Tesla expands Supercharger access for other electric cars in Europe
Tesla has expanded the opening of Superchargers to Non-Tesla cars in Europe and has become “the largest 150kW+ CPO instantly,” according to Jeroen van Tilburg, Head of Supercharging EMEA.
Drivers of EVs other than Tesla may now use the company’s formerly proprietary fast-charging network in Austria, Belgium, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
The new openings of select hubs follow existing (pilot) sites in the Netherlands, which Tesla had opened to third-party users in November 2021 (NL). Supercharger sites in Norway and France were next as reported in January of this year.
Except in the Netherlands, some sites are open, but not all, since Tesla is only gradually expanding the pilot to monitor the impact of onboarding non-Tesla EVs on the network. Which stations are open can be seen on the Tesla app.
Eventually, Tesla wants to open the entire network in Europe and reap the revenue. Drivers of non-Tesla cars can only start and end charging processes manually via the Tesla app. The kWh prices vary depending on the location; various posts indicate that Tesla charges around 0.57 euros/kWh. The running costs can be reduced with a monthly membership. Blocking fees apply equally to Tesla and third-party brand vehicles.
Plans about opening up Tesla’s proprietary Supercharger network have, of course, been around for a long time and are easily enough done in Europe. Tesla uses CCS plugs already at retrofitted V2 and V3 Superchargers.
Only in the USA, Tesla still relies on a proprietary charging port and not the CCS1 layout. Still, the company intends to open up its network in the States and has announced an adapter to become available this year. It will first allow Tesla cars to charge at CCS stations across the US; conversely, an adapter known as the Magic Dock will enable other brands to charge at Tesla Superchargers in the States. The Magic Dock pilot programme is set to start this autumn.
In the long run, Tesla intends “to learn and improve quickly while aggressively expanding the network so that we can eventually welcome both Tesla and non-Tesla drivers at every Supercharger worldwide.”
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