Tesla announces Supercharger prices and availability for other electric cars but warns of a slower experience
Tesla used Investor Day to announce the opening of its Supercharger network to other electric vehicles in the US. "Select" Tesla Superchargers and Destination chargers, mainly in the New York area, have been equipped with combined NACS/CCS connectors which are simply a Tesla one docked onto a CCS adapter.
The Tesla Charging department instructions video details how non-Tesla owners can charge their Rivian, Chevy Bolt, or any other electric vehicle using its newfangled "Magic Dock" Superchargers. One simply needs to download the Tesla app and go to the "Charge your Non-Tesla" section in order to lock the NACS connector to the CCS adapter and then plug the whole kit in.
Tesla warns that the time to start charging may take up to two minutes to validate the request which would slow down the experience for non-Tesla owners. Given that Tesla's Supercharger network is the most extensive and widespread one in the US, however, owners of other EV brands would probably gladly deal with the inconvenience. Unfortunately, there might be some parking controversies at Superchargers compared to what Tesla owners are used as other EV brands have different charging port placements.
Needless to say, Tesla asks its new charging network clients to create an account in the app and add a payment method, while the price per kWh would depend on the time and the place. One Chevy Bolt owner hooked up to a Magic Dock and Tesla charged them US$1.47 for 3 kWh of power, which is not all that different from the pricing for its own cars. A few months back Tesla itself leaked a monthly Supercharger subscription service for other EVs which would probably bring the prices down further when the rollout is complete.
The Chevy Bolt, however, had to take two spots because its port is at the front left side, which could present a challenge in the future. Perhaps as a carryover from the European app, Tesla warns to try not to park diagonally and take more Supercharger spots than needed, but it remains to be seen how this advice will apply in practice in the US.
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