Tesla will open 7,500 Supercharger locations to non-Tesla EVs by 2024, according to a Wednesday White House announcement that provides more details on the administration's plan to build a nationwide charging network of 500,000 new stations by 2030.
This is the first time Tesla has agreed to give vehicles from other brands access to its Supercharger network in the US. It has already done so in select European countries, and in July, the White House said Tesla would "begin production of new Supercharger equipment that will enable non-Tesla EV drivers in North America to use Tesla Superchargers" in late 2022.
That won't come to fruition until 2024. but when it does, at least 7,500 Tesla US Supercharger and Destination Charger stations will be open to non-Tesla EVs.
"They will include at least 3,500 new and existing 250kW Superchargers along highway corridors to expand freedom of travel for all EVs, and Level 2 Destination Charging at locations like hotels and restaurants in urban and rural locations," the White House says. "All EV drivers will be able to access these stations using the Tesla app or website."
There were roughly 1,400 Supercharger stations in the US as of last summer. Getting up to 7,500 means Tesla plans to "more than double its full nationwide network of Superchargers," which are manufactured in Buffalo, New York (where workers are unionizing for higher pay).
Once Tesla has 7,500, it's unclear if the company will keep some chargers exclusive to Tesla owners, prioritizing its own customers over the general public. Mercedes, which recently announced its own public charging network, prioritizes reservations for its customers.
Tesla will need to add a new charging port to its Superchargers if non-Tesla EVs are to use them. The proprietary Tesla connector has a different shape than the standard port found on all new EVs from other manufacturers, called the Combined Charging Standard (CCS). All other chargers built with federal funding must also use CCS ports.
Tesla made a push to have other automakers adopt its charging port, which the company claims is smaller and more effective, by publicly releasing the specs for other manufacturers in November 2022. But when PCMag asked Mercedes Benz CTO Markus Schäfer at CES in January if the company ever considered adopting Tesla's port, he quickly said that was never something it would consider.
New Superchargers will offer some of the fastest charging speeds around at 250kW, compared to 150kW on some other fast chargers (including existing Superchargers). Tesla also sells a home charger that works with non-Teslas as of last fall, though it's significantly slower than Superchargers, which cannot be installed in private homes due to high electrical needs.
The White House says the number of publicly available charging stations has increased 40% since President Biden took office, a key step toward a goal of having 50% of new car sales be electric by 2030. The president has used the momentum toward EVs as a twofold initiative meant to hit climate goals while creating new jobs domestically.
"Today’s announcement is a tool to promote domestic production," reads a White House fact sheet. "Ensuring the clean energy transition is powered by American manufacturing and good-paying union jobs, these programs are key to achieving the administration’s climate goals."
Companies looking to get some of the cash included as part of the infrastructure package must produce their chargers in the US. That includes final assembly and manufacturing for charging enclosures and housing.
The last major point in today's announcement discusses the reliability of the chargers that are built with federal funds. It cites a survey where "EV users reported frustration with chargers that are too slow, too crowded, or that just don’t work." The administration says it's working to create a more reliable experience and ongoing maintenance.
The administration is also working to reduce the number of unique mobile apps and accounts required to charge "by requiring that a single method of identification works across all chargers." That may mean changes to the Tesla app going forward.