To tap billions in U.S. subsidies, Tesla must unlock EV chargers

Supercharger dominance

Tesla’s U.S. supercharger network is often held up as the gold standard: fast, reliable, and plentiful, with about 40,000 chargers worldwide.

But for years, the network has been exclusive to Tesla owners, thanks to a plug that connects only to Tesla cars, meaning someone driving a Volkswagen, Ford, or Chevy vehicle wouldn’t be able to use it.

Tesla drivers can purchase an adapter to connect with the U.S. standard “Combined Charging System” or CCS chargers but people who don’t own a Tesla can’t do the same with superchargers.

Opening up its networks could grow a funding and revenue stream for Tesla, but could erode the brand’s exclusivity and make it challenging for the automaker to manage the network, analysts say.

“It’s definitely a balance for them: how much potential federal subsidies for expanding their network versus maintaining that competitive advantage on charging,” Chris Harto, a Senior Policy Analyst at Consumer Reports said.

The Department of Transportation next week will detail final requirements that all EV chargers must meet to be eligible for funding under the $7.5 billion effort to electrify highways and interstates across the nation. Those requirements will also touch on cybersecurity and how much and what parts of the charger must be made in America.

Chargers seeking to become part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program must utilize a combined charging system, or CCS, the standard in the U.S. on nearly all charging stations except Tesla’s popular superchargers.

The move to finalize so-called ‘minimum standards’ by the administration is expected to unlock the first wave of funding and set off fierce competition among companies such as ChargePoint Holdings and EVgo Inc. For these small companies, it represents a generational opportunity.

Any charger that wants to be eligible for federal dollars will have to meet the CCS standard once the rules are finalized next week, administration officials told Reuters.

Last year, Tesla offered up another idea. In its letter to the FHA, the company proposed that its superchargers should qualify for rebates if they are co-located with CCS chargers that work with competitors.

An administration official told Reuters that request was not seriously considered.