Norway first: Tesla opens the Supercharger network to other car manufacturers

Tesla’s Supercharger network is reserved for Tesla. There have long been rumors that it will be opened to other car manufacturers and now it seems to be happening – in Norway.

The most comprehensive fast charging network in the world

Tesla’s Supercharger network is the most comprehensive fast charging network in the world. Unlike other car manufacturers, Tesla has not relied on third-party charging networks. They developed their own network from scratch and it has largely been a necessary investment in infrastructure if we take into account how early Tesla was out with electric cars.

A decade after the first charging station was deployed, Tesla now has over 25,000 charging points at more than 2,700 stations worldwide, and these are unlike third-party charging networks, reserved for Tesla.

Something is going on – in Norway

However, there have been several indications that Tesla is considering opening up the charging network to other car manufacturers as well, but this depends on an agreement to share the costs. There have been rumors of talks about such agreements, but actual results have so far not been presented. The closest is Elon Musk’s sleazy remark last year that Tesla Superchargers are “discreetly” used by other car manufacturers.

Recently, rumors that Tesla is opening the charging network have gained more momentum. From Germany, there are reports of concrete talks about opening up to other car manufacturers, but the surest indication that something is going on actually comes from Norway.

Horizon: September 2022

Tesla has applied to Vestland County Municipality for a subsidy for the establishment of charging stations, but the Norwegian authorities do not provide subsidies for brand-specific charging stations. In order to be eligible for a subsidy, Tesla has therefore stated in the application that the charging stations will be opened for public use during September 2022. On that basis, the Norwegian authorities consider the conditions for the subsidy to be met, but keep the door open for withdrawal if the conditions are breached. .

To date, this is the first time we are facing an actual timeline for opening the Supercharger network for car manufacturers other than Tesla, but it is unclear whether this will only have an effect in Norway. In general, it will be easier to get generally open charging stations in Europe where standardized CCS connection makes adapters redundant.

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