Free Starlink Internet and mobile Tesla Superchargers with Megapacks set to help in hurricane-affected areas
Tesla will be bringing mobile Superchargers where needed to help electric car owners power their vehicles in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton that is expected to make landfall on Wednesday.
In addition, SpaceX already announced that it will provide 30 days of free Starlink satellite Internet access for its subscribers in areas affected by the previous landfall along the coast of Florida, the Carolinas, Virginias, and Georgia.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, SpaceX also got authorized to deliver emergency alerts via Starlink's direct-to-cell satellites, and said it will try and push through text messages when needed as well. This option, however, is only available to T-Mobile subscribers for now.
The mobile Superchargers are also an interesting twist. Tesla started providing those in the aftermath of previous hurricanes, just as it temporarily unlocked some extra range for certain models. It has also been deploying them to busy Supercharger stations that it saw attract a lot of traffic and form frustrating queues at peak times.
As per Tesla's former battery chief Drew Baglino, its "fleet of mobile Megapack Chargers has dual purposes: surge capacity for holidays and unique events like solar eclipses or rocket launches and supporting emergency services needs in evacuations or other power supply challenges."
Tesla's charging infrastructure team confirmed that it will ensure the availability of working Supercharger piles before Hurricane Milton hits. After landfall, "we will be focused on restoration and are prepared to deploy mobile Superchargers powered by Megapacks where access to charging is most impacted," promises the Tesla team.
The mobile Superchargers themselves are in essence piles put on flatbed platforms together with hulking Megapack batteries. In periods of high demand, Tesla's charging team brings them close to the respective Supercharger stations and uses their infrastructure to charge the Megapacks at night, then offer the extra charging piles to EV owners during the day's peak demand times.
Something similar will now be in play when Hurricane Milton hits, and Tesla will be deploying mobile Superchargers where they are needed the most. Tesla still advises owners who have home charging with something like its Universal Wall Connector EV Charger to top their vehicles up to 100%, so as to be ready for power outages at all times.
