Tesla opening up Supercharger network is upsetting some owners, but in line with the mission
Tesla’s move to open its Supercharger network to non-Tesla electric car owners is splitting the Tesla owner community in two, with some owners being upset and feeling that it will negatively affect their ownership experience.
But the move is 100% aligned with Tesla’s mission.
We knew it was coming for a while, but it’s now finally official and happening soon.
Both Tesla and the White House have confirmed that the automaker will soon start to open “select” Supercharger stations to non-Tesla EV owners in the US and plans to double the size of its network to make 7,500 Superchargers available to all EVs by the end of 2024.
The Supercharger network is widely recognized as the best DC fast-charging network in the world, and the difference with other networks is even more pronounced in the US.
For a long time, it has been considered one of Tesla’s competitive advantages, or moats, and the biggest reason to buy a Tesla over other electric vehicles, as the network easily enables long-distance driving without friction.
Other networks are not only less extensive with fewer stations and fewer chargers per station, but they are also notorious for being unreliable with chargers that don’t always work.
Now that Tesla is opening the Supercharger network to other electric vehicles, Tesla owners are a bit divided on the issue with some owners being upset about the move.
Since the announcement yesterday, we received several emails from Tesla owners who believe that onboarding more vehicles will negatively affect their experience by increasing traffic at Supercharger stations.
Additionally, some Tesla investors are not happy about the move since they believe it will negatively affect Tesla’s business by removing the Supercharger network as a moat and making non-Tesla EVs more attractive, as they will also be able to use the network.
One Tesla owner went as far as claiming that it’s not fair since early Tesla owners paid for Tesla’s deployment of the network while non-Tesla EV owners didn’t.
The owner in question sent us the following email:
Money does not come out of thin air. To build Tesla’s charging network, the money had to come from increasing the cost of the car. With Tesla opening access to its charging network to non-Tesla owners, that means I paid extra for my Tesla to access the charging network so that others could have access for free. Since I paid extra so non Tesla owners can access the network for free, I believe Tesla should provide some type of rebate to Tesla owners.
However, the majority of Tesla owners and Tesla fans appear to be on board with the move since it aligns with Tesla’s mission, which is to accelerate the advent of electric transportation and renewable energy.
The automaker, and specifically CEO Elon Musk, always made it clear that it would consider the mission a success if it can not only contribute directly to accelerating that goal but also indirectly by forcing the rest of the auto industry to move to electric vehicles.
Electrek’s Take
I understand the concern about having more traffic at Supercharger stations, especially considering that some are already overcrowded on busy travel days, and that’s a real problem.
But Tesla is going to do it like it did in Europe, meaning the change will happen gradually while monitoring the usage to avoid overloading the network.
Meanwhile, the move will also enable Tesla to access billions of dollars in incentives to deploy more stations and increase network capacity for both Tesla owners and non-Tesla owners.
As for the business standpoint, it’s true that it will remove a competitive advantage for Tesla and make competing EVs more attractive now that they can use the Supercharger network. But it will also boost its energy business, which I think the Supercharger network will be folded into because like Tesla Energy, or Tesla Electric, it is technically selling electricity.
Tesla could become the biggest charging network operator in the world as electric vehicles take over. I can see a future where the Tesla Supercharger network is bringing in billions of dollars a year in revenue just by selling electricity to all electric vehicles.
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After a month off trying to wrap our heads around all the chaos surrounding EVs, solar, and everything else in Washington, we’re back with the biggest EV news stories of the day from Tesla, Ford, Volvo, and everyone else on today’s hiatus-busting episode of Quick Charge!
It just gets worse and worse for the Tesla true believers – especially those willing to put their money where Elon’s mouth is! One believer is set to lose nearly $50,000 betting on Tesla’s ability to deliver a Robotaxi service by the end of June (didn’t happen), and the controversial CEO’s most recent spat with President Trump had TSLA down nearly 5% in pre-morning trading.
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Hyundai is getting ready to shake things up. A new electric crossover SUV, likely the Hyundai IONIQ 2, is set to debut in the coming months. It will sit below the Kona Electric as Hyundai expands its entry-level EV lineup.
Is Hyundai launching the IONIQ 2 in 2026?
After launching the Inster late last year, Hyundai is already preparing to introduce a new entry-level EV in Europe.
Xavier Martinet, President and CEO of Hyundai Europe, confirmed that the new EV will be revealed “in the next few months.” It will be built in Europe and scheduled to go on sale in mid-2026.
Hyundai’s new electric crossover is expected to be a twin to the Kia EV2, which will likely arrive just ahead of it next year.
It will be underpinned by the same E-GMP platform, which powers all IONIQ and Kia EV models (EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, and EV9).
Like the Kia EV3, it will likely be available with either a 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh battery pack option. The former provides a WLTP range of 267 miles while the latter is rated with up to 372 miles. All trims are powered by a single electric motor at the front, producing 201 hp and 209 lb-ft of torque.
Although it may share the same underpinnings as the EV2, Hyundai’s new entry-level EV will feature an advanced new software and infotainment system.
According to Autocar, the interior will represent a “step change” in terms of usability and features. The new system enables new functions, such as ambient lighting and sounds that adjust depending on the drive mode.
It’s expected to showcase Hyundai’s powerful new Pleos software and infotainment system. As an end-to-end software platform, Pleos connects everything from the infotainment system (Pleos Connect) to the Vehicle Operating System (OS) and the cloud.
Pleos is set to power Hyundai’s upcoming software-defined vehicles (SDVs) with new features like autonomous driving and real-time data analysis.
As an Android-based system, Pleos Connect features a “smartphone-like UI” with new functions including multi-window viewing and an AI voice assistant.
The new electric crossover is expected to start at around €30,000 ($35,400), or slightly less than the Kia EV3, priced from €35,990 ($42,500). It will sit between the Inster and Kona Electric in Hyundai’s lineup.
Hyundai said that it would launch the first EV with its next-gen infotainment system in Q2 2026. Will it be the IONIQ 2? Hyundai is expected to unveil the new entry-level EV at IAA Mobility in September. Stay tuned for more info. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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Tesla has unveiled its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cell factory in Nevada and claims that it is nearly ready to start production.
Like several other automakers using LFP cells, Tesla relies heavily on Chinese manufacturers for its battery cell supply.
Tesla’s cheapest electric vehicles all utilize LFP cells, and its entire range of energy storage products, Megapacks and Powerwalls, also employ the more affordable LFP cell chemistry from Chinese manufacturers.
This reliance on Chinese manufacturers is less than ideal and particularly complicated for US automakers and battery pack manufacturers like Tesla, amid an ongoing trade war between the US and virtually the entire world, including China.
As of last year, a 25% tariff already applied to battery cells from China, but this increased to more than 80% under Trump before he paused some tariffs on China. It remains unclear where they will end up by the time negotiations are complete and the trade war is resolved, but many expect it to be higher.
Prior to Trump taking power, Tesla had already planned to build a small LFP battery factory in the US to avoid the 25% tariffs.
The automaker had secured older manufacturing equipment from one of its battery cell suppliers, CATL, and planned to deploy it in the US for small-scale production.
Tesla has now released new images of the factory in Nevada and claimed that it is “nearing completion”:
Here are a few images from inside the factory (via Tesla):
Previous reporting stated that Tesla aims to produce about 10 GWh of LFP battery cells per year at the new factory.
The cells are expected to be used in Tesla’s Megapack, produced in the US. Tesla currently has a capacity to produce 40 GWh of Megapacks annually at its factory in California. The company is also working on a new Megapack factory in Texas.
Ford is also developing its own LFP battery cell factory in Michigan, but this facility is significantly larger, with a planned production capacity of 35 GWh.
Electrek’s Take
It’s nice to see this in the US. LFP was a US/Canada invention, with Arumugam Manthiram and John B. Goodenough doing much of the early work, and researchers in Quebec making several contributions to help with commercialization.
But China saw the potential early and invested heavily in volume manufacturing of LFP cells and it now dominates the market.
Tesla is now producing most of its vehicles with LFP cells and all its stationary energy storage products.
It makes sense to invest in your own production. However, Tesla is unlikely to catch up to BYD and CATL, which dominate LFP cell production.
The move will help Tesla avoid tariffs on a small percentage of its Megapacks produced in the US. Ford’s effort is more ambitious.
It’s worth noting that both Ford’s and Tesla’s LFP plants were planned before Trump’s tariffs, which have had limited success in bringing manufacturing back to the US.
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