Tesla has announced that it will be opening 15 of its Supercharger sites to allow drivers of other EVs to use them to top up.
Previously, only drivers of Tesla vehicles has been able to access the firm’s wide-spanning Supercharger network, but this move changes that and follows on from a similar pilot that took place in the Netherlands.
The sites included in this initial trial are: Aberystwyth, Adderstone, Aviemore, Banbury, Birmingham St Andrews, Cardiff, Dundee, Flint, Folkestone Eurotunnel, Grays, Manchester Trafford Centre, Thetford, Trumpington, Uxbridge and Wokingham.
Drivers of non-Tesla vehicles will be able to access the chargers via the Tesla app, but will have to pay more than Tesla owners unless they sign up to a £10.99 monthly fee to gain a lower charge rate. Tesla says that the average price for non-members will be around 60p/kWh.
Currently, there are 98 Supercharger sites dotted across the UK and though this move only frees up 15 of them to other EV drivers, it’s thought that it could be expanded to include more stations.
In a statement, a Tesla spokesperson said: “It’s always been our ambition to open the Supercharger network to Non-Tesla EVs, and by doing so, encourage more drivers to go electric. More customers using the Supercharger network enables faster expansion.
“Our goal is to learn and iterate quickly, while continuing to aggressively expand the network, so we can eventually welcome both Tesla and Non-Tesla drivers at every Supercharger worldwide.”
