You may see Tesla Supercharger everywhere, but have you ever been to the very first Tesla Supercharger? It’s been a pretty popular spot since it opened(as far as Tesla Superchargers go, anyway), but now it’s closed. Why would Tesla close its very first Supercharger site? Rumor has it security concerns were an ongoing issue at the Tesla headquarters thanks to the Supercharger’s location.

Where is Tesla’s first Supercharger?

Tesla’s first Supercharger is in Hawthorne, California, at Tesla’s design headquarters. It’s been there since September 24, 2012. Now Tesla is shutting it down due to security concerns. To get to the first Supercharger, drivers have to drive the backroads of SpaceX. As one might imagine, people love this part of getting to the Supercharger, and it’s a pretty popular spot to charge Teslas. At the same time, that’s not a spot most people drive on a regular basis, and for good reason; it’s the place where Tesla’s ideas are generated and hashed out.

The Tesla Supercharger also has the first solar canopy that Tesla used, which makes it a point of interest for Tesla enthusiasts. It has a capacity of 120 kW, which is far below the upgrade other Tesla Superchargers will be getting soon, which will be 350 kW. 

Why is Tesla shutting down its first Supercharger?

Tesla owners are pretty upset about the closure. It seems to have been a favorite charging spot for a lot of people, despite its popularity. So why would Tesla close this Supercharger?

It turns out that people are trying to sneak into Tesla’s design studio. On top of that, some of them have tried to get past the part they’re not supposed to be in to ‘explore’ Tesla’s headquarters. Although it would certainly be tempting to want to get a peek at where Tesla comes up with all of its ideas, it’s obviously a huge problem for Tesla. Electrek notes that some of the conference rooms are even visible from the Supercharger. 

As of July 19, 2021, the Supercharger at the Tesla headquarters is closed. 

Apparently, Tesla took the Supercharger at SpaceX off of the Supercharger navigation several months ago. This shouldn’t present an availability problem, as Tesla currently has more than 25,000 Superchargers. The Tesla Supercharger will stay open for Tesla and SpaceX employees. It’s good to know that it will still be there, even if it won’t be available for public use. 

Tesla has been expanding its Supercharger network. In addition to upgrading its Superchargers to have a greater (and faster) charging capacity, Tesla has been looking for new Supercharger sites. Business owners who would like to host a Supercharger can apply to be added to their network. With the amount of traffic that would come for the Supercharger, and perhaps stay for what the business is offering, this could be a good deal for many businesses owners and Tesla drivers. 

It’s not surprising that Tesla had to shut down its first Supercharger site to the general public, but it sure is disappointing. There are probably many Tesla drivers who would love to take a trip out to see the Supercharger that began it all. Instead, maybe they can try planning a trip across China, using the longest Supercharger route in the world.