Photo: Tesla
Tesla decided to make good on its promises to open up its Supercharger stations to other carmakers’ electric vehicles, as a new document shows.
The biggest problem with this proposition is the proprietary connector all Supercharger stations in the U.S. use. As it turns out, things will soon change and that will happen not only because Tesla is such a do-good company but also because it wants government money to further develop its charging-station network.
The first Supercharger stations equipped with a standard CCS connector will pop up in Texas. For this to happen, Tesla will use the money from the Texas Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Program (TxVEMP). It’s a program that uses the settlement money from the Dieselgate scandal to fund air quality projects in Texas. These include EV charging stations, with the condition they are open for business to other carmakers too.
According to a filing with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality revealed on Reddit by u/mockingbird, Tesla applied for four grants already, with values ranging from $376,000 to $500,000. The company behind the Supercharger network will build four charging stations with either 9 or 17 stalls, each with a power of at least 150 kW.
To qualify for the program, the stations will have to be installed in a public place, within half a mile from an Interstate, U.S., or State Highway or emergency evacuation route. Also, the new charging stations will have to offer at least one CHAdeMO or CCS connector when there is another proprietary connector included in the application. With CHAdeMO essentially dead, this means future Tesla Supercharger stations in Texas will offer a CCS coupling.
This is a big change for Tesla, as the company only uses its proprietary connector for Superchargers across North America. Tesla already uses CCS as default in Europe, where they also started opening the Supercharger network to other automakers as well. It is not clear whether Tesla will use an adaptor or will have only half the stalls equipped with CCS plugs to satisfy the funding conditions.
For Tesla, this means government money to extend the Supercharger network in areas with less coverage. For Tesla owners, though, it is more about busier charging stations and increased waiting time. Hopefully, with more Supercharger stations available, the problem will alleviate over time.
The first Supercharger stations equipped with a standard CCS connector will pop up in Texas. For this to happen, Tesla will use the money from the Texas Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Program (TxVEMP). It’s a program that uses the settlement money from the Dieselgate scandal to fund air quality projects in Texas. These include EV charging stations, with the condition they are open for business to other carmakers too.
According to a filing with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality revealed on Reddit by u/mockingbird, Tesla applied for four grants already, with values ranging from $376,000 to $500,000. The company behind the Supercharger network will build four charging stations with either 9 or 17 stalls, each with a power of at least 150 kW.
To qualify for the program, the stations will have to be installed in a public place, within half a mile from an Interstate, U.S., or State Highway or emergency evacuation route. Also, the new charging stations will have to offer at least one CHAdeMO or CCS connector when there is another proprietary connector included in the application. With CHAdeMO essentially dead, this means future Tesla Supercharger stations in Texas will offer a CCS coupling.
This is a big change for Tesla, as the company only uses its proprietary connector for Superchargers across North America. Tesla already uses CCS as default in Europe, where they also started opening the Supercharger network to other automakers as well. It is not clear whether Tesla will use an adaptor or will have only half the stalls equipped with CCS plugs to satisfy the funding conditions.
For Tesla, this means government money to extend the Supercharger network in areas with less coverage. For Tesla owners, though, it is more about busier charging stations and increased waiting time. Hopefully, with more Supercharger stations available, the problem will alleviate over time.
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