Elon Musk-run Tesla has officially begun allowing other electric vehicles to fuel up at some Supercharger stations in the US. For months, the company has allowed other companies' EVs to use its chargers in Europe, and it is now doing the same in the US.
"It's always been our ambition to open the Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs, and by doing so, encourage more drivers to go electric," Tesla said in a blogpost.
Last month, the Biden administration revealed new initiatives to install 5,00,000 electric vehicle chargers on US roads by 2030 under its $7.5 billion plan, and as part of it, Tesla has committed to opening up 7,500 of its charging stations to non-Tesla vehicles by the end of 2024.
Moreover, non-Tesla owners can pay per charge or subscribe to a $12.99 monthly membership to get discounted rates. The company explains that non-Tesla owners pay a higher price for charging at a Supercharger than Tesla owners to cover the "additional costs incurred to support charging a broad range of vehicles and adjustments to our sites to accommodate these vehicles".
Tesla opened the first Supercharger in 2012, and today, it has more than 40,000 Superchargers worldwide, according to the company. In addition to the US, the non-Tesla Supercharger pilot is currently available for supercharging stations in 16 more countries.
Non-Tesla owners will need to download the Tesla app on their devices to charge their EVs at charging stations by following the complete method on the app.