Tesla is apparently installing Starlink antennas at some charging stations

Charging your Tesla isn't the most exciting experience—especially if you're not paying for the cellular data plan that comes with a premium connectivity subscription—but a report from Electrek finds that may be about to change. As per the report, a user on Reddit spotted the Starlink dish, officially known as Dish McFlatface, at a Supercharger station in Lake City, Florida. So far, it's not clear where else Tesla has deployed (or plans to deploy) Starlink satellite dishes and what purpose they will serve.

It's possible that Dish will offer complimentary Wi-Fi to customers without Tesla's premium connectivity plan — all for $10 per month with Tesla's built-in entertainment apps, like Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, YouTube, and more. membership of. can take advantage of. for cellular data. If your car has satellite dishes to provide Wi-Fi while charging, that means even drivers with standard connectivity can access in-car entertainment options while using their EVs.

It may also be related to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's plan to provide a supercharger network for other types of electric cars. If Tesla opens up charging stations for other electric vehicles, annual charging revenue could grow from $1 billion to $25 billion, according to an estimate by Goldman Sachs. The cost of charging at a Supercharger station varies throughout the day, and drivers are charged either by the kilowatt hour or by the minute. Free Internet access through Starlink could attract drivers outside the Tesla ecosystem, perhaps even helping Tesla outperform Goldman Sachs estimating.

Tesla has started letting non-Tesla EVs access Supercharger stations in 10 locations in the Netherlands, and possibly started a pilot there as standardized charging cable connectors are mandated in Europe. In the US, non-Tesla EVs will require adapters to use Supercharger stations, which only complicates things. If and when Superchargers are made available to everyone, tackling free Wi-Fi on top of faster charging times may prompt other EV drivers to choose Superchargers over their competitors like ChargePoint and EVGo.

At the time of this writing, Musk-owned SpaceX has launched a total of 1,844 Starlink satellites into space since 2018, aiming to provide Internet access even in the world's most remote regions. Starlink also produced a more lightweight, rectangular version of the Dish McFlatface, although this is not the same as the model installed on the Florida Supercharger station.