Following a pilot program in some parts of the world, according to a recent fact sheet released by the White House, Tesla plans to extend the Tesla Supercharger feature to non-Tesla owners in the near future. The expansion is part of a series of new initiatives from private industry inspired by President Biden’s newly passed bipartisan infrastructure legislation.
Given that Tesla operates more than 1,000 Supercharging locations across the United States, this initiative is expected to quickly increase the coverage available to non-Tesla electric car owners. According to a White House fact sheet, Tesla is “expanding manufacturing capacities of the electrical components of power electronics that convert AC to DC, charging cabinets, poles, and cables by later this year.
Tesla will begin producing the new Supercharger hardware, which will allow non-Tesla EV drivers across North America to take advantage of the Tesla Superchargers. At the moment, only electric cars produced by Tesla can use the company’s Supercharger network. However, that may soon change. Tesla is considering opening up its Supercharger network to other electric car manufacturers, on a pay-per-use basis.
This would be similar to the pilot program that Tesla has already established in Europe. Under this program, non-Tesla owners would pay a fee to use the Superchargers. The fee would be based on the amount of time that the car is plugged in, and would be paid via a mobile app. This would allow Tesla to recoup some of the costs of operating the Supercharger network, while also providing a convenient charging option for owners of other electric cars.
The move is part of a bipartisan infrastructure bill by President Biden that promised to create a “National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Financing Program to allocate funds to states for the strategic deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, as well as for establishing interconnected networks that will promote data collection, access, and reliability. The White House has previously announced the goal to create a national network of 500,000 EV chargers in the coming years. Tesla is not the only company expanding its charging reach in the US, according to a news report.
ChargePoint is expanding its facilities, producing as many as 10,000 DC Fast chargers and 10,000 Level 2 chargers a year by 2026. Volkswagen and Siemens recently invested up to $450 million in Electrify America for the deployment of up to 10,000 superfast chargers in 1800 charging stations. Siemens has also invested in a wireless charging start-up, FLO, in Michigan, which will manufacture up to 30,000 chargers by 2028, while Tritium, based in Tennessee, will also manufacture up to 30,000 quick charger units per year starting next year.
There is also a major need for training the workforce to be able to install and service all of these new chargers. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is training 10,000 of their members through its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP) this year, according to the White House Fact Sheet, and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) is training almost 4,000 of its member companies in charging installation know-how.
As the popularity of electric cars grows, so does the demand for charging stations. Tesla is one of the leading manufacturers of electric vehicles, and their cars can be found all over the world. But how long does it take to charge a Tesla? Learn more here.
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