- A recent Tesla software update adds the ability to filter trailer-friendly Supercharger stations.
- Tesla drivers can tap on any Supercharger pin to find out if there are trailer-compatible stalls.
- If Trailer Mode is enabled, the towing-specific Superchargers show up at the top of the results.
Charging an electric vehicle that has a trailer attached has always been problematic. You either have to take up multiple charging spots or do what is arguably an annoying dance: detach the trailer in another part of the parking lot, charge up the EV and then reattach the trailer.
There are some pull-through charging stations out there, with more and more being built, but unless you know about them, it’s very hard to single them out when traveling across the country while towing.
One of Tesla’s latest software updates fixes that, though. After installing software version 2024.44.1 which started rolling out two weeks ago, trailer-friendly Supercharger stations are at the top of the results list when searching for places to charge your EV. The towing-related stations are only singled out if the car is in Trailer Mode, so make sure that’s enabled before searching for Superchargers while towing.
The interface design was published yesterday on the Tesla Charging X account. The company says that even if the vehicle is not in Trailer Mode if you tap on any Supercharger pin, you’ll see if there are trailer-compatible stalls there, which is a nice addition.
Max de Zegher, Tesla’s North American Charging Director, also pointed out in a reply that trailer-compatible stalls have signs that read “Priority For Trailers, Please Use Last.” This is useful for EV drivers who aren’t towing anything.
It’s also worth noting that Tesla didn’t say anything about this functionality coming to non-Tesla EVs. However, seeing how the Supercharger API is now open to other automakers who signed up to use Superchargers in North America, we expect future software versions pushed by Rivian, Ford and General Motors to include this welcome addition. As a reminder, all these automakers have deals with Tesla to use the Supercharger network with charging adapters.
It would make long-distance towing with the Rivian R1T, Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV a much simpler affair. If the trailer-specific Supercharger stalls aren’t being used by EVs that aren’t towing anything, that is.
