Tesla Motors has started allowing other electric vehicles (EVs) to use its charging networks for the first time.
Elon Musk made the announcement that its charging stations would be for use by other EVs outside the company in July. The move allows 25,000 charging points globally to be available to all EVs. Tesla said it has developed its own connector to allow other vehicles to use its Supercharger network both for low- and high-power charging.
The transition to EVs in the automotive market is expected to be one of the largest shifts in the industry for decades as all automakers plan to move to selling primarily EVs by 2030.
New EV charging infrastructure is coming globally as demand for EVs increases. With more EVs on the road, additional charging network infrastructure will be critical. Some experts believe operators will increase charging infrastructure at a much higher rate than the demand for hydrocarbon fuels that grew steadily over the previous 120 years.
IHS Markit forecasts that the number of public and semi-public charging stations will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28% between 2020 and 2030. In the U.S., the CAGR will be 32%.
Tesla’s move to allow other EVs to use its networks will help not only the expected demand for EVs but also will likely encourage adoption of EVs as more charging stations mean less time spent looking for a charging point or fearing travel due to range anxiety.