Tesla said on Monday that non-Tesla owners can charge their electric vehicles at all Supercharger stations in the Netherlands.
The announcement marks an expansion of a pilot program that began in November 2021 with 10 stations. CEO Elon Musk had initially expressed interest in opening the Supercharger network to other electric vehicles in the summer of the same year.
Unlike other automakers, Tesla operates an expansive proprietary network that has previously prevented other automakers' electric vehicles from using the chargers. The network, which Tesla began building in 2012, now has 30 Supercharger stations around the world.
Of the company pilot program allows non-Tesla electric vehicle drivers in the Netherlands and some stations in other European countries, including France, Norway, and Belgium, to charge their cars through the Tesla app; the automaker has yet to integrate its stations with other EV station aggregators like PlugShare.
Tesla uses a proprietary plug that only fits Tesla vehicles, so the Pilot is only accessible for CCS-enabled vehicles. The supercharger posts have two wires; Non-Tesla cars may use the CCS connector, which may not fit all cars; if that happens, Tesla says drivers should report the problem to its customer service center.
Non-Tesla EVs could charge more for the pleasure of charging at Tesla sites, due to "additional costs incurred to support charging for a wide range of vehicles and adjustments to our sites to accommodate these vehicles," according to Tesla. That said, the price per kWh to be charged could be lowered if drivers purchase a charging membership.
Tesla said it is starting with a select number of locations so it can "review the experience, monitor congestion and gauge feedback before expanding." Future sites will only open to non-Tesla vehicles if capacity is available.
Holland has the largest number of EV charging stations in Europe, with 75.000 stations, giving Tesla a competitive playing field to further test this pilot. Tesla has 33 stations in the Netherlands, with 18 new stations “coming soon”, according to the tesla website.
