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Tesla Supercharger Network Now Available To Other EV Companies in Europe

After being in a testing, "Beta" phase for months, the program has just received final approval. It basically covers 40 charging points spread over France, Norway and the Netherlands; it will allow fast charging other electric cars, apart from Tesla.
Tesla Supercharger, courtesy of Tesla Inc.

Many EV users were eagerly waiting for this moment, that is, when Tesla's neat and efficient charging network finally opens up to other electric car brands. The company has confirmed that its Superchargers are now open for non-Tesla models: the rollout will take place in gradual phases, initially only being available at a limited number of locations in the Netherlands, Norway and France. It is available as of right now through the mobile application and will have no restrictions.

Tesla is widely aware that it has one of the most powerful weapons to extend and expand the use of electric cars worldwide. Apart from producing some of the best BEV models on the market – the Model Y, Model 3, Model S and X, and hopefully the Cybertruck in 2023 - the true value of the company lies in its excellent fast charging network. While other car companies are trying to follow its path, the truth is that Tesla is actually years ahead - by far - in terms of infrastructure, performance and capacity. As of today, this extensive supercharging network is open to the world, improving the experience of driving an electric car.

Tesla has been operating openly in Europe since September 2021. However, during this period of time the program basically went through a testing, "Beta" phase. The Netherlands was the first country to receive the same good news that the French and Norwegians are receiving today. The first ten charging stations deployed acted as a test to check the general operations, connections and compatibility with other brand EV models. As a result, the positive outcomes basically validated the testing phase and therefore led to the opening of more stations, with many more to be added soon.

Tesla Supercharger, courtesy of Tesla Inc.

Europe has become a very important stage for the implementation of electric cars, taking into account that there are more than 30,000 superchargers spread out around the world. Many more units are now being added to the first stations of the pilot program to add a total of forty points spread over different areas of Norway, France and the Netherlands. The deployment will continue in the coming months, since the capacity of each facility to support greater vehicle traffic must be evaluated first.

Any electric car owner in Europe that wants to charge at one of the select Tesla stations already available within the program, just needs to basically download the app and subscribe: they will have at disposal a fast charging network with up to 250 kW of power at a cost of 0.57 euros per kWh. This cost is slightly higher (actually, more than double) than the 0.24 euros per kWh that a Tesla customer is normally charged, though. But in that regard, a monthly subscription of 13 euros is offered that allows you to reduce the cost of recharging at the same price as a Tesla user, being able to cancel that subscription at any given time with no penalties applied.

Tesla Supercharger, courtesy of Tesla Inc.

Despite the extra cost the rate offered is still more attractive than that of other fast charging networks, such as Ionity. In the coming months Tesla will evaluate the possibility of opening more points throughout the European territory. Naturally, Germany has all the ballots to be the next country to open its fast charging facilities to the rest of the EV world, mainly because of Tesla Giga-Berlin location. Other parts of Europe, like Italy, Spain, Portugal and Sweden are being considered, but it will all depend on how things go during this first opening phase.

All images courtesy of Tesla Inc.

Nico Caballero is the VP of Finance of Cogency Power, specializing in solar energy. He also holds a Diploma in Electric Cars from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and enjoys doing research about Tesla and EV batteries. He can be reached at @NicoTorqueNews on Twitter. Nico covers Tesla and electric vehicle latest happenings at Torque News.

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