It’s been over a year since Tesla CEO Elon Musk agreed to open up the company’s Supercharger network to vehicles from other automakers. At the time, it was looked at as a great move for the auto industry and, in theory, it still is. However, more than 12 months later, Tesla’s network (with nearly 30,000 fast-charging plugs in the U.S. and Canada) is still pretty much inaccessible to folks who own non-Tesla EVs. Software delays and hardware shortages are apparently to blame.
These delays have spurred some speculation that Musk was actually having second thoughts about letting anyone and everyone use Tesla’s network, possibly worried that the access would help other automakers sell EVs – luring them away from Tesla, according to the New York Times. However, Tesla did quell those fears a bit last week when the company’s Supercharger unit posted on social media that it had stepped up production of a crucial piece of hardware to 8,000 units per week: adapters needed to charge Fords, Rivians and other car brands at Superchargers. Tesla’s factory in Buffalo, New York, along with outside suppliers are producing the parts. At this point, it’s still not exactly clear how fast those adapters would actually reach EV owners.
Other than this social media statement, Tesla hasn’t said much about the adapter rollout. Other automakers are a bit skittish about commenting on the matter because they don’t want to antagonize Tesla or Musk, according to the Times.
The slow rollout raises questions about the decision that almost all major carmakers operating in the United States made to abandon the Combined Charging System, the standard that most of them used previously, and adopt the North American Charging Standard developed by Tesla. The switch made them vulnerable to the whims of Mr. Musk, who frequently changes corporate strategy and tactics in ways that can surprise even his employees and supporters.
Tesla built the Supercharger network to encourage sales of its own vehicles. By opening up the network, Tesla can make money from drivers of other car brands, who pay per kilowatt-hour to charge. The electric car company also makes money from selling adapters to other automakers.
But Tesla risks alienating its own customers, who will lose exclusive access to the chargers.
Tesla opening up these chargers to other OEMs was meant to be a three-stage process, but as luck would have it, it hasn’t really worked out that way, according to the Times:
First, Tesla and each automaker would update the software on Tesla’s chargers and the other company’s cars so they could work with each other. Second, Tesla would make and supply adapters to allow other cars to connect to its chargers, which use different plugs. The final step is supposed to happen next year, when most automakers plan to start installing Tesla plugs on the new cars they assemble, eliminating the need for an adapter.
So far only two car companies have advanced past the first stage with Tesla — Ford Motor and Rivian. General Motors had said it expected to complete the software coordination with Tesla this spring but now says it will happen later this year. Other automakers are expected to follow G.M.
But even most drivers of electric Ford and Rivian models do not yet have access to Tesla chargers because the companies have not received enough adapters from Tesla.
Many of this site’s readers probably won’t be too surprised to find out that a lot of the reason for this extremely slow rollout is because of Musk’s decisions and missteps.
[I]n April, Mr. Musk abruptly dismissed nearly all of the 500 people responsible for the Supercharger network, including Rebecca Tinucci, who led the charging division. (Tesla has since rehired some of the employees. This month, Ms. Tinucci became the head of sustainability at Uber.)
“When Elon fired his whole Supercharger team I said, ‘This doesn’t look good,’” said Mike McMahon, a retired airline pilot who lives in Florida and is waiting for a free adapter from Ford that he ordered in February.
Sure, in theory, there’s nothing preventing automakers like Ford and Rivian from buying adapters from other suppliers, but it hasn’t exactly been easy to find companies with the manufacturing capacity or expertise needed to get a job like this done. Additionally, adapters from these third-party suppliers would need to undergo an extensive testing and approval process.
Ford told owners of its Mustang Mach-E sport utility vehicle and F-150 Lightning pickup last month that the adapters were delayed by several months because of “ongoing supply constraints.” Ford, which had promised free adapters to owners of its electric vehicles, declined to comment further.
Rivian, which makes electric pickups and S.U.V.s, said “a challenging supply chain position” had led to adapter shortages. In a statement, the company added that it was “ramping up adapter supply as quickly as possible.”
“We are working closely with Tesla to support the industry’s overall transition” to the plugs used by Superchargers, Rivian said.
But having adapters will not be enough for drivers of electric cars not made by Tesla, Ford or Rivian. Every other automaker still needs to work with Tesla to make software updates for the cars to use the company’s chargers. That first step could drag on for months at the current pace.
G.M. has not said when its customers will be able to use Tesla chargers. “G.M. continues to work in good faith with Tesla to finalize an agreement that offers a seamless Supercharger network experience for our customers,” the company said in a statement for this article.
This charger bottleneck may have the unfortunate effect of discouraging electric vehicle sales, which wouldn’t be good for anybody. Most buyers are fairly wary of non-Supercharger charging sites, so getting access to Superchargers was a big deal. Now, they have to wait, and there’s no real end in sight.
Right now, there are about 100 Supercharger sites that are equipped with adapters that allow them to hook up to non-Tesla vehicles, but that’s just a tiny fraction of the 2,500 charging stations Tesla has in the U.S. and Canada.