There’s no charging apparatus like the Tesla Supercharger network.
Firms like Chargepoint, EVgo, Electrify America and Ionity (in Europe) are rapidly building out fast-charging networks to serve a growing electric car market. That said, Tesla is still far out in front with over 25,000 individual charging stations spread across 2,700 locations worldwide. So far, the company has only offered access to its own owners, but that will change later this year, says CEO Elon Musk.
That offers a distinct timeline, though accessibility will ultimately boil down to the company’s agreement with other automakers to open up its charging network. Specifically, how much Tesla will split the cost burden, and exactly what opening up that new revenue stream will look like. Beyond this tweet, details on the plan are light, at best, so time will tell exactly how other EV models will be able to use Supercharging without resorting to ‘low-key’ use, as Musk said was already happening last year.
In North America, opening up Tesla charging stations to other vehicles would require a costly changeover to the CCS standard — which the company does use in Europe — or other automakers would need to supply an adapter for owners to plug into the network. That’s certainly possible, and again one of the details that all sides should (hopefully) address in an effort to improve access for EV owners across the market.
Speaking of EVs, we did just say a goodbye to our long-term Tesla Model Y. However, we did replace it with the funky little Mini Cooper SE, which you can check out below. More on that coming soon!