Tesla Supercharger network will be open to other cars this year, Elon Musk says 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday that the company to open its network of superchargers to other electric vehicles later this year. Known as the Tesla Supercharger, it is a network of DC fast-charging stations for its electric vehicles.

First introduced on September 24, 2012, with six Supercharger stations, the Tesla Supercharger is a 480-volt direct current fast-charging technology developed for all-electric cars. As of this year, Tesla now operates over 23,277 Superchargers in over 2,564 stations worldwide, with 1,101 stations in North America, 592 in Europe, and 498 in the Asia-Pacific region.

In response to a Tesla fan and his other 58.4 million fans, Musk said, “We’re making our Supercharger network open to other EVs later this year,” Musk also added that over time Tesla’s charging network will be opened to other electric vehicles in all countries

“We created our own connector, as there was no standard back then & Tesla was the only maker of long range electric cars. It’s one fairly slim connector for both low & high power charging. That said, we’re making our Supercharger network open to other EVs later this year.”

Funny how many people are now questioning why Tesla created their own proprietary charging connector and that it's not fair for other EVs. How about no support for @elonmusk when he was advancing the technology. His team created a reliable way to charge the fleet? Deal with it! pic.twitter.com/K7zLmyIemT

— TesLatino (@TesLatino) July 20, 2021

The Tesla charging network is available to drivers of Tesla cars with no membership fees required. The electric giant bills drivers for charging by the minute, or per kilowatt-hour for “supercharging” depending on local laws.

Tesla had previously used its superchargers as a selling point for its electric vehicles — compared to other brands of battery electric vehicles — due to the company’s exclusive charging stations on the road.

Musk’s Tuesday announcement also gives a clearer explanation than an earlier remark he made to YouTuber MKBHD, Marques Brownlee, in  2020. Back then, Musk said other automakers were “low-key,” seeking access to Tesla Superchargers, and the equipment was already “being made accessible to other electric cars.”

Serious question: Why don't more electric car makers take up Tesla on their offer to use the Supercharging network? Incompatible tech? Hidden fees? Pride? There's gotta be a good reason.

— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) December 21, 2020

Meanwhile, President Biden promised to build over 500,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and create over 1 million jobs by investing in clean energy research over the next few years.

To put this into perspective, in March 2020, the U.S. had approximately 78,500 charging outlets and almost 25,000 charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles, a considerable sum of these chargers are found in California, with 6,835 stations and 28,545 power outlets, according to data from research firm Statista. This is good news and a great windfall for electric vehicle companies like Tesla and others. It is also going to be a good opportunity for tech startups to showcase their innovations.