Tesla Has Opened Its Superchargers To The Competition And It's Causing Problems

Tesla Inc TSLA has recently opened up a small part of its Supercharger network in the Netherlands to allow non-Tesla electric vehicles to charge at its stations. 

What Happened: This opens up a new revenue stream for Tesla with those who want to use the network paying a monthly fee or a premium to charge.

But, there is a problem arising with these new customers. As shared by InsideEVs, other company's EVs have placed their charging ports in a different spot than Tesla, creating complicated parking situations. 

Why This Matters: Tesla hides the charging port behind a reflector on the back of the car, a spot similar to where gas vehicles have their gas cap. Because of this, Tesla's Supercharger stalls are designed with this in mind. A short cable requires a Tesla to back into the spot and plug in.

Most other EV manufacturers put the charging port somewhere near the front of the car. So if pulling in, the charge port would be on the wrong side of the vehicle, too far for the short Supercharger cable to reach. To get the charge port in the right spot, a competitor's vehicle would need to pull in only halfway, or perhaps take a charging cable from the wrong stall, blocking one charger, while using a second.

In Europe, Tesla's Supercharger stalls have the standard CCS EV charging plug. In the U.S., Supercharger stalls only have Tesla's proprietary charger. When Tesla does eventually open its network to other EVs, it could possibly offer an extended adaptor, allowing other vehicles to park at the Supercharger correctly, while still being able to plug in and pay Tesla for the privilege. 

Photo: Courtesy Tesla Inc.