- The first trial is in the Netherlands
- Tesla expected to roll it out to other countries soon
- There are over 25,000 Superchargers around the world
Tesla, now the fifth-largest publicly traded company in the United States, is allowing users of non-Tesla EVs to access its coveted Supercharger network.
Why is Tesla doing this?
Although the trial is currently restricted to 10 stations in The Netherlands, Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, said it had always been his company’s ambition to ‘open the Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs’. He said his company wants to accelerate the uptake of this technology and help the world transition to sustainable energy.
Why is this trial starting in The Netherlands?
Elon Musk said the trial was likely to begin in Europe because, unlike other parts of the world, standardised charging cable connectors are already a legal requirement there.
But what about the US?
When, or if, the company allows non-Tesla users to charge via its Superchargers in the U.S, they will require adaptors. Luckily, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are already 6,400 plugs in the country – and it’s unlikely that number won’t grow massively in the next few years.
Although the US. hasn’t been as ambitious as many European countries in moving away from fossil-fuel-powered vehicles, President Joe Biden has sought to make half of the new vehicles sold in the U.S. electric by 2030.
Will Tesla open superchargers to other cars?
Tesla will open the supercharger network to other cars following successful trials in the Netherlands, Europe and the US. However, this is also dependent on the rollout of other public chargers, which have to account for most charging sessions.
But big challenges lie ahead
That’s because Tesla can’t make its Superchargers accessible to non-Tesla users on a broad scale unless the rest of the EV sector catches up. For example, other automakers will need to invest in more adapters, while governments across the world will need to incentivise EV uptake to keep the market growing sustainably.
By 2030, Tesla aims to sell 20 million EVs a year! That’s about 40 times higher than the number of EVs the company sold in 2020.
In fact, Tesla already operates over 25,000 Superchargers around the world – and achieved a market capitalisation value of $1tn by the end of October 2021.
That’s an extraordinary feat during an international supply chain crisis that has hit global economic growth.
