasses traditional grid interconnection constraints through integrated solar-plus-storage design. Tesla is reportedly planning a second 168-stall station in Coalinga, California, and a 200-stall facility in Florida using the same model. The approach addresses a growing bottleneck in EV infrastructure deployment: grid interconnection timelines stretching 3 to 5 years for high-power charging hubs in constrained distribution areas.
