Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has made a public statement that sent turbulence to the entire EV market. According to the boss of the leading American electric car manufacturer, Tesla has imminent plans to allow other car brands to use its charging network, admittedly the most extensive in existence. That would include competing car models that consumers had reservations to select against Teslas, precisely because of the limited charging point availability.
In Elon Musk’s words:
“We created our own connector, as there was no standard back then and Tesla was the only maker of long-range electric cars. It’s one fairly slim connector for both low and high-power charging. That said, we’re making our Supercharger network open to other EVs later this year. Over time, all countries.”
He hasn’t gone into details, and the statement is certainly anything but binding, but Tesla may have a lot to gain from a move like this. First of all, charging commissions from a large number of EVs replenishing their battery juice on Tesla’s stations should make up for a significant, stable source of profit. Secondly, evading anti-competition audit trouble in the near future. If there’s a simple, compatible, and safe way to offer supercharging to others, denying them access could result in scrutiny from the anti-competition authorities.
Those who may not be as happy with Musk’s announcement are current Tesla owners, who see the exclusively in supercharger points as a key reason to pick a car from the brand. Having to compete at the stations for an available point isn’t something they’re used to right now, so some are already voicing concerns on social media.
The American car maker could add more charging points to accommodate for the increased demand, but these installations aren’t free of complications, otherwise, competing EV brands would have all built their own proprietary network anyway.
