Tesla Adds Mercedes-Benz To Supercharger Network Waitlist, Adjusts Timelines For Rival EV Makers (UPDATED)

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a statement from General Motors and Volvo.

EV giant Tesla Inc TSLA has added German automaker Mercedes-Benz to the list of automakers who will soon gain access to its supercharger network in North America.

What Happened: The list previously included just three automakers, including General Motors, Volvo, and Polestar. While the EV customers of the three car makers were previously expected to gain access to the supercharging network by spring,

Tesla has now altered it on the website to a more vague timeline of “soon.” Polestar also did not respond as of the time of publishing this report.

GM and Volvo failed to provide a clear timeline. While GM told Benzinga in a statement that it is working “as quickly as possible” to open up access to the Supercharger network for its customers, Volvo said it doesn’t have an update regarding timing at this point.

Layoffs Create Doubts: Ford Motor Co. and Rivian Automotive Inc. also gained access to Tesla’s supercharger network earlier this year, giving their EV drivers the option to charge at over 15,000 Tesla supercharger stalls across North America. 

While Volvo, GM, and Polestar were expected to follow, Tesla announced layoffs of at least 10% of its global workforce in April.

The layoffs impacted 500 members of the supercharging team. Tesla Senior Director of Charging Infrastructure Rebecca Tinucci also left the company, leaving the timeline for the opening of the supercharging network to more rivals in question.

Musk Refutes Alleged ‘Rumors:’ However, earlier this month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk slammed rumors on the death of its supercharger network as "greatly exaggerated."

"Our supercharger network is continuing to grow," Musk said at the company's annual shareholder meeting. "Rumors of the death of the supercharger are greatly exaggerated."

The company continues to grow its supercharger network while keeping an eye on capital efficiency and the places they are deployed, Musk said while adding that it will deploy more "working" superchargers this year than the rest of the industry combined.

Tesla will invest $500 million in expanding the network this year, Musk said, reiterating his investment goal from last month.

Why It Matters: At the end of the first quarter, Tesla had 57,579 Supercharger connectors and 6,249 stations around the globe. 

In May, Musk also said that the focus going forward will be on 100% uptime of the network and expanding existing locations. “Sites under construction will be completed and we will add additional Superchargers anywhere where there are gaps,” Musk wrote. Tesla's supercharger network currently has an uptime of nearly 99%.

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