Tesla has officially begun testing a virtual queuing system for its Supercharger network, aiming to improve the user experience during rare periods of congestion. The feature is designed to reduce wait times and eliminate the need for drivers to physically idle near chargers, instead allowing them to “line up” remotely and arrive just in time to plug in.
Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Global Director of Charging, shared the update on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, confirming that the company is currently “pressure testing virtual queuing” with its internal teams, including scenarios involving corner cases and bad actors. According to de Zegher, public pilots are coming next, and if successful, the feature could represent a meaningful upgrade for the small number of Supercharger users who experience delays.
Tesla first teased the feature back in February, when its @TeslaCharging account announced that public virtual queuing pilots would begin in Q2. References to a Supercharger queuing feature were found in the Tesla app the next month. Tesla’s original announcement came on the heels of a few highly publicized congestion incidents, including reports of altercations at overcrowded Supercharger sites.
The company emphasized that its Supercharger network continues to grow by over 20% annually. Still, it acknowledged that proactive queue management can further enhance the experience during peak travel periods, especially around holidays when wait times are most likely to spike.
A 2023 study from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) backs this approach, noting that while EV charging wait times are generally rare, they do surge in specific, high-demand scenarios.
If these pilots prove successful, Tesla plans to expand the feature across more sites later this year. As always, the company is leaning on real-world user feedback to fine-tune the rollout.
With virtual lineups potentially headed to a Supercharger near you, this could be a welcome quality-of-life improvement for Tesla drivers — especially those hitting the road during busy travel seasons. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
