US electric-car giant Tesla has begun opening its exclusive fast-charging network to drivers of all electric vehicles.
Tesla Superchargers already accessible to other electric cars, Elon Musk claims
A handful of Tesla Supercharger stations in Australia can now recharge electric cars from other manufacturers – mirroring a move made in Europe 18 months ago.
The US electric-car specialist announced today five of its circa-50 Supercharger locations in Australia – which until now have been exclusive to drivers of Tesla cars – will now support all makes and models of electric vehicles.
All five locations are located in New South Wales – and can deliver up to 120kW, rather than the 250kW of Tesla’s latest ‘V3’ Superchargers. Drive understands the company intends to expand the number of Australian Superchargers available to all electric cars at a later date.
The Superchargers cost 79 cents per kilowatt-hour for drivers of non-Tesla cars – compared to about 58 to 70 cents for Tesla vehicles, depending on the location.
However, non-Tesla drivers can join a $9.99/month subscription that cuts the charging cost per kilowatt-hour to 66 cents.
MORE: Australia’s major electric-car charging companies listed
For a vehicle with a 60kWh battery, this amounts to approximately $35 to $42 for a full charge for a Tesla, $47.40 for a non-Tesla electric car without the subscription, and $39.60 with the subscription.
To use the locations, cars require a CCS fast-charging socket – as fitted to most electric cars on sale, with the Nissan Leaf hatchback one of the few new models without one.
Over the past 18 months Tesla has opened its Supercharger network in Europe to all electric vehicles, as part of a pilot program that spans much of Europe, the UK, and now Australia.
Drive reported in mid 2021 that Tesla had no plans to open its Supercharger network in Australia to all electric cars – and would limit it to Europe – however a year later company executives showed interest in taking the pilot program global.
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Journalist
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.
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Copyright Drive.com.au 2023
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Select Tesla Superchargers open for all electric cars in Australia – Drive
