Tesla is allowing non-Tesla vehicles in the UK to use its Supercharger network, as part of a pilot scheme.
The electric car maker has opened 15 Supercharger stations, with 158 charge points, to drivers of non-Tesla vehicles across the UK.
The sites are located at Aberystwyth, Adderstone, Aviemore, Banbury, Birmingham St Andrews, Cardiff, Dundee, Flint, Folkestone Eurotunnel, Grays, Manchester Trafford Centre, Thetford, Trumpington, Uxbridge and Wokingham.
Drivers must use the Tesla smartphone app to access the chargers. Pricing is set at 60p per kWh, for non-Tesla owners, although a monthly subscription of £10.99 will provide cheaper rates.
A statement issued by Tesla said: “Access to an extensive, convenient and reliable fast-charging network is critical for large-scale EV adoption. That’s why, since opening our first Superchargers in 2012, we have been committed to rapid expansion of the network. Today, we have more than 30,000 Superchargers worldwide.
“Tesla drivers can continue to use these stations as they always have, and we will be closely monitoring each site for congestion and listening to customers about their experiences.
“More customers using the Supercharger network enables faster expansion. Our goal is to learn and iterate quickly, while continuing to aggressively expand the network, so we can eventually welcome both Tesla and non-Tesla drivers at every Supercharger worldwide.”
Tesla chargers are equipped with two connectors. One for Tesla vehicles and a CCS connector. Tesla has not confirmed the maximum charging speeds available to non-Tesla owners at the points.
Last year, Tesla launched a similar trial in the Netherlands. It also provides non-Tesla drivers with access to its Supercharger network in Austria, Belgium, France, Norway, Spain and Sweden.
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Matt has been an automotive journalist for eight years. As senior staff writer he is responsible for the automotive content on Fleet News and also contributes to Automotive Management. Prior to this, Matt worked in the automotive industry for 10 years.
Sage & Onion - 20/05/2022 13:50
As a Fleet Manager, this is great news, especially if it is successful and gets rolled out to all the other Supercharger sites and then allows Tesla to triple the network size in the next 18 months as they have stated elsewhere. As a Tesla driver, I have mixed views on this. If it produces a worse charging experience for me then I will be unhappy about it. But if my charging experience is unaffected then I will be happy because I will then feel more confident choosing a different model BEV car when I need to change my Tesla in 16 months time, if the Tesla Supercharger network is still available to all makes. I would consider changing brands as my enjoyment of driving a Tesla has been tarnished slightly recently with their decision to charge a subscription for the Premium Connectivity, which I thought was standard kit in a 2019 LR Model 3, and giving drivers 1 day's notice of removing this feature was poor by Tesla. We should all now be aware of "connected" vehicles I think. Connectivity, I thought, was supposed to improve cars with age through OTA updates etc but removing features demonstrates how the opposite can happen.