Lucid To Adopt Tesla Superchargers: Elon Musk Weighs In, Says, 'A Bitter Pill To Swallow'

Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk on Monday reacted to EV maker Lucid Group Inc LCID helmed by an ex-Tesla executive joining its supercharger network.

What Happened: “That must have been a bitter pill to swallow,” Musk said with a laughing emoji. The CEO was responding to Lucid’s announcement on Monday that its customers will be able to access the 15,000 plus Tesla Superchargers in North America starting 2025.

“We believe that a unified charging standard, backed by the nationwide rollout of future-ready higher-voltage charging stations, will be a critical step in empowering American consumers to adopt electric vehicles,” Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson said in a statement. He was formerly the chief engineer for Tesla‘s Model S.

Why It Matters: Rawlinson gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal in June where he detailed his reasons for not joining Tesla’s charging standard. The CEO then said that the emphasis is on high-voltage power charging rather than the plug through which it enters the EV.

What is very important from the perspective of the U.S. taxpayers’ money and how it is put to best effect, is that it should be placed into a charging infrastructure that is future-proofed, the executive said.

"That means an ultra-high voltage charging standard, 1000 volts, that is the future for EVs and, it doesn't really matter whether that plug, the way that high voltage enters the car," he added. "What's really important is that we go for this efficient high voltage, high power charging."

Photo by Around the World Photos on Shutterstock

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