Tesla is going to operate public Megacharger sites at three electric truck depots it doesn’t own. Forum Mobility, one of the largest heavy-duty charging operators in the US, says Tesla will run public Megacharging at three of four new California depots it’s about to break ground on.
The move comes as Forum brings another 30 MW of heavy-duty charging online and sits on reservations for more than 330 Tesla Semis. It’s the clearest sign yet that Tesla’s Semi charging network is getting built through partners, not just Tesla-owned stations.
Where the new Megachargers are going
Tesla will operate the public Megacharging at FM Francis in Ontario, plus FM Adeline and FM Coliseum in Oakland, according to Forum Mobility. A fourth depot, FM Santa Fe in Rancho Dominguez, is locked up with contracted fleet capacity for over 330 Tesla Semis, though Forum says it stays open to the broader drayage community too.
All four depots use pull-through lanes so drivers can charge without unhooking their trailers, and they mix the new Megawatt Charging System (MCS) with traditional CCS ports. Forum says the MCS chargers add up to 60% of range in about 30 minutes.
FM Francis is worth flagging. It’s in Ontario, California, the same city where Tesla opened its first public Megacharger station back in March.
Forum also bolted two Tesla MCS Megachargers onto FM Harbor, its Port of Long Beach depot that’s been running since December 2024 with 44 CCS ports and 9 MW of capacity.
Tesla runs the charger, Forum owns the stations
This is a different model than Tesla building its own sites. Tesla makes the Semi, makes the Megacharger, and now operates the charging at someone else’s depot, collecting revenue without managing the real estate.
Tesla’s Semi charging business already spells out the economics. The company sells the Megacharger for $188,000 and takes $0.08 per kWh on third-party charging sites, 20% less than its Supercharger for Business rate. The hardware runs on the open MCS 3.2 standard, so it can charge electric trucks from Daimler, Volvo, and Scania, not just the Tesla Semi.
Tesla has 66 planned Megacharger locations on its map, with the bulk targeted for this year. Partner depots like Forum’s are how a big chunk of that map fills in.
“The highly favorable total cost of ownership for battery-electric class 8 trucks has driven rapid motor carrier adoption,” said Matt LeDucq, CEO and co-founder of Forum Mobility.
Forum’s depots cluster around Oakland and Long Beach, where drayage trucks haul containers on short, predictable routes that fit battery range well. “The Port of Oakland is excited to work with Forum Mobility to deliver advanced clean truck solutions,” said Kristi McKenney, the port’s executive director.
Forum now counts 25 carrier customers with contracted capacity and over 40 MW of charging online or under construction. Its next depots are slated for the Inland Empire, the Central Valley, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Seattle/Tacoma, and Chicago. The California sites were funded in part by state and regional grants.
Electrek’s Take
As you know, if you have been following my reporting, Tesla Semi is the last vehicle program at Tesla that gets me excited.
I think that if Tesla can apply its capacity to scale EV programs profitably to the Tesla Semi, it could succeed and greatly contribute to electrifying freight transport, especially in North America, which is lagging behind the rest of the world.
MW charging infrastructure is certainly a huge part of the solution, and this partnership with Forum Mobility appears to accelerate that.
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Facts Only
* Tesla will operate public Megacharging at three electric truck depots not owned by Tesla.
* Forum Mobility states Tesla will run public Megacharging at three of four new California depots.
* The locations include FM Francis in Ontario, FM Adeline, and FM Coliseum in Oakland.
* FM Santa Fe in Rancho Dominguez is contracted for over 330 Tesla Semis capacity.
* All four depots use pull-through lanes for charging trailers.
* The chargers mix the new MCS with traditional CCS ports.
* MCS chargers deliver about 60% of range in approximately 30 minutes.
* Two Tesla MCS Megachargers were installed at FM Harbor, the Port of Long Beach depot.
* Tesla operates the charger, Forum owns the stations.
* Tesla sells the Megacharger for $188,000 and charges $0.08 per kWh on third-party sites.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The arrangement shifts Tesla’s involvement from direct real estate ownership to an operational service model, leveraging external partners like Forum Mobility to deploy infrastructure across the fleet charging ecosystem. This structure suggests a strategy focused on scaling access and utilization rather than capital expenditure in property development. The revenue mechanism—selling hardware and taking a usage fee—establishes a clear profit pathway outside of managing physical assets, which aligns with maximizing asset utilization. Furthermore, by utilizing the open MCS standard for various truck brands (Daimler, Volvo, Scania), Tesla positions its technology as an interoperable solution rather than a proprietary charging monopoly for the Semi fleet. The context points to an underlying pattern where technology providers seek to accelerate adoption through decentralized infrastructure deployment facilitated by commercial partners. This introduces a tension between centralized technological control and distributed physical implementation, raising questions about governance and long-term strategic alignment when scaling EV solutions across complex logistics sectors.
Bridge Questions: What are the implications for regional infrastructure planning when proprietary systems coexist with third-party deployments? How does this partnership structure affect regulatory oversight for public charging networks? What metrics should be used to evaluate the success of outsourcing real estate management in large-scale infrastructure rollouts?