Tesla is now letting EVs from other brands charge at some U.S. Supercharger sites, while offering a Combined Charging Standard (CCS) retrofit for its own vehicles.
“Select” Superchargers are now open to other EVs, according to a video posted to Twitter. Drivers can find these sites using the Tesla app, which is also needed to start a charging session.
Select Superchargers in the US are now open to other EVs → https://t.co/zObpFM4li1 pic.twitter.com/wQW0KGvlpw
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) February 28, 2023
As part of Tesla’s presentation at its Investor Day Wednesday, the company said that this currently includes 10 Supercharger sites—so it’s by no means a wide range of locations.
Tesla has been piloting open Supercharging in other countries since November 2021, but in the U.S. this is an essential step toward Tesla opening up “a portion” of its network toward models using CCS—and thus claiming federal funds. The Biden administration is releasing $5 billion in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) funding to build out a national EV charging network, with interoperability being one of many requirements.
The interest in greater alignment with other EV charging standards goes both ways. First spotted by Canadian website Tesla North, Tesla is now also offering a CCS adapter that allows for claimed maximum charge rates of up to 250 kw.
Tesla CCS Combo 1 Adapter
The adapter itself retails for $175, but Tesla notes that some vehicles may require an additional hardware retrofit, which bumps the price up to $450. It also isn’t available for all vehicles. For Model 3 and Model Y vehicles requiring the hardware retrofit, Tesla is telling customers to “please check back in mid-2023 for availability.”
Don’t think that this means Tesla giving up on its charging connector standard, however. It’s been encouraging other EV brands to use the connector, which as of late 2022 is now being called the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Tesla is also continuing to expand its own network of charging stations, including megawatt charging for the Cybertruck and Semi.
