Tesla's Supercharger network is a visible public exhibit dispersed over the world, demonstrating the company's commitment to its customers. The DC fast-charging stations are proprietary, so they can't be used by other electric vehicles, as handy as they are for Model S, Model 3, and Model Y owners. Non-Tesla EV drivers can utilise the company's lower-power Level 2 Destination Charging stations, although they take far longer than Supercharging. That's why it's exciting to learn that this paradigm is set to evolve in a way that will make it easier for non-Teslas to use the Supercharger network, at least in some places.
Tesla and the Norwegian government are negotiating a requirement that all Supercharger stations developed or under construction with public financing be accessible to all electric vehicle drivers. The Norwegian government has agreed to open a small number of publicly sponsored Superchargers to other EVs by the third quarter of 2022 in order to qualify for a charging station subsidy. The Norwegian government has spent millions on encouraging EV sales and infrastructure over the last decade-plus.
Tesla's website includes more than 100 Supercharger stations in Norway that are either operational or will be operational soon, and the business has over 2500 stations worldwide with more than 25,000 Superchargers.
Tesla has submitted an application to expand five fast-charging stations. Tesla's charging facilities are currently limited to Tesla vehicles. The infrastructure is then solely available to a specific group and not to the wider public. Tesla states in the application that the appropriate charging stations will be publicly available starting in the third quarter of 2022. The administration believes that the charging stations for which benefits have been requested will be eligible for the programme, as long as the benefits are handed out when Tesla opens its charging offer to all car brands no later than September 30, 2022.
It's not just the proprietary connector that makes it difficult for non-Tesla EVs to use a Supercharger. Since both the station and the car are made by the same company, the two devices talk to each other in order to manage charging and payment. There are no screens or credit card readers on Superchargers for non-Tesla drivers to input their payment information.
It's not simply the proprietary connector that makes using a Supercharger difficult for non-Tesla EVs. Because the station and the car are both manufactured by the same manufacturer, the two devices communicate to coordinate charging and payment. On Superchargers, there are no screens or credit card readers for non-Tesla drivers to enter their payment information.
Back in December 2020, the Tesla Technoking, Elon Musk tweeted about expanding the Superchargers to other EV brands when questioned by Twitter user Marques Brownlee on the issue.
Norway is a success story with the adoption of electric vehicles. This is mainly due to a substantial incentives developed by the Norwegian government to promote zero-emission vehicles into the local market. Norway set a national goal that all new cars sold by 2025 should be zero-emission (electric or hydrogen).
Norway had over 330k registered battery electric vehicles by the end of last year making up 54% of the market share. The speed of the transition to EVs is credited to policy instruments and incentives.
The present government has chosen to extend the zero-emission vehicle incentive programme until the end of 2021. Incentives will be updated and changed in line with market developments after 2021. The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) has authorised a VAT exemption for zero-emission automobiles in Norway until the end of 2022.
While Norway's policy initiatives (such as tax breaks, toll exemptions, and other incentives) were highly effective in promoting electric vehicles, the Norwegian model is difficult to replicate in other nations. The government levies high vehicle import charges and registration fees, making automobiles substantially more expensive than in the United States. By exempting electric vehicles from these tariffs, Norway is effectively subsidising EV purchases at a level that a larger country like the United States could not afford.
