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Tesla will open part of its U.S. charging network to other companies’ EVs as the White House and billionaire Elon Musk look to improve ties.
As part of an agreement announced by the White House on Wednesday, at least 7,500 of Tesla’s charging stations across the U.S. will be available to all EV users by the end of 2024. The aim is to give EV owners more freedom to travel, and it will include at least 3,500 of Tesla’s Supercharger stations—which tend to be near highways—as well as its slower Level 2 “destination chargers” at locations such as hotels and restaurants.
With access to billions of federal dollars earmarked for expanding the nation’s charger network at stake, the White House and Musk are looking to defrost relations that have been strained for most of Joe Biden’s presidency. In early 2022, Musk went as far as accusing Biden of being “unable to say the word ‘Tesla’ ” after the White House made an announcement that spotlighted Detroit-based competitors. A better working relationship could aid Tesla in tapping the federal government’s $5 billion of funding to build its national charging network.
All EV drivers will be able to access the stations using the Tesla app or website, the White House said. Tesla will also be required to make its data available for third-party apps, meaning drivers won’t be required to download the Tesla app to access the chargers.
Tesla will also triple its network of Superchargers, which are manufactured in Buffalo, New York, according to the White House statement. To be eligible for federal funding, Tesla’s new charging stations will need to be built with at least one permanent, nonproprietary port to ensure access via the Combined Charging System that is now the standard for other EVs.
The partnership to expand charger access also follows Biden administration probes into the operation and marketing of Tesla’s Autopilot system.
Tesla is one of 16 companies that will provide an additional 100,000 chargers to the U.S. network, according to the White House. Other participants include a partnership made up of Hertz and BP, as well as a group composed of General Motors, Pilot and EVgo.
For federal funding, EV chargers need to have consistent plug types, power levels and a minimum number of chargers capable of supporting fast charging, along with reliability requirements. Locations, prices, availability and accessibility will also need to be made public, along with other requirements.
White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu told reporters the administration is looking to combine its efforts with private companies to make sure there’s a national network “that will work for everyone, everywhere, no matter what type of car or state they’re in.”
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Musk is tapping into the $9 billion Inflation Reduction Act, he is not doing this out off his goodness for the industry. Fascist Capitalism!