Tesla’s proprietary charging network helped power its rise as the dominant US electric-car maker. Now it is opening that network to rival marques — a decision that will shake up a nascent roadside charging industry.
The Supercharger network’s thousands of locations were designed to repower only Tesla vehicles — a “walled garden”, in Elon Musk’s words. But last week the chief executive said he will allow Ford cars to plug in at 12,000 sites starting next spring. Tesla earlier announced plans to invite other EV brands to use at least 7,500 charging locations by the end of 2024.
Opening Tesla’s garden will alter the ecosystem that has sprung up outside its gates. Specialist charging companies such as Chargepoint Holdings, EVgo Services and Electrify America have been competing to serve cars made by a variety of manufacturers.