Tesla's V4 Chargers Hit China: Can They Outrun Fierce Competition?
Additionally, the V4 chargers promise broader access. They would not just power Tesla vehicles, but also electric cars from other brands in China. These V4 Superchargers have been initially rolled out in Shanghai, Chongqing, Gansu, and Zhejiang provinces. Tesla plans to expand the deployment of these chargers to Beijing, Guangdong province, along with other Chinese localities, but there is no set deadline for the same yet.
Tesla's Shanghai factory has begun manufacturing V4 chargers, so expansion wouldn't be much of an issue. Plus, thanks to the design of the chargers and economies of scale, installation costs are low (each V4 station costing less than $40,000).
Tesla already has more than 11,000 charging stalls in China, and with the rollout of V4 chargers, it is strengthening its charging infrastructure in the country. With the V4 Supercharger available to third-party EVs, it could also evolve into a default public charging solution.
Worldwide, Tesla has more than 70,000 Superchargers, making it the largest EV charging network globally. This leadership has made its charging connector the go-to choice for many EV makers in North America and Europe.
The timing of this V4 Supercharger launch in China is interesting as competition is heating up in the country's charging corridor.
China's BYD Co Ltd BYDDY is making the loudest entrance, touting 'megawatt' chargers that promise 400 km of range in just five minutes. BYD first talked up 4,000 of these units, then upped the target to 15,000 through partnerships, though it still hasn't shared a firm build-out timeline. Peak power looks dazzling on paper, but hardware costs and network density will decide who wins daily traffic.
Meanwhile, another promising EV company, Li Auto LI is also making efforts to scale. As of May 2025 end, Li Auto operated 2,414 super-charging sites (13,195 stalls). It is targeting more than 4,000 stations live by year-end. Li Auto is focusing on highway access and aims to blanket 90% of China's main routes by 2025.
Now, Tesla's V4 rollout indeed trails BYD in headline power yet beats it on installed base and cost efficiency. And while li Auto excels at highway coverage, Tesla's 11,000-plus stalls in China—and open access for rival EVs—give it a broader moat if it can keep pace on expansion.
Shares of Tesla have lost around 21% year to date compared with the industry's decline of 19%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, TSLA trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 9.71, way above the industry. It carries a Value Score of F.
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See how the Zacks Consensus Estimate for TSLA's earnings has been revised over the past 60 days.
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Tesla stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).
You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here
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