Tesla and the White House announced that they reached a deal for the former to open its Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs in the US. The automaker also confirmed plans to double its number of chargers in the US.
Over the last year, Tesla has been working to open its Supercharger network to non-Tesla electric vehicles.
We knew it would be a bit more complicated in North America since, unlike in Europe where Tesla uses the standard CCS connector that is on all electric vehicles there, here, it uses its own proprietary connector, which makes opening the Supercharger to non-Tesla EVs more difficult.
But we have since learned that Tesla has a solution to onboard EVs with CCS connectors on the Supercharger network with something called the Magic Dock, which is basically an integrated CCS adapter on Supercharger stalls.
With this in place, it’s unclear why Tesla had yet to open the Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs in the US yet.
We know that Tesla has a strong incentive to do so since a requirement to get access to the $7.5 billion in funding for EV charging infrastructure that the federal government announced is that the chargers work for EVs from more than one automaker.
Today, the White House released its official guidance for this program and as part of the announcement, it confirmed that Tesla has agreed to open the Supercharger network in the US by the end of 2024.
Furthermore, Tesla plans to “more than double” its Supercharger network in the US.
Here’s the official announcement coming from the White House:
Tesla, for the first time, will open a portion of its U.S. Supercharger and Destination Charger network to non-Tesla EVs, making at least 7,500 chargers available for all EVs by the end of 2024. The open chargers will be distributed across the United States. They will include at least 3,500 new and existing 250 kW Superchargers along highway corridors to expand freedom of travel for all EVs, and Level 2 Destination Charging at locations like hotels and restaurants in urban and rural locations. All EV drivers will be able to access these stations using the Tesla app or website. Additionally, Tesla will more than double its full nationwide network of Superchargers, manufactured in Buffalo, New York.
The announcement comes just days after Tesla CEO Elon Musk met with Biden administration officials regarding EV charging infrastructure.
The White House didn’t disclose how much funding Tesla will receive as part of the program.
The Supercharger network is widely considered the best DC fast-charging network in the US, and Tesla currently owns about 60% of the EV market in the US.
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Swedish multinational Sandvik says it’s successfully deployed a pair of fully autonomous Toro LH518iB battery-electric underground loaders at the New Gold Inc. ($NGD) New Afton mine in British Columbia, Canada.
The heavy mining equipment experts at Sandvik say that the revolutionary new 18 ton loaders have been in service since mid-November, working in a designated test area of the mine’s “Lift 1” footwall. The mine’s operators are preparing to move the automated machines to the mine’s “C-Zone” any time now, putting them into regular service by the first of the new year.
“This is a significant milestone for Canadian mining, as these are North America’s first fully automated battery-electric loaders,” Sandvik said in a LinkedIn post. “(The Toro LH518iB’s) introduction highlights the potential of automation and electrification in mining.”
The company says the addition of the new heavy loaders will enable New Afton’s operations to “enhance cycle times and reduce heat, noise and greenhouse gas emissions” at the block cave mine – the only such operation (currently) in Canada.
Electrek’s Take
From drilling and rigging to heavy haul solutions, companies like Sandvik are proving that electric equipment is more than up to the task of moving dirt and pulling stuff out of the ground. At the same time, rising demand for nickel, lithium, and phosphates combined with the natural benefits of electrification are driving the adoption of electric mining machines while a persistent operator shortage is boosting demand for autonomous tech in those machines.
European logistics firm Contargo is adding twenty of Mercedes’ new, 600 km-capable eActros battery electric semi trucks to its trimodal delivery fleet, bringing zero-emission shipping to Germany’s hinterland.
With the addition of the twenty new Mercedes, Contargo’s electric truck fleet has grown to 60 BEVs, with plans to increase that total to 90. And, according to Mercedes, Contargo is just the first.
Contargo’s 20 eActros 600 trucks were funded in part by the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport as part of a broader plan to replace a total of 86 diesel-engined commercial vehicles with more climate-friendly alternatives. The funding directive is coordinated by NOW GmbH, and the applications were approved by the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility.
Data centers powering artificial intelligence and cloud computing are pushing energy demand and production to new limits. Global electricity use could rise as much as 75% by 2050, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, with the tech industry’s AI ambitions driving much of the surge.
As leaders in the AI race push for further technological advancements and deployment, many are finding their energy needs increasingly at odds with their sustainability goals.
“A new data center that needs the same amount of electricity as say, Chicago, cannot just build its way out of the problem unless they understand their power needs,” said Mark Nelson, managing director of Radiant Energy Group. “Those power needs. Steady, straight through, 100% power, 24 hours a day, 365,” he added.
After years of focusing on renewables, major tech companies are now turning to nuclear power for its ability to provide massive energy in a more efficient and sustainable fashion.
Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta are among the most recognizable names exploring or investing in nuclear power projects. Driven by the energy demands of their data centers and AI models, their announcements mark the beginning of an industrywide trend.
“What we’re seeing is nuclear power has a lot of benefits,” said Michael Terrell, senior director of energy and climate at Google. “It’s a carbon-free source of electricity. It’s a source of electricity that can be always on and run all the time. And it provides tremendous economic impact.”
Watch the video above to learn why Big Tech is investing in nuclear power, the opposition they face and when their nuclear ambitions could actually become a reality.