Tesla announced it’s starting its trial run of allowing non-Tesla EVs to use 10 Supercharger locations — in The Netherlands.
“Trial program for opening Tesla Superchargers to other EVs has begun,” CEO Elon Musk tweeted Monday.
The EV maker revealed in June it was planning to open up the network next year. However, this pilot program will help workout any kinks in the system and give the company more time to deal with a potential expansion in the U.S., currently planned for September 2022.
“It’s always been our ambition to open the Supercharger network to Non-Tesla EVs, and by doing so, encourage more drivers to go electric,” the company said on its website. “This move directly supports our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
The idea of increasing the number of users of the Supercharger network hasn’t been warmly embraced by many Tesla users, who sometimes face long lines at existing sites now and expanding the user group isn’t likely to resolve that issue.
However, Tesla notes getting more users for the network “enables faster expansion. Our goal is to learn and iterate quickly, while continuing to aggressively expand the network, so we can eventually welcome both Tesla and Non-Tesla drivers at every Supercharger worldwide.”
How does it work?
Non-Tesla owners will get the full Tesla experience, starting by downloading the app. Once that’s accomplished, it’s pretty straightforward in the sense it requires hitting the “Charge your Non-Tesla” button.
During the pilot, the company says current Tesla owners shouldn’t experience any differences, including the pricing; however, it appears that non-Tesla drivers are going to pay a little more for the privilege.
“Pricing for Non-Tesla drivers reflects additional costs incurred to support charging a broad range of vehicles and adjustments to our sites to accommodate these vehicles,” according to the website. For now, charging all vehicles in Europe is simple as they all feature the same CCS charging port — not true in the U.S.
The company currently operates more than 25,000 Superchargers at 2,700 stations worldwide. At the end of the first quarter of this year, that included 986 stations in the U.S. alone. By the time the program spreads to the U.S., an adaptor for Tesla’s proprietary charging connector will likely be available.
How does it help?
Adding another 1,000-plus high-speed charging stations in the U.S. certainly helps in terms of easing concerns about range anxiety as well as the amount of time EV owners must wait to charge their vehicles.
Companies like EVgo, ChargePoint, Green Lots and Electrify America are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to expand their network, including offering more high-speed chargers similar to Tesla’s Supercharger.
Additionally, the Biden administration has set a target of having 500,000 high-speed charging ports in place across the U.S. by the end of the decade.
Initial public chargers fell into two categories: 220-volt systems that could take eight hours or more to fully recharge a long-range vehicle, or 400-volt, 50 kilowatt systems that could reduce charging times to an hour or so.
The latest chargers are jumping to 150 and even 350 kilowatt-hours. And some products now can receive an 80% charge in under 20 minutes. Tesla’s Superchargers charge at 250 kW, which allows Tesla owners to add 200 miles in as little as 15 minutes if conditions are right.