Tesla's key to EV adoption: Superchargers everywhere

When Tesla opened its U.S. Superchargers to non-Tesla vehicles in late February, electric vehicle owners rushed to join the network.

After downloading the Tesla smartphone app and registering a payment method, drivers of Volkswagen ID4s, Rivian pickups, Chevrolet Bolts and other nameplates gained access to the Supercharger network, considered the gold standard for its size, ease of use and reliability.

They were pleased with the initial batch of 10 Supercharger stations open to all EVs in California and New York. Thousands more Tesla units across the U.S. will open to the general public in the next 20 months.

"Thanks Elon, please can we have some more," said one California user of Tesla CEO Elon Musk on the charger map website PlugShare. "It's great to use charging stations that actually work," wrote an ID4 owner in New York, taking a swipe at competing networks with reliability issues.

During more than a decade, Tesla has carefully constructed the global Supercharger system alongside its vehicle business, giving customers a mostly hassle-free user experience and freeing them from range anxiety during road trips and long commutes.

The first six stations opened in 2012, allowing long-distance travel for the newly launched Model S sedan. Tesla now has about 17,000 fast charging plugs in the U.S., more than all non-Tesla networks combined, according to a study by iSeeCars.com. While Tesla has a proprietary charging connector that's different from those on non-Tesla vehicles in the U.S., adapters mostly solve any compatibility issues.

Just as Tesla controls about 60 percent of all fast charger units in the U.S., it also has about 60 percent of the EV market, which is not a coincidence, experts say. Tesla expects to more than double sales as well as Supercharger plugs in the next two years.

"At Tesla Charging, we have understood since day one that a great charging experience is the linchpin to electric vehicle adoption," Rebecca Tinucci, senior director of charging infrastructure, said at the Tesla Investor Day event in March. "Getting here has meant we've spent 10 years building charging infrastructure when basically no one else in the industry would do it."

From 2010 to 2014, 63 percent of all fast chargers in the U.S. were added by Tesla, according to the EVAdoption consultancy. From 2015 to 2018, that rose to over 75 percent. From 2019 to 2022, Tesla was still building more charging slots than all other networks combined.

In the first quarter of this year, Tesla added 1,292 Superchargers compared with 250 for EVgo, which has partnered with General Motors, and 60 for Electrify America, which is owned by Volkswagen Group of America. Electrify America and EVgo stations are open to the public.

Tesla's global Supercharger network, with more than 40,000 chargers, registers 1.5 million charging sessions per week with 99.9 percent site reliability, according to Tesla.

The EV maker has pledged to open at least 3,500 U.S. Supercharger units to the public by the end of 2024, vastly expanding options for non-Tesla EV owners.

Fast chargers use direct current and generally charge an EV to nearly full in about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on several factors, including vehicle charging speeds, battery size and weather conditions.

Musk has long promised to open up the Supercharger network as part of the company's overall goal of driving EV adoption. But there are benefits as well for the automaker, which is expected to be a big winner from U.S. government support for local battery production, charging infrastructure and EV sales through tax incentives.

By sharing the network with the general public, Tesla can tap into a $7.5 billion federal fund to finance new charging stations. Tesla has developed a Magic Dock on its chargers that incorporates an adapter for non-Tesla vehicles, which use a connector called the Combined Charging System that is significantly different than the Tesla design.

In Europe, Tesla has opened up about half of its charging network to non-Teslas, Tinucci said. EVs in Europe use a common plug in accordance with European Union rules.

One key advantage of the Tesla Supercharger network over competitors is vertical integration. Tesla designs and manufactures its own charging equipment and operates the network.

Another differentiator is the Tesla software ecosystem, which allows drivers to choose a route and receive real-time information on charger availability while traveling. Tesla vehicles can precondition their batteries before reaching a station, raising the battery temperature to allow faster charging on arrival.

"Tesla has a kind of Apple-style approach," said Alex Knizek, an engineer at Consumer Reports. "Because they develop the car and the charger, they can operate in a more seamless way."

Tesla's early start has also given it the pick of the best locations for its Supercharger stations, Knizek said.

Consumer Reports named the Tesla Model 3 as one of its top 10 vehicle picks for 2023. Access to the Supercharger network was a significant reason for the honor, Knizek said.

The downsides of the Tesla charging network are few. The EV maker sets its own prices, which can be higher than rival networks in some circumstances, such as when electricity rates fluctuate. Tesla also requires use of its smartphone app, which is free. Users' credit card information is stored in the app, so Tesla chargers don't have credit card readers as others do.

For non-Tesla owners, the Supercharger network does offer some challenges.

The charging cables are only long enough to reach the left rear section of the vehicle, where Tesla places its charging port. Non-Teslas have ports elsewhere, which can require vehicle positioning that blocks adjacent Superchargers.

And, Knizek said, the Superchargers he tested with non-Tesla vehicles did not charge at particularly high speeds. That could be attributed to hardware and software issues between the charger and the vehicle.

"Having another option for charging is great. But I don't see it as the best option for your non-Tesla at the moment," Knizek said.

Tesla has released a new design for the fourth version of its charging units — called V4 — that has longer charger cables. The V4 units are first being deployed in Europe, Tesla said.

Tesla's U.S. Supercharging network particularly shines when compared with its closest rivals.

In August, J.D. Power ranked Tesla's network first for fast charging, with a score of 739, for overall customer satisfaction based on a scale of 1,000 points. ChargePoint was second, with 644, Electrify America was third, with 614, and EVgo was fourth, with 573. Broken chargers and payment problems were among the complaints with non-Tesla networks.

"Fundamentally, this is all about Tesla versus everybody else," said Loren McDonald, CEO of EVAdoption. "Tesla understood early on that you cannot separate the EV charging experience from the EV itself. And no other automaker understood that. Most of them are still in denial."

McDonald, who bought his first Tesla in 2016, said Supercharger units rarely fail to provide a charge and Tesla stations rarely require waiting in line. But even the rare wait has been mostly solved with bigger stations — some now have up to 80 charging bays.

Rather than sprinkle a few charging units at shopping centers as rival networks do, Tesla's approach has been to go big along key highway routes. EVAdoption estimates Tesla has a 94 percent share of sites with 10 or more chargers.

Tesla's approach reflects its overall business model of making EV ownership easy.

"They used the data, they understood their customers, they understood where they drive," McDonald said. "And then they rolled out the Supercharger network strategically in every part of the country. They do it because it makes the cash register ring. Every Supercharger helps sell more Teslas."