Tesla’s Charging Station Adaptation

By Volodymyr Shevchuk @ Adobe Stock

In nature, species survive by adapting to their surroundings. The same is true in business. To expand its influence in the market for EVs, Tesla has allowed electric vehicles from other automakers to use its network of charging stations with the help of adapters. At The Wall Street Journal, Joanna Stern explains her experience charging up her Ford Mach-E at a Tesla station.

She reports:

Last week, I witnessed two small miracles:

1. My Ford Mustang Mach-E charged at 10 different Tesla Superchargers with few technical issues.
2. Not a single Tesla owner threatened to slash my tires for taking up a spot. I even made a friend.

It’s a watershed moment in the EV industry. The Mach-E and Ford F-150 Lightning are now able to charge at over 15,000 Tesla TSLA -3.93%decrease; red down pointing triangle Supercharger spots in the U.S. and Canada. They just need a new charger attachment and an in-car software update. This move more than doubles these drivers’ access to public fast-charging spots. That range anxiety you hear about? Leave it at the gas pump.

Ford F -1.26%decrease; red down pointing triangle is first, though General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, Volkswagen and others have also partnered with Tesla. Let’s just hope Tesla owners are ready for the company.

For us non-Tesla drivers, DC fast chargers can mean out-of-order signs, payment troubles and connection issues, as my extensive (and exhausting) research has shown. Now that I’ve tested my Mach-E at Superchargers in my home state of New Jersey, I can report that this partnership is a remedy to the headaches many of us recent EV adopters have felt.

Is it a perfect solution, lugging around some chunky dongle so you can charge your computer on wheels at a station designed for other people’s vehicles? Certainly not. And does this power play further solidify Tesla boss Elon Musk’s dominance over the U.S. charging infrastructure? Probably.

Read more here.