How Tesla Is Aiming To Help Other EV Owners
With EVs everywhere now it's becoming more important than ever to have chargers available. Tesla superchargers may be one solution.
This article is more than 2 years old
Electric vehicles are not the car of the future but the car of the present. With many more people worldwide investing in these pricey, greener vehicles, the US government is offering ample subsidies to automotive companies switching to cleaner manufacturing. Though more consumers are interested in purchasing an EV in 2022 than a decade prior, there are still some hurdles to making these vehicles accessible to everyone. One of the main issues is the availability of charging stations. Tesla’s Supercharger stations are now looking to expand throughout the nation, making it easier for any EV driver to charge sufficiently.
The Tesla Supercharger stations launched in 2021, with only six stations constructed. Now, the company has over 35,000 stations all over the globe, accessible to all Tesla drivers. At the beginning of the stations’ launch, these charging areas were only compatible with Tesla vehicles. But since Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk created Supercharger pilot programs in 13 European countries, the entrepreneur is ready to bring the program to America. This open-access initiative would allow an EV driver of any car brand to use one of the Supercharger pumps safely and efficiently.
How long will it take for open-access chargers to reach the United States? According to a recent White House fact sheet, all-access Tesla Superchargers could appear in the states by the end of this year. The company has been open about developing specific equipment that enables all EVs to use Tesla pumps, so those will likely be installed over the next six months. The only criteria for non-Tesla EV drivers to fulfill are downloading the Tesla app before arriving at an all-access station. The driver will select the Charge Your Non-Tesla option before successfully operating one of the Supercharger pumps.
Though the open-access Tesla Superchargers operate in European countries currently, their construction has some caveats. Most countries have Superchargers that are still not available to all EV drivers. Customers have found charging tricky due to being unsure about which charging stations have the right equipment. The only European country to have all Superchargers as open-access stations is the Netherlands. The company is continuously expanding the pilot program and hopefully will complete the needed installation to make all Supercharger stations compatible with non-Tesla EVs.
In North America, over 1,000 Tesla Supercharger stations are open and available to the public. To convert them to all-access stations, the company will have to install adapters to each station that’s already operating. The adapters are a way to convert Tesla’s proprietary charging plug included in all Supercharger locations. The adapter will also fluidly work with the stations’ previous software that was not designed for non-Tesla vehicles. With the proper adapter, all other EVs should be able to use the Supercharger stations safely.
Tesla is one of the leading EV companies in the world, which means they’re one of the top electric-vehicle charging station companies as well. With the company installing Tesla Supercharger stations worldwide, it’s only fair to bring the open-access technology to the US. Hopefully, by the end of this year, non-Tesla drivers will be able to use whichever charging station is in their direct vicinity.
