Tesla is making strides in its mission to encourage widespread adoption of electric vehicles by opening up its fast-charging network to third-party electric cars in China. This follows similar moves in Europe and the US.
The pilot project, which has been launched in Beijing and Shanghai, will initially see five Superchargers in each city made available to third-party brands. While Tesla has over 1,600 Supercharger hubs with 10,000 charge columns on the Chinese mainland, this project is a minimal test.
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In Beijing and Shanghai, the Superchargers have only been opened to 37 specific vehicle models from other manufacturers, including the BYD Han EV and Tang EV, Polestar 2, Zeekr 001, Xpeng P7, and Nio ES6 and EC6 models. Among the German manufacturers, FAW-Volkswagen’s ID.4 Crozz models, FAW-Audi’s e-tron, Mercedes EQC, Porsche Taycan, and BMW i3, iX, and iX3 models are all eligible to charge at the selected Tesla Superchargers in future.
Notably, all the selected vehicle models have higher charging capacities and are relatively modern. Cheaper vehicles with lower charging power have been excluded from the pilot project, as they would take a longer time to charge at the Superchargers.
Tesla has not provided an explanation for the specific selection of vehicle models or their restriction, but the move marks a significant milestone in its efforts to encourage more widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
See also: Tesla Expands Access to Superchargers for Other Electric Car Brands Across Europe
In Europe, Tesla began with ten stations in the Netherlands in November 2021 before expanding to other countries in two rounds of expansion. In the US, charging a non-Tesla car at selected Superchargers has only been possible since spring 2023. However, Tesla has famously relied on its own charging standard in North America, so it first had to equip the charging stations with CCS adapters, which it calls a “Magic Dock.”
By opening up its fast-charging network to third-party electric cars, Tesla is contributing to the development of a more accessible and convenient charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, which could accelerate the shift towards sustainable transportation.
