Tesla lands major Semi charging deal with nation’s largest truck stop operator

Pilot, the nation’s largest operator of travel centers, has announced a partnership with Tesla to install Semi chargers at select locations along major highway corridors. The first sites are expected to open in Summer 2026.

The Tesla charging stations will be built at Pilot locations along I-5, I-10, and other major corridors “where the need for heavy-duty charging is highest,” according to the company.

Shannon Sturgil, senior vice president of alternative fuels at Pilot, said in a statement:

“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.”

This partnership adds to Pilot’s growing alternative fuel portfolio. The company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, operates more than 900 travel centers across 44 states and five Canadian provinces, serving approximately 1.2 million guests per day.

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Tesla’s Semi charging network is taking shape

The Pilot partnership is the latest step in Tesla’s push to build out charging infrastructure for its electric semi truck.

Last year, we got our first look at Tesla’s first public Semi charging station, and Tesla later announced plans for 46 Semi charging stations by 2027.

More recently, Tesla released video showing the Semi charging at an impressive 1.2 MW, demonstrating the charging speeds needed to make long-haul electric trucking practical.

Pilot isn’t new to EV charging partnerships. The company has been working with Volvo Group on heavy-duty EV charging since 2022, and its partnership with GM and EVgo has already deployed over 200 passenger EV charging sites across 40 states.

Electrek’s Take

As I often mention, Tesla Semi is one of the rare programs at Tesla that still excites me these days.

This is a significant development for the Tesla Semi program. Pilot’s massive network of truck stops along major freight corridors is exactly where heavy-duty EV charging needs to be.

Unlike the early days of the Supercharger network when Tesla had to convince property owners to allow the deployment of the charging stations, Tesla has already proven a successful charging business model, making it easier to partner with third parties like Pilot.

The I-5 and I-10 corridors make a lot of sense for initial deployment. I-5 runs the entire West Coast, connecting major ports and distribution centers from San Diego to Seattle. I-10 is a critical east-west route from California to Texas. These are exactly the routes where early Tesla Semi customers like PepsiCo operate.

If Tesla can get this network operational by Summer 2026 as planned, it would be a meaningful step toward making the Semi viable for a broader range of customers beyond the handful of fleets currently using it, which are mostly for local distribution rather than long-haul trucking.