Juice

Tesla is opening up its Supercharger networks to other EVs — it made "the pizza decision"

Thursday, July 22, 2021 by Snacks
_You don't belong here [simonkr/E+ via GettyImages]_

You don't belong here [simonkr/E+ via GettyImages]

It goes down in the TMs... Twitter Mentions. Tesla will be opening its Supercharger network to other EV brands later this year. The major announcement came in the form of an Elon reply in a random Twitter thread (classic).

  • By the numbers: Tesla has 25K+ Supercharger stalls across 2.7K locations around the globe. They can recharge up to 200 miles in 15 minutes, and Tesla says the e-juice is cheaper than gas.
  • Bye, exclusivity: Tesla has marketed its exclusive charging stations as a major advantage of owning a Tesla. Think: more charging options, shorter lines, and even cappuccinos at Supercharger lounges for Tesla owners.

No such thing as a free juice... Especially freshly pressed e-juice. Tesla owners have the benefit of being able to power up at most EV charging stations —  plus Tesla stations. Why would Tesla end its exclusive charging differentiator and make it easier for people to charge other EV brands?

  • Charge cash: Even Tesla owners have to pay per minute to use Superchargers. By opening the stations to other EV owners, Tesla can make more charge bucks — and compete with brand-agnostic charging companies like AeroVironment, ChargePoint, and Volta.
  • Credit cash: If Tesla opens up more renewable charging stations in the US, it could tap in to new government funding like rebates and clean energy credits. Last quarter, Tesla made $518M from selling regulatory credits to other automakers.
THE TAKEAWAY

Tesla just made the pizza decision... Bigger slice or bigger pie? Tesla could stay charge-exclusive to grab more slices of the EV pie. Instead, it's sacrificing one of its biggest advantages to accelerate EV adoption. By helping cure #RangeAnxiety with Supercharger access, Tesla can help make the total EV pie bigger. Its slice of the EV market might continue getting smaller — but a smaller slice of a big pie can be more caloric than a big slice of a small pie.

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