Since November 2021 Tesla has opened the supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs in 15 European countries. And today, the EV maker announced that it will be opening the supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs in Italy.
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The supercharger network is considered to be Tesla’s biggest advantage in the EV world. Currently, Tesla has over 38,000 stalls at more than 4000 locations. And unlike most other charging networks, the Tesla superchargers are located along major highways and designed from the get-go for long-distance travel.
On top of this, since Tesla controls both the vehicles and chargers, Tesla owners can plan their trip, including the necessary charging stops, in a seamless manner right from the center screen of their car.
Tesla also automatically reroutes owners to lesser-used supercharger locations if there is congestion. And to put the icing on top, Tesla automatically preconditions vehicles before a supercharging session to improve charging speed by as much as 25%.
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This has made Teslas really convenient for long-distance travel. Currently, Tesla is on the third generation of superchargers. with the latest iteration achieving speeds as much as 250KW or 200 miles in just 15 minutes.
Most analysts covering the EV space consider the supercharger network to be Tesla’s biggest moat. Some even go so far as to claim the expansive charging network is the number one reason for Tesla’s success.
However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk doesn’t see it that way. At a recent press conference, Musk said “our supercharger network is not intended to be a walled garden, It’s intended to be available to other manufacturers if they’d like to use it. The only requirements are that the cars must be able to take the power output of our Superchargers, and then just pay whatever their proportion of their usage is of the system. We’re actually in talks with some manufacturers about doing just that, and it will be exciting to share that news.”
“The general philosophy of Tesla is to do whatever we can to accelerate the advent of electric cars. Electric cars are really the key to a sustainable future. It’s incredibly important that we transition away from fossil fuels.”
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And in accordance with Musk’s promise, Tesla has currently opened the supercharger network as a pilot program for none Tesla EVs in 15 European countries. And today the EV maker announced Italy will be the latest country to be added to the supercharger pilot program.
In a tweet announcing this news, Tesla wrote “Non-Tesla vehicles can now charge at select Superchargers in Italy via the Tesla app.”
Currently, Tesla has not specified how many supercharger locations in Italy will be open to non-Tesla EVs however, we will be sure to keep you posted as we learn more about Tesla’s plans to open up its supercharger network to more EVs.
Until then, make sure to visit our site torquenews.com/Tesla regularly for the latest updates.
So what do you think? If all EVs are able to use the supercharger network, do you think it will increase charging congestion? How do you think that will also affect Tesla’s competitive advantage? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Image: Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
For more information check out: Tesla Has Much More Powerful Super Chargers Than Everybody Realized
Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and The evolution of the EV space on a daily basis for several years. He covers everything about Tesla from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.
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