Tesla will open up its Network of Superchargers to non-Tesla electric vehicles in the US later this year

The Verge ^ | 07/09/2022 | Andrew J. Hawkins

[SeekAndFind]

Tesla plans to open up its Supercharger network to non-Tesla electric vehicles in the US in late 2022, according to a White House memo.

The company has been allowing non-Tesla EVs to use its Supercharger plugs in several cities in Europe as part of a limited pilot program but has been quiet about when US charging stations would be available to non-Tesla EV owners. A “fact sheet” published by the White House on June 28th and noticed by InsideEVs indicates that those EV owners may be able to use Superchargers as soon as the end of this year.

“Later this year, Tesla will begin production of new Supercharger equipment that will enable non-Tesla EV drivers in North America to use Tesla Superchargers,” the White House states.

“Tesla will begin production of new Supercharger equipment that will enable non-Tesla EV drivers in North America to use Tesla Superchargers”

Tesla did not respond to an email seeking confirmation of these plans (Elon Musk disbanded the company’s PR office in 2019). It’s not clear whether the White House purposefully scooped Tesla’s own announcement on this project. Musk has been extremely hostile to President Joe Biden, and Biden has gone out of his way to avoid mentioning Tesla while touting the auto industry’s electrification plans.

Tesla’s Supercharger network is often held up as the best possible example of an EV charging network: fast, reliable, and plentiful. But for years, Tesla’s network has been exclusive to Tesla owners, meaning someone driving a plug-in Volkswagen, Ford, or Chevy vehicle wouldn’t be able to use it.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has, for years, talked about opening up his Superchargers to other companies’ electric vehicles. And last year, the company started doing just that, starting in Norway and eventually expanding to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

If the US version of the pilot program works the same as it does in Europe, non-Tesla EV owners will need to download the most recent version of Tesla’s smartphone app in order to access the stations. They will be prompted to select “Charge Your Non-Tesla” in order to find the closest participating Supercharger site. Tesla owners can still use the stations just as normal. And the company has said it would closely monitor each site for congestion and other concerns.

Tesla uses a proprietary connector in North America, so non-Tesla vehicles here will need an adapter in order to access the company’s Superchargers, of which there are over 6,798 plugs in the US, according to the Department of Energy. (The company says it has 35,000 Supercharger plugs globally.)

There are approximately 41,000 public charging stations — including Superchargers — in the United States, with more than 100,000 outlets. The Biden administration has said it will spend $5 billion to grow that number to 500,000 chargers by 2030. According to new standards laid out by the White House, federal money will only be available to install charging ports that can be used by the broadest number of vehicle owners.

[SeekAndFind]

MORE HERE :

A memo from the White House states Tesla's Supercharger network will open to non-Tesla electric vehicles.

"Later this year, Tesla will begin production of new Supercharger equipment that will enable non-Tesla EV drivers in North America to use Tesla Superchargers," according to the memo.

In the U.S., there are over 1,400 Supercharger stations located in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. The memo did not mention how much Tesla will invest in adapting its fast-charging network to non-Tesla EVs, though it stated:

"Tesla is expanding production capacity of power electronics components that convert alternating current to direct current, charging cabinets, posts and cables."

Tesla's vehicles use a "proprietary connector," meaning the charging cord isn't compatible with non-Tesla EVs. It's unclear how Tesla plans to open the Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs, but Elon Musk previously spoke about offering adapters.

Besides charging adaptors, non-Tesla EVs will likely have to download Tesla's smartphone app to access the Supercharger network and pay for a charge.

[Dr. Sivana]

Why is this information coming from the White House, and not from Tesla?

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Why is this information coming from the White House, and not from Tesla?

Because the Biden administration is pushing the country to move to Electric Vehicles.

[Reaganez]

Because Tesla is not ready to release the information. Because opening isn’t immanent.

Tesla told the White House of its plans because Tesla wants its share of public funding for public networks.

And the info leaked.

[Chode]

is the tech sooo different btwn systems that some kind of dongle wouldn’t work?

[allendale]

If the government is using tax dollars to build charging station, then they are simply not economically viable. If they were, private companies would be rushing to build them.

[sonova]

Who is paying for this? Not just the electricity, but the real estate, infrasructure, permits, construction, and so on..?

[JD_UTDallas]

You do realize the U.S.government subsidized the build out of gasoline stations just like the build out of the interstate highway system right? To the tune of billions. No industry on earth has been more subsidized than fossil fuels. The latest count is 11 million dollars a minute. If you are going to throw shade at what have your facts straight.

Tesla built out its network with private funds. They also lost the government EV subsidy when their 250,001 vehicle was sold. They paid back their loans early with interest in full unlike GM who took twice as much in loans, declared bankruptcy and paid none of it back while paying out its executives and preferred stock holders.

Tesla is under no obligation to open their chargers in the USA. I wish they wouldn’t keep the poors out of the charge slots. Someone with a 100k car shouldn’t have to wait for a fast food stained mouth breather in a bolt or Nissan to clear the spot.

[MotorCityBuck]

😂
+1

[minnesota_bound]

Spend $70,000 for a electric car and thousands for home charger and worry if you can get to your destination and maybe burn up along the way when you charge at home if you will burn down the house.
Plus the vehicle weight is higher and will wear your tires down quicker.

Meanwhile you can buy a gas car that is far far cheaper.

[srmanuel]

I know next to nothing about EVs but I’ve wondered will charging stations built for Tesla work for EVs built by other manufacturers like Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, etc.

How long does a recharge take versus filling your tank with gas??

How much does a recharge cost versus a tank of gas ??

[Baldwin77]

I wonder how many gas stations there are in the US.

1500 charging stations would be a blip if everyone in the country drove EVs. Not enough infrastructure to sustain the “green energy” utopia.

[dangus]

Tesla apparently is doing this to qualify for federal funds. Charging anxiety is a real issue among Tesla’s competitors, so Tesla probably benefits from as few people as possible presuming they’ll have access to Tesla’s equipment. This represents the White House twisting Tesla’s arm, rather than something Tesla wants to shout from the mountaintops.

[snoringbear]

This is an area where government should set a standard. It was done in the 50’s with automatic transmission shifting patterns. Should be done with EV charging stations.

[Gay State Conservative]

They say that one of the country's newest sports is to vandalize charging stations in order to steal the copper wiring.

[bray]

If you have to axe you have no idea how Communism works.

[EVO X]

The article is few years old, but provides some basic information about charging.

https://insideevs.com/news/348050/electric-vehicle-charging-guide/

[moovova]

Because this is how the Brandon Whitehouse does business.

They’re basically whores and con artists.

[moovova]

"Someone with a 100k car shouldn’t have to wait for a fast food stained mouth breather in a bolt or Nissan to clear the spot."

Gotta agree. Tesla owners bought into the charging system as much as they bought into the vehicle. Allowing the non-Tesla hoi polloi to sup at the electronic trough is akin to American selling First Class tickets to just a few folks...then allowing the cattle class to plop down in those comfortable seats. If I was a Tesla owner...is be upset.