Tesla to open superfast charging network to other electric vehicles
Tesla will open a portion of its charging network in the US to electric vehicles made by rival firms as part of a $7.5bn federal programme to improve charging infrastructure across the country.
The electric car firm has more than 40,0000 superchargers across the globe – the largest network of its type in the world according to its website. Roughly 17,000 of those are in the US alone accounting for about 60 per cent of total US fast chargers.
According to the Biden administration, by late 2024 Tesla would open 3,500 new and existing Superchargers along highway corridors to non-Tesla customers. It would also offer 4,000 slower chargers at locations like hotels and restaurants.
The superchargers can supposedly add up to 322 miles of range in just 15 minutes. Tesla is currently planning to double the number of superchargers in the US, the White House added.
In November 2021, Tesla began opening its network to other electric vehicles in various areas outside of the US.
“Access to an extensive, convenient, and reliable fast-charging network is critical for large-scale EV adoption,” it said, adding that it had “always” been its ambition to make the network more broadly available.
In August 2021, Biden signed an Executive Order setting a target that 50 per cent of all vehicles sold in the US will be net-zero emitters of greenhouse gases by 2030.
For longer journeys, this will necessitate a rapid expansion of charging infrastructure around the country. There are currently more than 56,000 EV charging stations in total with about 148,000 charging ports.
While this is enough to sustain the current number of registered EVs, the US would need to roughly triple installations rates over the next eight years to support the anticipated number of EVs on the road by 2030.
A White House official said at a briefing that Tesla would be eligible for a subsidy - including retrofitting its existing fleet - as long as its chargers allowed other vehicles with a federally backed charging standard called CCS to charge.
“The amount of money involved in the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program provides a strong incentive for Tesla to adapt its strategy to include the installation of CCS ports,” said Sam Houston, senior vehicles analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Last month, Mercedes-Benz announced plans to build its own worldwide electric vehicle charging network, starting in the US.
Sign up to the E&T News e-mail to get great stories like this delivered to your inbox every day.
