Government To Pay Tesla To Open Up EV Chargers To Everyone

In a recently announced agreement with the White House, Tesla is agreeing to open up some of its Supercharger and Destination Charger network to non-Tesla vehicles. It's part of the federal government's efforts to grow the nation's electric vehicle charging infrastructure. (Other EV infrastructure announcements were also made alongside the Tesla announcement and you can read those in the White House statement here.)

Tesla Will Open Portion Of Charging Network 

As for Tesla, the White House says the automaker has agreed make at least 7,500 chargers available for all EVs by the end of 2024. This will include at least 3,500 new and existing 250 kW Superchargers along highway corridors to expand freedom of travel for all EVs, and Level 2 Destination Charging at locations like hotels and restaurants in urban and rural locations.  Chargers will be distributed across the U.S. and all EV drivers will be able to access them via the Tesla app or website. The government says that additionally Tesla will more than double its full nationwide network of Superchargers, manufactured in Buffalo, New York.  

Why Is Tesla Opening Them Now?

Researchers at iSeeCars say the move by Tesla comes as a response to government incentives aimed at growing the U.S. EV charging grid to at least 500,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations nationwide by 2030.   (That's roughly three times the number that currently exist, which is about 150,000 chargers, including Tesla's Supercharger network.) The government has earmarked $7.5 billion in funding for the EV charging infrastructure but for companies to get access to it, chargers must work for more than one automaker.

What Does It Mean For The EV Network?

Overall, iSeeCars says approximately 116,000 non-Tesla EV charging stations (plugs) exist in the U.S. right now but less than 10 percent are Level 3 fast chargers like Tesla's Superchargers. While the Tesla deal does improve things and could more than double the Level 3 charger count for all electric drivers, iSeeCars says Tesla is only offering a small percent of its network and suggests that rural states would greatly benefit from full access to the Tesla charging network. Researchers estimate that at the rate EV sales are growing in the U.S.,  the Tesla announcement this will have "minimal impact on fast charging access when those 3,500 stations are added by late 2024."

EV Fast Charger Share By Network

Here's a look at the charging infrastructure offered by Tesla and non-Tesla chargers. According to the data, more than half of Tesla's chargers are Level 3 Superchargers. iSeeCars suggests that if Tesla would to open up all its chargers, it would double the number of nationwide fast chargers.  Currently Tesla's 3,500 Level 3 chargers commitment is about 20 percent of its fast-charging network.

States with Most/Fewest EV Non-Tesla Chargers

Now here's a look at the states with the fewest and the most non-Tesla Level 2 chargers per a million residents.  iSeeCars notes that while California has the most EV chargers in the U.S., Vermont has the most chargers relative to its population. And given the state’s far smaller land mass,  iSeeCars says its likely much easier to access the current public charging network in Vermont versus California. Conversely, states like Mississippi, Louisiana, South Dakota, Kentucky, and Indiana offer far fewer chargers per capita.

*Excludes chargers from the Tesla network 

*Excludes chargers from the Tesla network

What About All The Level 2 Chargers Out There?

Simply put, Level 2 chargers just aren't fast enough to be of practical use in the middle of the day while running erraads and such. iSeeCars says the 104,000 Level 2 stations in the U.S. "useless for the average electric vehicle driver looking for a refueling experience comparable to that of gasoline vehicles."

More Study Data

Which States Have the Most and Fewest Tesla Fast Chargers? Click here for the iSeeCars data. →

Which Top 10 States Would Gain the Most Fast Chargers if Tesla Opened its Entire Network? Click here for the iSeeCars data. →

Photo Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.