Non-Tesla EV Supercharging Goes Full-Scale In China
The Chinese non-Tesla electric vehicle pilot program launched in April and now it’s going full-scale with hundreds of sites available to other EVs.
According to Tesla’s Weibo post, the number of Supercharging sites available to non-Tesla EVs increased to over 350 (compared to just 10 in April), while the number of destination charging sites increased to over 260 (up from 25-37 in the previous months).
That’s still only a fraction of the total number of more than 1,800 Supercharging sites (over 11,000 individual stalls) and more than 700 destination charging stations (over 2,000 points), but it’s a substantial boost.
The thing that makes the opening of the network relatively easy is that all EVs in China are compatible with the local GB/T standards (two charging inlets with one for AC and one for DC). While Tesla and non-Tesla EVs use the same plug, there still might be an issue with the V3 charging cable being too short for some EVs.
According to CnEVPost, prices at Tesla Superchargers are dynamic and vary from site to site. Additionally, they are slightly higher in the case of non-Tesla EVs (just like in Europe), which is explained by a higher cost to accommodate other EVs (access is possible through the Tesla App).
It’s worth noting that not all models are allowed to use Superchargers (only 38 cars from 30 brands), but this number is expected to gradually increase.
One of the most interesting things is that the Tesla Supercharging network is becoming very attractive to other brands.
We recently reported about the agreement between Tesla and the SAIC-GM joint venture (between SAIC and General Motors), which will not only enable all SAIC-GM electric cars to access the Superchargers but also to integrate the network into the on-board navigation system and apps.
More recently, a similar agreement was announced also by Polestar (via CnEVPost), which is engaged in building its own charging network too (it currently operates 60 stations). Through various roaming partnerships, Polestar EVs have access to more than 550,000 third-party charging points in China.
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