Tesla could open UK superchargers to other EVs ‘within weeks’ Bedford News

Tesla could open its UK network of superchargers to owners of other electric vehicles “within weeks”, the transport minister has said.

Tesla’s superchargers are currently only available to owners of Tesla models, but CEO Elon Musk has previously said he intends to open the network to drivers of other brands as well. The company is already testing open access to superchargers in selected locations in the Netherlands.

The Supercharger network is consistently ranked among the best EV charging networks thanks to its wide range of devices offering super-fast charging. The latest versions can charge between 125kW and 250kW – five times faster than the most common public fast chargers – and there are around 800 devices in the UK.

Most superchargers are located at motorway service stations, where the demand for the fastest possible charging is greatest and opening them up to drivers of other electric vehicles would help meet the need for a huge increase in the number ultra-fast chargers available to the public.

Exclusive access to the Supercharger network has long been considered one of the advantages of a Tesla over other electric vehicles. Following Musk’s announcement last year, some Tesla owners expressed displeasure with the idea, warning it would create queues and delays on chargers while removing one of the biggest draws of the brand.

However, charging non-Tesla owners for network usage should allow Tesla to expand its infrastructure more quickly and support the free or discounted billing that some Telsa owners currently enjoy.

It intends to spend £500million to support a 10-fold increase in the number of Chargers from 30,000 to 300,000 by 2030.

Industry experts welcomed the ambition as well as the reliability improvement targets, but warned that more needs to be done to meet the targets and ensure that drivers in more isolated areas as well as people disabilities have safe and appropriate access to chargers.