Tesla may not have a PR department anymore, but we can always count on CEO Elon Musk to tweet out some news. This time, he said that Tesla plans to open its Supercharger network of DC fast-charging stations to non-Tesla electric vehicles. Access to the Supercharger network — one of the most widespread and fully functional fast-charging networks currently available in the U.S. — was previously limited to Tesla vehicles.
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We created our own connector, as there was no standard back then & Tesla was only maker of long range electric cars.
It’s one fairly slim connector for both low & high power charging.
That said, we’re making our Supercharger network open to other EVs later this year.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2021
Musk being Musk, there aren’t any substantive details regarding this plan. The closest we get to a timeline for this to happen is “later this year,” but no specificity regarding where this might begin, or what sort of charging level will be available to non-Tesla EVs.
There’s also no word on how these vehicles will be able to plug in at all. While there are various EV plug standards currently on the market in the U.S., Tesla uses a proprietary plug. Tesla owners are able to purchase an adapter so they can plug in at some non-Supercharger stations, so perhaps the automaker will sell a similar product for those who don’t own a Tesla.
Previous reporting from Electrek indicates that Tesla has been in talks with government officials in Norway and Germany about opening up the Supercharger network in those countries, but the estimated date for those changes was sometime in 2022. It’s unclear if that timeline has accelerated or if those countries will be among the first open to sharing. Musk later said that Tesla would be doing this around the world “over time,” but, again, provided no further details.
Over time, all countries
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2021
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If more concrete details about this plan are announced, we’ll be sure to let you know, but as with most things Tesla, we might not know more until it’s already happened. If it does happen, it would be a boon for current EV owners and might make more shoppers consider purchasing an EV.
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