Tesla to Open Charging Network to Other EVs

Tesla to Open Supercharger Network to Other EVs

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced via Twitter on Tuesday that the company will permit electric vehicles from other manufacturers to utilize its extensive global charging network later this year.

This announcement follows several years of indications from Musk suggesting the company’s willingness to consider such a move.

Limited Initial Details

Previously, no specific information regarding the implementation or timing of opening the 25,000-charger Supercharger network had been released.

Currently, details remain sparse. The initial rollout locations, participating automakers, and potential priority access for Tesla owners are still unknown.

However, Musk indicated a timeframe, stating the initiative will begin before the close of 2021.

Global Expansion Planned

In a subsequent tweet, Musk clarified that the network will ultimately be accessible to other EVs in all countries where Tesla chargers are present.

Tesla Superchargers are currently deployed across North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle Eastern nations of the UAE and Israel.

Long-Standing Discussion

The possibility of sharing Tesla’s Supercharger technology or opening the network to other EVs has been a topic of discussion for years.

As early as 2014, Musk expressed a willingness to share the Supercharger designs to establish an industry-wide standard for interoperability.

This would enable electric vehicles from competing brands to recharge at the Supercharger network.

Not a "Walled Garden"

Musk has revisited this concept at various events and during investor calls. In 2018, he stated that the Supercharger network was not intended to be a “walled garden,” signifying an openness to allowing other EVs access.

Despite this stated openness, Superchargers have historically not been compatible with vehicles outside of the Tesla ecosystem.

“We’ve always said that we’re — this is not intended to be a walled garden, and we’re happy to support other automakers and let them use our Supercharger stations,” Musk explained in 2018.

“They would just need to pay the share of the cost proportionate to their vehicle usage. And they would need to be able to accept our charge rate or at least — and our connector, at least have an adaptor to our connector. So this is something we’re very open to, but so far none of the other car makers have wanted to do this. But it’s like not because of opposition from us. This is not a walled garden.”

Connector Compatibility

The two prevalent rapid charging connectors are the Combined Charging System (CCS) and CHAdeMO.

CCS is a direct current connector and an open international standard that has gained traction in both Europe and North America in recent years.

Tesla utilizes a proprietary connector, meaning other automakers would need to provide or sell adapters to their EV owners to access the Supercharger network.