Tesla opens European Supercharger network to other brands

Tesla's Supercharger Pilot program is being expanded in Europe, allowing non-Tesla owners in more countries to access its charging network.

First limited to The Netherlands, Norway and France, the trial program now allows non-Tesla electric vehicle owners in the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, Belgium and Austria to use the Superchargers – all through Tesla's smartphone app.

Strangely, German residents are also included in the pilot program, but only when travelling abroad – with EV owners unable to access the Tesla Superchargers within their own country.

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Photo from PlugShare

Tesla says it intends to open its entire network to other brands in the future, believing it will lead to wider adoption of EVs and will allow the industry to thrive.

"It’s always been our ambition to open the Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs, and by doing so, encourage more drivers to go electric," the manufacturer said.

"More customers using the Supercharger network enables faster expansion. Our goal is to learn and iterate quickly, while continuing to aggressively expand the network, so we can eventually welcome both Tesla and non-Tesla drivers at every Supercharger worldwide.

"We’re starting with a select number of sites so that we can review the experience, monitor congestion and assess feedback before expanding. Future sites will only be opened to non-Tesla vehicles if there is available capacity."

At present, Tesla's Australian network boasts 48 Superchargers with more planned to become operational in the future, although it is limited to its own vehicles, with the Model 3 leading in the EV sales charts after recording more than 12,000 local deliveries last year.