4 ms·

Tesla confirms plan to open Supercharger network to other automakers next year

26 points by DocFeind 5y ago

path2power 5y ago
I wonder if this will happen in Europe first, since the connector is standardized with Tesla's. I also wonder how, in the US, they'll handle the fact that lots of EVs charge very slowly.
- Salgat 5y ago
  They'll likely charge a combined rate based on time and amount of kwh consumed. If you want to have your car charge for more than an hour, be ready to pay a fat premium for it.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- 908B64B197 5y ago
  Seems nobody outside of Tesla has any idea how to implement decent charging [0] [0] https://youtu.be/hA_B7qPyUDA?t=1131 https://youtu.be/hA_B7qPyUDA?t=1131
  - clouddrover 5y ago
    Here are some Tesla chargers that don't work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue2Gs9hRr8k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue2Gs9hRr8k It seems Tesla doesn't have any idea how to implement decent charging!
Salgat 5y ago
My money is on Tesla doing this to get ahead of any regulations that the government might propose, that way they can set the terms of how the network is shared.
- gamblor956 5y ago
  Agreed, since the Supercharger network is pretty much the reason that Tesla is #1 in the EV market.
- clouddrover 5y ago
  As the article discusses, Tesla is doing it to get government subsidies. Governments aren't going to subsidize chargers which don't charge all brands of EV, which is good and correct. All chargers should be open to all brands of EV. I can fuel my ICE car at any fueling station so I should be able to charge my EV at any charging station. Brand exclusive chargers just make EVs worse.
DonnyV 5y ago
Well thats it. Tesla won the electric car race. What other car company is going to bother sinking money into an electrical charging network when they can use someone elses? Tesla will keep it cheap for other car companies for now. Then when most are dependent on it. They will start cranking up fees on non-Tesla vehicles. Tesla will have the lead for decades before anything is done about it.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- lm28469 5y ago
  Won't happening in any countries with anti monopoly laws. It's not like they will be able to charge whatever they want and target only non tesla vehicles.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- clouddrover 5y ago
  > What other car company is going to bother sinking money into an electrical charging network when they can use someone elses? Many companies. Tesla's chargers are slow. Circle K is deploying 300 kW chargers, faster than any Tesla charger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TVohXHjLro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TVohXHjLro Ionity deploys 350 kW chargers, also faster than any Tesla charger: https://ionity.eu/en/design-and-tech.html https://ionity.eu/en/design-and-tech.html Repsol deployed 400 kW chargers two years ago: https://insideevs.com/news/375020/repsol-most-powerful-charging-station-europe/ https://insideevs.com/news/375020/repsol-most-powerful-charg... All of these chargers can be used by all cars, including Teslas.
ElijahLynn 5y ago
Responding to some of the comments suggesting that Tesla is going to capitalize on this... I've seen enough of Elon's talks and read enough to know that he is trying to save our species from killing ourselves. Hence the whole reason to inhabit Mars, as he wants to make us a multi-planetary species. So yeah, most other companies would probably do that but I don't think Tesla will. Tesla even open sourced some/all of their patents so that other electric car companies could enter the market and create more access to electric cars, that lower the carbon foot print of our transportation needs and therefore extend the time we have on earth.
Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
I'm mixed on this. As an EV supporter, I love it! It feels like so many other charging networks are half-assed. I see some J-1772 chargers that are only 7 kW and I wonder what the hell they're thinking. Even at home, I can charge at 11 kW, and even at that rate, it'll take nearly 8 hours to fully charge my Model 3. It also creates a revenue stream from customers that would be unlikely to ever buy a Tesla, but still want an EV. I could see Tesla billing non-Tesla EVs at a higher rate. Of course, as a Tesla owner, I worry about demand. While I've personally never dealt with this, I've heard that some Supercharging stations are incredibly popular and often have a line of people wanting to charge during peak hours. Allowing non-Teslas to charge could just make this worse. On the other hand, the extra demand and income from non-Tesla EV owners could fund the expansion of the charging network, which is good for everyone.

26 points by DocFeind 5y ago

I wonder if this will happen in Europe first, since the connector is standardized with Tesla's. I also wonder how, in the US, they'll handle the fact that lots of EVs charge very slowly.

Salgat 5y ago
They'll likely charge a combined rate based on time and amount of kwh consumed. If you want to have your car charge for more than an hour, be ready to pay a fat premium for it.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
908B64B197 5y ago
Seems nobody outside of Tesla has any idea how to implement decent charging [0] [0] https://youtu.be/hA_B7qPyUDA?t=1131 https://youtu.be/hA_B7qPyUDA?t=1131
- clouddrover 5y ago
  Here are some Tesla chargers that don't work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue2Gs9hRr8k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue2Gs9hRr8k It seems Tesla doesn't have any idea how to implement decent charging!

Salgat 5y ago

My money is on Tesla doing this to get ahead of any regulations that the government might propose, that way they can set the terms of how the network is shared.

gamblor956 5y ago
Agreed, since the Supercharger network is pretty much the reason that Tesla is #1 in the EV market.
clouddrover 5y ago
As the article discusses, Tesla is doing it to get government subsidies. Governments aren't going to subsidize chargers which don't charge all brands of EV, which is good and correct. All chargers should be open to all brands of EV. I can fuel my ICE car at any fueling station so I should be able to charge my EV at any charging station. Brand exclusive chargers just make EVs worse.

DonnyV 5y ago

Well thats it. Tesla won the electric car race. What other car company is going to bother sinking money into an electrical charging network when they can use someone elses? Tesla will keep it cheap for other car companies for now. Then when most are dependent on it. They will start cranking up fees on non-Tesla vehicles. Tesla will have the lead for decades before anything is done about it.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
lm28469 5y ago
Won't happening in any countries with anti monopoly laws. It's not like they will be able to charge whatever they want and target only non tesla vehicles.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
clouddrover 5y ago
> What other car company is going to bother sinking money into an electrical charging network when they can use someone elses? Many companies. Tesla's chargers are slow. Circle K is deploying 300 kW chargers, faster than any Tesla charger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TVohXHjLro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TVohXHjLro Ionity deploys 350 kW chargers, also faster than any Tesla charger: https://ionity.eu/en/design-and-tech.html https://ionity.eu/en/design-and-tech.html Repsol deployed 400 kW chargers two years ago: https://insideevs.com/news/375020/repsol-most-powerful-charging-station-europe/ https://insideevs.com/news/375020/repsol-most-powerful-charg... All of these chargers can be used by all cars, including Teslas.

ElijahLynn 5y ago

Responding to some of the comments suggesting that Tesla is going to capitalize on this... I've seen enough of Elon's talks and read enough to know that he is trying to save our species from killing ourselves. Hence the whole reason to inhabit Mars, as he wants to make us a multi-planetary species. So yeah, most other companies would probably do that but I don't think Tesla will. Tesla even open sourced some/all of their patents so that other electric car companies could enter the market and create more access to electric cars, that lower the carbon foot print of our transportation needs and therefore extend the time we have on earth.

Sohcahtoa82 5y ago

I'm mixed on this. As an EV supporter, I love it! It feels like so many other charging networks are half-assed. I see some J-1772 chargers that are only 7 kW and I wonder what the hell they're thinking. Even at home, I can charge at 11 kW, and even at that rate, it'll take nearly 8 hours to fully charge my Model 3. It also creates a revenue stream from customers that would be unlikely to ever buy a Tesla, but still want an EV. I could see Tesla billing non-Tesla EVs at a higher rate. Of course, as a Tesla owner, I worry about demand. While I've personally never dealt with this, I've heard that some Supercharging stations are incredibly popular and often have a line of people wanting to charge during peak hours. Allowing non-Teslas to charge could just make this worse. On the other hand, the extra demand and income from non-Tesla EV owners could fund the expansion of the charging network, which is good for everyone.