Tesla will operate publicly accessible Megacharger stations at three of four new California electric truck depots being built by Forum Mobility — a structure that replicates the host-partner model Tesla used to scale its Supercharger network, now applied for the first time to the Semi’s commercial charging infrastructure.

The Forum Mobility announcement, released September 17, 2026, coincides with the company breaking ground on the new facilities. It adds more than 30 MW of heavy-duty charging capacity to California’s freight corridors and arrives as Forum holds reservations for over 330 Tesla Semis and as diesel prices hit a new record above $6 per gallon, reaching approximately $7.76 per gallon on the West Coast as of the week ending September 9, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Three Sites, One New Model

Tesla will operate the public Megacharging at FM Francis in Ontario, California, and at FM Adeline and FM Coliseum in Oakland. A fourth depot — FM Santa Fe in Rancho Dominguez — is fully contracted for 330-plus Tesla Semis but will also remain accessible to the broader drayage community, according to Forum Mobility.

The arrangement marks a deliberate departure from Tesla’s typical build-it-yourself approach to charging. In this model, Tesla manufactures the Semi, supplies and operates the Megachargers, and collects revenue from charging — while Forum Mobility owns the land, builds the depots, and manages the fleet relationships. It is an asset-light play for Tesla that mirrors how the Supercharger network evolved through third-party host partnerships, where property owners install and host hardware that Tesla operates and earns per-kilowatt-hour revenue from.

All four depots are designed with pull-through lanes so drivers can charge without unhooking their trailers — a practical requirement for Class 8 drayage work. Each site mixes the new Megawatt Charging System (MCS) connectors with traditional CCS ports. Forum says the MCS chargers can add roughly 60% of range in about 30 minutes.

Forum has also retrofitted two Tesla MCS Megachargers onto FM Harbor, its existing Port of Long Beach depot that has been operating since December 2024 with 44 CCS ports and 9 MW of capacity.

How the Megacharger Hardware Actually Works

The hardware Tesla is deploying at Forum Mobility’s sites — its second-generation Megacharger, called the MC2 — is built on Tesla’s V4 Supercharger cabinet architecture but equipped with Megawatt Charging System (MCS) connectors instead of the NACS plug used on passenger vehicles. Each 1.2 MW cabinet powers two charging posts, with an operating voltage range of 180 to 1,000 volts DC and efficiency above 96%. The system supports cable runs of up to 100 meters between cabinet and post and uses liquid-cooled conductors to safely handle the high current loads that megawatt-scale charging demands.

The MCS connector itself is a seven-pin standardized interface rated for up to 3.75 megawatts at 3,000 amps and 1,250 volts DC, standardized in 2026 under IEC 63379 and SAE J3271. Tesla’s implementation runs the hardware at 1.2 MW — below the standard’s ceiling, but more than three times the peak output of the best current CCS truck chargers, which top out at roughly 400 kW. At 1.2 MW, the Tesla Semi can recover approximately 60% of its 500-mile (805 km) long-range battery in about 30 minutes — precisely the length of a federally mandated driver rest break, which means no operational downtime beyond what federal hours-of-service rules already require.

Because MCS is an open international standard — not a Tesla-proprietary protocol — the MC2 Megacharger hardware is technically capable of charging electric trucks from any manufacturer that implements MCS, including Daimler, Volvo, and Scania, all of which are building MCS-compatible Class 8 trucks. The MC2 also supports open communication protocols, ISO 15118-2 and OCPI, rather than being locked to Tesla’s own ecosystem. Whether Tesla formally opens the Forum Mobility sites to non-Tesla trucks will be a commercial decision, but the infrastructure cannot be characterized as proprietary: MCS interoperability is a design feature, not an accident.

What Tesla Gets Out of It

Tesla’s economics on third-party Megacharger deployments are spelled out in its Semi Charging for Business program, launched in May 2026. The company sells the Megacharger for $188,000 — a starting price that includes a 1.2 MW power cabinet and two charging posts, excluding installation and taxes — and collects $0.08 per kWh at third-party revenue-generating sites. That $0.08/kWh fee is approximately 20% lower than Tesla’s Supercharger for Business rate, suggesting the company is pricing aggressively to accelerate infrastructure deployment.

The structure means Tesla earns recurring revenue from every kilowatt-hour delivered at Forum Mobility’s depots without carrying the real estate or construction risk. It is the charging equivalent of a software-as-a-service model: Forum Mobility builds and owns the depot; Tesla runs the network.

Tesla currently lists 66 planned Megacharger locations on its charging map, with the bulk targeted for this year. Partner depots like Forum Mobility’s are how a significant portion of that buildout is expected to happen. Tesla Semi program head Dan Priestley stated at the 2025 ACT Expo that the company aims to have 46 Megachargers online by early 2027.

Forum Mobility’s Port-Focused Strategy

Forum Mobility is an Oakland-based startup that has positioned itself as a full-service electrification provider for the drayage sector — the short-haul freight market that moves shipping containers between ports and inland distribution centers. Drayage is the first link in the intermodal freight chain, responsible for moving containers between ocean vessels, rail terminals, and nearby warehouses. Its routes are typically short and predictable, which makes them well-suited for battery-electric powertrains charging from a fixed depot.

The company builds and operates shared charging depots, leases Class 8 electric trucks to carriers, and targets smaller operators that lack the capital to build dedicated infrastructure on their own. Its depots cluster around Oakland and the San Pedro Bay ports complex — the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach — where the terrain and route structure favor electrification.

“The highly favorable total cost of ownership for battery-electric class 8 trucks has driven rapid motor carrier adoption,” said Matt LeDucq, CEO and co-founder of Forum Mobility. The Port of Oakland’s executive director, Kristi McKenney, weighed in directly: “The Port of Oakland is excited to work with Forum Mobility to deliver advanced clean truck solutions.”

Forum now counts 25 carrier customers with contracted capacity and more than 40 MW of charging online or under construction. The company has raised $15 million in Series A funding alongside CBRE partnership and established a $400 million joint venture with CBRE Investment Management. Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, Edison International, and Obvious Ventures are also investors.

How Much Is the TCO Case Worth Right Now

The timing of Forum Mobility’s announcement is inseparable from what is happening to diesel prices. The national average for diesel reached a new record above $6 per gallon around September 11, 2026 — up from $3.70 a year earlier, driven by Middle East supply disruptions. California diesel was approaching $7.76 per gallon as of the week ending September 9, 2026, according to the Energy Information Administration.

At those prices, the math for drayage operators is stark. Forum Mobility CEO LeDucq told Trucking Dive that at $5 per gallon diesel and a typical drayage fuel efficiency of 7.5 miles per gallon (mpg), the company’s electric offering provided double-digit percentage cost savings; at the current $6-plus per gallon environment, that translates to a 20% to 30% cost reduction or more. “This has become a no-brainer for the motor carriers,” LeDucq said.

That calculus matters more now because the regulatory push that once provided external urgency has been removed. California’s Advanced Clean Fleets drayage mandate — which required all new drayage trucks registered for port service to be zero-emission — was formally repealed effective September 10, 2026, one day before this announcement, following a legal challenge by the California Trucking Association. The ACF drayage requirements are off the books. Adoption is now driven purely by economics, and at current diesel prices, those economics are compelling on their own.

Is There a Government Mandating Electric Port Trucks in California?

No — not anymore. California’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation included a drayage truck requirement that would have required all new trucks registered for California port service to be zero-emission. That requirement was formally repealed effective September 10, 2026, after the California Trucking Association successfully challenged it in federal court. What now drives adoption is economics: at diesel prices above $6 per gallon nationally, and approaching $8 per gallon in California, the total cost of ownership advantage for electric trucks is significant enough to justify the switch without a mandate.

A Network Built Through Partners

The Forum Mobility deal fits into a broader pattern in Tesla’s Semi charging rollout. Tesla opened its first standalone public Megacharger in Bloomington, California in July 2026, featuring six stalls each rated at up to 1.2 MW. A second public site followed at Vernon, California, near downtown Los Angeles, in August. Both are positioned to serve the freight corridors linking the ports with the Inland Empire’s logistics complex.

But Tesla has signaled that reaching its stated target of 46 or more Megacharger locations by early 2027 will require partner sites, not just company-owned hubs. Forum Mobility’s four new California depots fill three slots on that map with Tesla-operated public Megachargers, while the fourth at FM Santa Fe will serve contracted fleets. More partner announcements are widely expected.

Looking further out, Forum has announced plans for depots in the Inland Empire, the Central Valley, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Seattle/Tacoma, and Chicago. The California sites were funded in part by state and regional grants.

For fleet operators evaluating whether to commit to electric Class 8 trucks, the arrival of reliably public, high-power charging — not just private depot infrastructure — is a meaningful threshold. The Forum Mobility sites, with Tesla-operated MCS Megachargers open to outside fleets, represent a step across it. The FM Francis, FM Adeline, and FM Coliseum depots are expected to open in the first half of 2027; FM Santa Fe, in Rancho Dominguez, is also expected in the first quarter of 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Tesla Megachargers at Forum Mobility depots charge non-Tesla trucks?

Technically yes — the MC2 Megacharger hardware is built on the open MCS 3.2 international standard (IEC 63379), which means it is designed to be compatible with any MCS-capable electric truck, including Daimler eCascadia, Volvo, and Scania Class 8 EVs currently entering production. Tesla’s MC2 also supports open protocols ISO 15118-2 and OCPI, confirmed in Tesla’s third-party program. Whether Tesla formally opens the Forum Mobility network to non-Tesla trucks is a commercial decision that has not yet been announced — but the infrastructure is interoperable by design.

How much does it cost to charge a Tesla Semi at a third-party Megacharger site like Forum Mobility’s?

Tesla charges $0.08 per kilowatt-hour at third-party revenue-generating Megacharger sites — roughly 20% less than its Supercharger for Business rate. Filling a Tesla Semi Long Range battery (822 kWh) from near-empty to a full charge would cost approximately $65.76 at that rate. At current California diesel prices of roughly $7.76 per gallon and 7.5 mpg, the equivalent diesel fuel cost for the same 500-mile (805 km) range is approximately $517. The gap is significant even accounting for charging time.

What is the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) and why does it matter for electric trucking?

MCS is an international open standard for ultra-high-power charging of heavy-duty electric vehicles, standardized in 2026 under IEC 63379 and SAE J3271. Its connector is rated for up to 3.75 megawatts — more than three times the peak output of the best current CCS truck chargers — enabling a Class 8 truck to recover enough range for a full day’s drayage work in about the same 30 minutes as a federally mandated driver break. This eliminates charging time as a source of operational downtime. Because MCS is an open standard developed by CharIN (the same organization behind CCS), it allows multiple manufacturers to build compatible infrastructure and vehicles, rather than fragmenting the market across proprietary systems.

With California’s zero-emission truck mandate repealed, what is still pushing drayage operators toward electric?

Two things: diesel prices and total cost of ownership. National diesel averaged a new record above $6 per gallon around September 11, 2026, and California diesel approached $7.76 per gallon the same week. At those prices, Forum Mobility CEO Matt LeDucq estimates electric trucking delivers a 20% to 30% cost-per-mile advantage over diesel for typical drayage duty cycles, without factoring in emissions incentives, WAIRE points, or shipper demand for zero-emission supply chains. Shipper pressure and state grant programs for EV fleet infrastructure remain additional drivers even without a fleet purchase mandate.