Tesla officially announced opening its supercharger network to all types of electric cars in five European countries. Access to Tesla charging stations for non-Tesla vehicles is presently available to car owners in France, Netherlands, and Norway.
Tesla’s superchargers program is also in the middle of a pilot run in Germany to expand the service to non-Tesla cars. Tesla launched the service program in November under the name of the Non-Tesla Supercharger Pilot. Interestingly Tesla has decided to run a pilot program to expand its UK supercharger network.
Select Supercharger stations now open to non-Tesla EVs in Belgium 🇧🇪, the UK 🇬🇧, Austria 🇦🇹, Spain 🇪🇸 and Sweden 🇸🇪
— Tesla (@Tesla) May 18, 2022
Owners of any electric vehicle can access the Tesla supercharger network using its Tesla app. Charging prices and service details would be available to users through the app.
Highlights Of The Pilot Program
The new pilot program for European countries is a calculated step by Tesla to grow its charging network globally. The current program would give access to non-Tesla owners to charge their EVs at some locations across the European soil.
In a recent tweet, Tesla officially announced the opening of supercharger service to non-Tesla owners residing in Belgium, the UK, Austria, Spain, and Sweden. Following are the prime highlights of the supercharger pilot program by Tesla:
- Non-Tesla electric car owners can use Tesla superchargers across Europe.
- Payments and charging will be done by the Tesla app.
- Lower prices for monthly membership holders.
- Prices start from £0.60 for non-membership users.
- Access to services at 15 supercharger station sites and 158 supercharger units.
Currently, the service is operational at 15 supercharger stations and about 158 individual superchargers across Europe. Open-to-all supercharger service announcement came amidst successful pilot programs in other countries.
“We’re starting with a select number of sites so that we can review the experience, monitor congestion, and assess feedback before expanding. Future sites will only be opened to Non-Tesla vehicles if there is available capacity.”
Tesla stated on its website that the service is enable non-Tesla EV owners to be more confident while driving around in their cars. Moreover, the EV automaker leader also pointed out the fact that opening up to everyone would help the network expand faster.
Charging Cost & Membership Model
The UK pilot supercharger service also includes the introductory membership service allowing the users to pay for charging monthly. Users can log in to the Tesla app and purchase the membership program starting from £10.99 in the UK, allowing them to access cheaper kWh charging prices.
Members can choose to pay the monthly fee and enjoy the lower rates of charging at Tesla supercharger stations. Non-members would have to pay higher for the same service.
Charging pricing and additional costs would vary from site to site for non-Tesla owners. Supercharger stations can charge differently based on the additional requirement to accommodate non-Tesla cars.
Non-Tesla users would also need to pay additionally for idle fees on their cars. Tesla would charge the same fees to Tesla and non-Tesla users to ensure the stalls are open for other users.
The current pilot program is only accessible to electric cars with CCS-enabled vehicles. Non-Tesla car owners can use the CCS connector to charge their automobiles at supercharger units.
Why The Program Matters?
Tesla has repeatedly mentioned expanding its services globally. The automotive company has already launched around 30,000 supercharger units globally. Moreover, 8,000 of all Tesla charging stations are in China alone.
Other leaders in the auto industry are also ramping up their charging networks globally. Volkswagen plans to put 8,000 rapid charging stations across Europe in a partnership with BP pulse.
Chinese EV maker Nio has launched a charging station in Oslo as well. XPeng, Voyah, and other charger manufacturers have too lined up some new tech in the field.
Tesla electric vehicle charging requires a fast pace network of chargers, and the continuous demand for its EV is a significant reason to expand the service.
“More customers using the Supercharger network enables faster expansion,” said Tesla while confirming the news of the expansion of its superchargers.
Tesla’s supercharger network is also growing rapidly with its un-denying global presence in the automotive industry.
What To Expect In The Future?
Tesla has over 30,000 superchargers spread across the world, with a rapid expansion in more locations. With the new pilot programs, Tesla plans to encourage more people to choose electric vehicles over ICE vehicles.
The total number of countries to have non-Tesla access to Tesla supercharging stations has come up to 8 now. Currently, users can only access the service by creating a Tesla account on the Tesla app. Tesla has over 650 stations in the UK, making them a dependable service. Elon Musk has always favored de-restricting the charging network in long run.
Tesla has not made any official statement regarding expanding the network in other countries as well. However, the move would help non-Tesla users to trust more on the automaker’s services more. The number of charging stations by Tesla would continue to grow in the coming years.
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