As you may have heard, Tesla is finally opening up its vast Supercharger network to other automakers. Last month Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced a deal with Ford that would give the Blue Oval’s electric vehicles full access to the US and Canadian Supercharger network.
Just days after the partnership with Ford was announced, General Motors also got in on the act and agreed to a similar deal with Tesla. Hence all Ford and GM electric vehicles in the US and Canada will be able to use Tesla Superchargers from early 2024 onwards.
Crucially, this means Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging connector will now be used by other manufacturers. For GM and Ford’s North American vehicles, the Combined Charging System (CCS1) setup will have to be phased out. Current owners will make do with adapters, but future purchasers will get the NACS charging inlet as standard.
For Tesla, the main incentive for opening up its network is of course financial gain. But how much will Tesla actually make from letting other manufacturers use its chargers? While exact revenue projections have been kept under wraps, analysts at Piper Sandler believe Tesla could make a hefty $3 billion by 2030. Total charging revenue from non-Tesla owners will rise to approximately $5.4 billion by 2032, per the Piper Sandler report.
Given Tesla’s annual revenue was $81.4 billion last year, an extra $3 billion over 6 years may not seem like a lot. That said it’s still a significant amount, and fostering positive relations with Ford and GM could help Tesla in the long term. It will be interesting to see if any other automakers join forces with Tesla. Undoubtedly, not having access to an additional 12,000 chargers is a major disincentive for any EV purchaser.
