Tesla Supercharging for all EVs by late 2021

The exclusive Tesla Supercharging network is about to become a lot less exclusive.

Those fancy red and white chargers will soon be available to all EV owners, according to Tesla boss and spokesperson Elon Musk.

Taking to Twitter in response to a question about the availability of Superchargers to owners of non-Tesla EVs, Musk confirmed the Supercharger network would soon be available for all to use.

“We’re making our Supercharger network open to other EVs later this year,” said Musk in a detailed response to a question on why Tesla created its own charging connector.

UPDATE: Tesla begins unlocking Supercharger sites for non-Tesla EVs
REVIEW: Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus

When asked to clarify if the Supercharger network would “be open to other EV in all countries or just specific ones” Musk responded with: “Over time, all countries”.

All of which has debate raging on Tesla forums.

Many agree with the move provided it doesn’t affect their current charging arrangement or convenience.

Teslas have one of the simplest charging systems: Roll up, plug the car in and it starts charging, using smartphone technology to recognise the driver and the car and bill them.

Others are not convinced, especially if it means having to wait to charge behind (gulp) something other than a Tesla.

The plan to open the Supercharging network up to non-Tesla EVs does not appear to change anything with the so-called destination chargers, which use slower AC chargers. Destination chargers are typically at hotels, wineries and shopping centres and provide Tesla owners with free charging and an incentive to visit the location (the owner of the site typically pays for the electricity).

Tesla destination chargers are reserved for Teslas and are typically at hotels, wineries and shopping centres to encourage owners to visit with the lure of free electricity
Tesla destination chargers are reserved for Teslas and are typically at hotels, wineries and shopping centres to encourage owners to visit with the lure of free electricity

The Supercharger network has been an important part of the sales pitch for Tesla over the years it has built itself into the top-selling EV brand.

Supercharging was previously free – some older cars still have free supercharging for life attached to them – and Tesla uses the lure of free electricity to reward owners for referrals for new purchasers. Supercharging has also previously been used as a marketing discount on new cars.

However, the cost of supercharging has been rising. Late in 2020 Tesla increased the supercharging rate to 52 cents per kilowatt-hour, about double what you pay at home. It has more recently adopted a variable pricing model depending on the Supercharger outlet, with prices around 50c/kWh.

Many Tesla owners these days bypass Superchargers due to the cost, instead using other high-speed chargers such as those supplied by Chargefox, which charges about 40c/kWh for its Ultra Rapid chargers (some allow discounts to 32c/kWh when they are a motoring club member), which can supply up to 350kW (Tesla Superchargers are currently limited to 120kW).

Tesla Model 3 charging at a Tesla Supercharger station
A Tesla Model 3 charging at a Tesla Supercharger station

There are 42 Tesla Supercharger locations in Australia, with most in Victoria and NSW (another six in Queensland, three in South Australia and one in Western Australia).

It’s not clear how much non-Tesla owners will have to pay to use Tesla Superchargers and how they will be billed.