Tesla announced some upcoming changes to its Supercharger policies that might affect the easy availability of some chargers and could lead to longer wait times at busy stations, however, there are ways to lessen any negative impact on Tesla car owners. Driving up to an open charger and rapidly topping off the battery while enjoying a meal or a cup of coffee makes this delay, which is often a part of driving an electric vehicle, acceptable but waiting for a charger would not be as welcome.
Tesla's Supercharger network has grown immensely, installing more and larger stations over the years. Even so, sales of Tesla vehicles have exploded with half a million sold in 2020 alone and some areas have a higher concentration than others. Tesla plans Superchargers accordingly, packing them more densely in areas that have greater demand but inevitably some stations can become crowded at busy times with lines forming to get a turn at the charger.
Tesla founder Elon Musk recently tweeted about the company's plans to open its Supercharger network later this year to electric vehicles from other manufacturers. Thus far, its large Supercharger network has set Tesla apart from the rest of the electric vehicle industry, having gotten off to an early lead in terms of construction and prime locations for charging stations. Naturally, some Tesla car owners have become worried about the potential of overcrowding and extended wait times. For example, a Tweet from Lasse Edvardsen included a photo of a packed Tesla Supercharger station in Norway. For those worried, Tesla's second-quarter earnings call (via a transcript by The Motley Fool) revealed more details of how the shared Supercharger network will work.
Tesla stands to gain from the $2 trillion in U.S. government EV charger infrastructure funding, although it is unlikely to qualify if limiting usage to just Tesla vehicles. Similar incentives are available elsewhere and Tesla will eventually expand the open network to all countries, according to Musk. A CCS charging adapter might be sold by Tesla or, possibly, will become available at the Supercharger to allow non-Tesla vehicles to connect. The Tesla app will also be needed to take advantage of this offer and that is how Tesla will handle billing for the energy used to charge cars made by other manufacturers. What remains to be seen is how Tesla might avoid the issue of overcrowding when the Supercharger network opens to all.
There have already been some steps made that apply to Tesla owners, such as limiting the total charge at the busiest stations to 80-percent. Since charging times are non-linear it takes longer to completely top up a battery than to add 20-percent to a battery with a medium charge level, this alone can bring a big reduction in wait times. Tesla's Supercharger installation rate is accelerating every month with faster charging and more chargers per station being added over time, which will take care of some of the concerns in selected areas. Speaking directly to the issue though, Musk stated in the earnings call that the biggest constraint at a Supercharger is time and slow charging vehicles will be charged for the time spent there even if a relatively small amount of energy is drawn. Rates will also vary according to how busy the station is, similar to the varying rates of some power companies for electricity, making off-hour charging more affordable.
The possibility of increased funding might provide a way to speed up Supercharger installations. Tesla has plans to mitigate overcrowding with smart pricing, and limiting charge levels to 80-percent in the busiest locations, so it seems like Tesla has a viable plan for opening up its charging network up to other electric vehicles. No date has been given for when the network will open to other electric vehicles and currently this is an exclusive benefit for Tesla owners. However, it might be inevitable that a moment will arrive when some other manufacturer's car is using the last Supercharger stall. Only time will tell how well the switch to a shared Tesla Supercharger network will be received and how much impact it will really have on overcrowding.
Source: Elon Musk/Twitter, The Motley Fool
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