The Tesla Destination Charger Versus the Supercharger - Which is Better?

Before Tesla, the concept of a person being able to drive a battery-powered automobile as their primary source of transportation was still a dream.

However, Elon Musk’s genius and dedication turned that vague dream into a reality the world has wholeheartedly embraced today.

Now, owning and managing a Tesla has become extremely convenient, with thousands of different Tesla destination chargers and public EV superchargers built across the USA and even worldwide.

However, when it comes down to protecting your Tesla electric car’s battery health, which public charging source should one opt for – especially keeping their battery life in mind?

Table of Contents

Difference Between the Tesla Destination Charger and the Supercharger

Anyone who appreciates and understands the need for advanced automobile technology will undoubtedly be a big supporter of Tesla electric cars.
Not only is Tesla the leading pioneer in EV technology, but it is perhaps the first brand to have truly worked toward technological advancement and environmental betterment, side by side.
Hence, while people initially were concerned about the practicality of driving a Tesla as their primary mode of transportation due to the limited public recharging options, today, the same people cannot seem to find anything else that matches what Tesla offers.
This extraordinary change in consumer attitude and global demand was only made possible by the installation of different kinds of public EV charging stations in many countries of the world.
Today, the United States of America alone has nearly 3500 Tesla public EV DC fast supercharging stations, along with 4500 destination chargers spread across the country.
Apart from the USA, Tesla also has many more superchargers and destination chargers in countries like China, Japan, Germany, Canada, etc.
To encourage more people to shift to using green technology and battery-powered vehicles, both these charging stations can be used by Tesla as well as non-Tesla vehicle owners.
However, a non-Tesla owner will also have to invest in a separate adaptor that will allow their EVs to connect to the charging station.
Moreover, although there are many similarities between the Tesla destination charger and the Tesla EV supercharger, the wide range of differences makes one charging source better and more preferable than the other.
Continue reading to learn more about the Tesla destination charger and Tesla EV charger and how to use them to charge your electric cars.
Moreover, for a clearer comparison between the two charging sources, the article lists all similarities and differences between the destination charger and the supercharger, along with highlighting the pros and cons of using either battery charging source.

Let’s get started!

Tesla Destination Charger Versus Tesla EV Supercharger

What is a Tesla Destination Charger?

Elon Musk, CEO and founder of Tesla, is not only the pioneer of electric vehicle technology but is also one of the most influential environmentalists in the world.

Any time Musk introduces a new technology or an EV-related service, he makes sure that apart from being advanced, it is also eco-friendly.

Initially, when Tesla was just taking off, people were convinced about the environmental benefits of driving an EV; however, they were not sure about the practicality of the automobile.

Since public EV charging stations were still relatively rare compared to fossil fuel stations, EV drivers experienced a lot of range anxiety and feared being abandoned if their battery ran out during the trip.

This concern discouraged many people from shifting to battery-powered automobiles even when they knew how damaging gasoline-powered vehicles were to the environment.

Hence, to convince more people to shift to electric vehicles, Tesla worked toward building thousands of destination chargers in many countries.

As the name suggests, these chargers are installed in very specific and carefully selected destinations that get the most amount of traffic. They’re also routes that people would drive their EVs on.

For instance, you can find Tesla destination chargers outside famous and highly populated malls, parks, shopping centers, hotels, tourist attractions, etc.

Due to their prime locations, people staying at hotels or visiting malls, etc., get the opportunity to plug their Tesla electric cars into these chargers to charge their batteries while they shop or eat.

Today, Tesla has built around 23963 destination chargers across the globe, out of which 4500 are installed in the USA alone.

The table below summarizes the number of Tesla destination chargers present in different countries of the world.

Name of the Country	Number of Tesla Destination Charging Stations Installed in Various Country
United States of America	4500
China	750
Korea	27
Japan	170
Europe	155

Moreover, the second table summarizes the number of Tesla destination chargers present in different states in the USA.

Name of the American State	Number of the Tesla Destination Charging Station in the Respective State
California	680
Georgia	33
Florida	309
Texas	31
New York	451
District of Columbia	36
Nevada	26

Just going by the numbers mentioned in the table above, Tesla destination chargers make up 30 to 40% of the total public EV charging stations in the USA.

Moreover, to make the process of locating these destination chargers more convenient for all kinds of EV owners, Tesla has listed the exact location pins and addresses of each of the destination chargers on their Tesla Destination Charging Webpage.

EV users are advised to check Tesla’s website before planning their trip to consciously stay at hotels or shop at malls with these destination chargers installed in their parking lots.

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How Powerful is the Tesla Destination Charger?

Tesla has used the same level 2 wall-connector battery chargers to build the destination charging stations that come with the purchase of their electric automobiles.

Although every destination is preset to offer 40 amps of power by default, in reality, they offer 240 Volts and 80 amps of power.

Moreover, the total duration needed to charge a Tesla electric car will depend on the EV’s model, battery size, and charge level when it’s plugged into the charger.

The larger and more powerful the battery pack of a Tesla electric car, the longer it will take to charge to full capacity.

Ideally, you should only charge your Tesla EV to 80% and never let it drop below 20%.

For a clearer understanding, the table below summarizes the estimated recharging duration of different Tesla electric car models using the Tesla destination charger.

Tesla Models	Duration to Charge
Tesla Model Y	9 to 9.5 hours
Tesla Model X	8 to 8.5 hours
Tesla Model S	7 to 8 hours
Tesla Model 3	7 to 8 hours

How to Use the Tesla Destination Charger?

To use the Tesla destination charger, one simply needs to park their Tesla electric car in the charging booth to plug the level-2 charging cord into their EVs.

However, if you don’t have an electric vehicle manufactured by Tesla, you can still charge your EV by investing in an additional adaptor that lets you connect the charging cord to your car’s charging port.

The Tesla Destination Charger and the Supercharger

What is a Tesla EV Supercharger?

Apart from the destination chargers, Tesla has thousands of other EV superchargers installed across the globe to further make EV recharging more convenient for its users.

As of recently, Tesla has almost 25000 EV supercharging stations built across the globe, out of which almost 1400 are in the USA alone.

The table below summarizes the number of Tesla EV superchargers in different countries.

Name of the Country	Number of Tesla EV Supercharging Station Installed in the Respective Country
United States of America	1400
China	1200
Germany	1000
Japan	200
Europe	900
Australia	40

Moreover, to help EV users locate these supercharging stations more easily, Tesla has once again dropped the exact pin locations and addresses of all their supercharging stations on their official webpage.

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How Powerful is the Tesla Supercharger?

As the name suggests, the Tesla supercharger is indeed quite powerful and charges your car in a fraction of the time other chargers take to do so.

Unlike the destination charger that uses a level-2 charging cord, the Tesla EV supercharger uses a fast DC cable that supplies a massive power output of 480 Volts, which makes it almost twice as powerful as the destination charger.

Due to the super high voltage, the time needed to recharge all Tesla electric car models and other EVs using the supercharger is much lower.

The table below summarizes the estimated recharging duration of different Tesla electric car models using the Tesla EV supercharger for a clearer comparison.

Tesla Models	Duration to Charge
Tesla Model Y	35 to 40 minutes
Tesla Model X	30 minutes
Tesla Model S	30 minutes
Tesla Model 3	25 to 30 minutes

Hence, while it will take nearly 7 to 8 hours to fully recharge a Tesla Model 3 electric car using a destination charger, it only takes 25 to 30 minutes to fully recharge it at a supercharging station.

This fast-recharging option makes the supercharger quite popular and highly demanded across the globe.

Tesla Destination Charger Versus Supercharger

What Are the Main Similarities Between the Tesla Destination Charger and the Tesla EV Supercharger?

Some of the main similarities between the Tesla destination charger and the Tesla EV supercharger are as follows:

Both recharging stations are designed to create convenience for Tesla and other electric car owners.
Both recharging stations are located in carefully selected public areas that get a lot of traffic every day.
Although both the recharging stations are primarily designed and built for Tesla electric car owners, other EV owners can recharge their cars at these stations as well.
Both recharging stations are privately owned by Tesla and are not considered government property.

What Are the Main Differences Between the Tesla Destination Charger and the Tesla EV Supercharger?

Some of the main differences between the Tesla destination charger and the Tesla EV supercharger are as follows:

The Tesla destination charger uses the level-2 charging cord, while the EV supercharger uses a fast DC charging cable.
The Tesla destination charger offers a 240 Volt power output, while the EV supercharger offers a massive 480 Volts of power output.
It usually takes almost 7 to 9 hours to fully recharge a Tesla electric car at a Tesla destination charging station, while it takes under 40 minutes to fully recharge a Tesla electric car at the EV supercharger.
The Tesla destination charger is free for all Tesla and non-Tesla EV owners, while users have to pay at the EV supercharging stations.
Tesla destination charging stations are usually installed around public places like a hotel, the mall, a park, etc., while the EV supercharger is usually installed on roadsides and highways.
The cost of building a Tesla EV supercharger is significantly higher than the cost of installing a destination charger.

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Pros and Cons of the Tesla Destination Charger

The Pros of the Tesla Destination charger are as follows:

It is completely free to use for all Tesla and non-Tesla owners. Hence, if you need to reduce their annual EV recharging costs, you should use these charging stations as frequently as possible.
Due to their convenient location, tourists and travelers find it easy to travel around in their EVs as they don’t have to worry about their batteries running out of charge.
Although it takes longer to charge your battery at these stations, slow charging is actually recommended by Elon Musk himself.
This is because the slower charge rate prevents any damage to the EV’s lithium-ion battery cells, which helps protect its range, charge storing capacity, and expected lifespan.

The cons of the Tesla Destination charger are as follows:

Although the slow recharging is super beneficial for lasting battery health, it can still take a lot of time. If you’re in a hurry, you won’t be too happy when you see that it’ll take upwards of 6 hours to charge your car.

Pros and Cons of the Tesla EV Supercharger

The pros of the Tesla EV superchargers are as follows:

It is a powerful and fast way to recharge a Tesla or any other electric car.
For people who are in a hurry, the supercharging station is quite a blessing.
Although users have to pay the cost of recharging at the supercharging station, the cost is still significantly lower than refueling a same-sized gasoline-powered vehicle.
Since people fully charge their EVs in under an hour, more EVs get the opportunity to use the supercharging service in a day.

The cons of the Tesla EV supercharger are as follows:

Although fast recharging is super convenient, its prolonged or frequent usage can damage the EV’s battery cells, range, and lifespan.
The EV superchargers are not free to use.

Tesla Destination Charger Versus the Supercharger

Final Thoughts

Owning a Tesla electric car is a joy, especially if your usual traveling route is close to a Tesla destination charger or an EV supercharger.

All you need to do is park your EV at a destination charging booth to charge your battery free of cost. If you’re in a hurry, you can drive to the nearest EV supercharger to benefit from the super-fast battery recharge.