8th March 2023 – (California) Tesla’s recent move to open up some of its Superchargers in California and New York to non-Tesla electric cars has been met with mixed reactions, as a recent video has shown. Marques Brownlee, a popular YouTuber, took his Rivian R1T to a Tesla Supercharger in New York and found that the experience “descended into chaos” when other non-Tesla drivers showed up as well.
In the video, Brownlee explains that he had to take up two parking spots next to a charger because the charging port on his EV was on the front driver’s side of his vehicle while the charging station was equipped for Teslas that have the charging port on the back-left corner of the car. He notes that this could become a problem for Tesla owners, as non-Tesla vehicles may start taking up more parking spots at Superchargers.
The situation only got worse when a Lucid EV and a Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck also showed up. According to Tom Moloughney, who runs the EV charging channel State of Charge, the charging cord was not long enough for either vehicle, which could cause further problems for Tesla owners in the future.
Moloughney also noted that “soon that exclusivity of being able to drive wherever you want and plug in it’s going to get more complicated because Superchargers are going to start to get clogged up with non-Tesla vehicles.”
While Tesla’s decision to open up its Superchargers to non-Tesla EVs is a positive move towards wider EV adoption, it seems that there are some logistical issues that need to be addressed. Brownlee acknowledges that the transition will take some finagling and hopes that people will be respectful of each other’s charging needs.
Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, called Brownlee’s video “interesting” on Twitter. The billionaire has previously pledged to make Tesla’s ultra-fast supercharging stations compatible with other electric cars by the end of 2024. Tesla’s charging network has been one of its biggest advantages over EV rivals, offering faster and more accessible charging stations with more amenities.
Overall, the move towards opening up Tesla’s Superchargers to non-Tesla EVs is a positive one, but it’s clear that more work needs to be done to ensure that the charging experience is seamless for all drivers.
