Tesla’s Supercharger network will soon open to all types of EVs – EQ Mag
The Elon Musk–led EV giant will make at least 3,500 charging stations available to non-Teslas as the Biden administration unveils funding for a national charging network.
For the first time, thousands of Tesla’s electric-vehicle Supercharger stations will be available to anybody driving a battery-powered car, the White House said on Wednesday.
Right now, only Tesla drivers can access the automaker’s network of 7,500 fast-charging stations, which are scattered along highway corridors, in public parking lots and other convenient locations across the United States, allowing drivers to add up to 200 miles of range after just 15 minutes of charging.
By the end of 2024, at least 3,500 new and existing Superchargers will be open to non-Teslas “to expand freedom of travel for all EVs,” the White House said.
Nearly 2 million EVs were on U.S. roads as of October 2022, or about 0.7 percent of all vehicles, according to S&P Global Mobility. Although Tesla’s market share is slipping as more affordably priced vehicles hit the market, the automaker still accounts for about two-thirds of new EV registrations.
The Supercharger expansion is one of several new White House announcements on initiatives that will collectively add more than 100,000 public charging stations across the U.S., particularly along major highways and in rural and hard-to-reach locations.
About 130,000 such chargers are in place today. The Biden administration aims to more than triple that amount by 2030, as part of its larger efforts to accelerate EV adoption and reduce planet-warming emissions and tailpipe pollution from gas-guzzling cars.
“No matter what EV you drive, we want to make sure that you will be able to plug in, know the price you’re going to be paying and charge up in a predictable, user-friendly experience,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters in a preview of the rules, according to Reuters.
To that end, the U.S. Department of Transportation launched the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program last fall to help states and private companies roll out more stations. And today, the Federal Highway Administration set new national standards for federally funded EV chargers to ensure that stations are not only accessible to all EV drivers but are also well maintained and functioning when drivers pull up — something that doesn’t always happen, as Canary Media previously reported.
Tesla and other companies hoping to access federal funding for EV charging must adopt the “combined charging system” standard, which is the dominant U.S. standard for charging connectors, and they must use standardized payment options. They also can’t be exclusive to one type of EV brand.
Also in Wednesday’s announcement, rental car giant Hertz and EV fleet charging operator bp pulse reiterated their plans to jointly develop a national network of EV fast-charging infrastructure, including in major cities such as Atlanta, Austin, Denver, Houston, Orlando and Phoenix.
The companies first teamed up in September to make chargers available at airports to Hertz customers, Uber drivers and the general public. Bp pulse said it aims to invest $1 billion to build EV fast-charging “gigahubs” for airport ride-hail fleets, while Hertz said it wants to make one-fourth of its airport fleet electric by the end of next year.
Pilot Company, which operates Pilot and Flying J travel centers along U.S. highways, is partnering with charging provider EVgo and General Motors to build a coast-to-coast network of 2,000 high-power 350-kilowatt fast chargers. The companies said today that the first 200 or so chargers in the network are expected to be available for use this year.
Source: canarymedia
