Elon Musk Confirms That Tesla Superchargers in the U.S. Will Gain CCS1 Plugs

The Supercharger network is Tesla’s biggest asset and one key differentiator in the market. Toward the end of 2021, rumors started that Tesla will offer some sort of compatibility with other electric vehicles in a move to open the superchargers to non-Tesla EVs. This would be beneficial for other EV owners, but at the same time, it could make things worse for Tesla owners. Some in-demand superchargers will probably be packed during peak periods.

Either way, Tesla will clearly open up its network, and this was confirmed by Elon Musk during an interview with Financial Times, which you can watch below. According to Musk, Tesla will add an industry-wide connector (most probably CCS1) to its Supercharger stations “as an option.” There’s only one problem, though: the superchargers in the U.S. use a proprietary connector

“It’s a little trickier in the US because we have a different connector than the rest of the industry, but we will be adding the rest of the industry's connector as an option to superchargers in the US,” confirmed Musk.

It’s not clear what will Tesla use to make its chargers compatible with other EVs at the moment, but we will probably find out soon enough. For this to work, Tesla needs to either install additional chargers with dual plugs or offer an adaptor. Not the best solution, but Musk is determined to offer it, even if this means losing one of Tesla’s unique selling points.

“We are trying as best as possible to do the right thing for the advancement of electrification, even if that diminishes our competitive advantage,” said Tesla’s CEO.

Although it was made in the name of advancing electrification, the opening up of the Tesla Supercharger network to other EVs might have a more pragmatic explanation. Specifically, the incentives offered via various programs require the stations to be open to all electric vehicles. So, to get the money, Tesla needs to allow other cars to use its charging stations.