The Tesla Supercharger network has long been a key-advantage for the electric automaker, but a recent report courtesy of the Wall Street Journal suggests the Superchargers might be opening up for everybody; Tesla is applying to get federal funding for public EV charging programs. A recent White House announcement suggests Tesla likely to roll out some kind of public support before the end of this year. If it’s anything like the Pilot Program currently going on in some European countries, you might be able to pay a monthly subscription for lower kWh rates to charge your non-Tesla EV at a Supercharger stall.
What’s the Context?
While CEO Elon Musk is keen to point out Tesla’s own proprietary and slim fast-charging connector, statements he made in May and the recent news seems to solidify the CCS standard coming to Superchargers. That would mean being able to charge everything from a Hyundai IONIQ 5 to a Volkswagen ID4 right at a Supercharger. If true, the news would be a boon in convenience for many across the country. Nissan Leaf owners with the now out-of-favor CHAdeMO connectors? You might be out of luck … unless you employ Tommy’s adapter from our video below. That solution might work at some Tesla chargers, but not the proprietary Supercharger network.
If public Supercharging does indeed roll out by year’s end, Tesla’s lengthy promises will have finally come to fruition. That’s good news not just for the folks in California but for all of us frustrated by the unreliability of Electrify America and Chargepoint’s stalls. More options is never a bad thing!
What Details Do We Have?
While we know how Superchargers play with Tesla’s, all we have to go off now is the precedent set in some EU countries with the Pilot program. Charging speeds and cost breakdowns are yet to arrive, but you can expect that Tesla will hope to recoup any costs incurred by adding a second connector to their stalls here. In Europe, Tesla’s actually use CCS, so we’re in somewhat-uncharted territory by introducing two different charging standards in the US. I suspect Tesla’s proprietary charging port in the US is here to stay, but what do you think?
