Tesla to allow competitor vehicles to use charging stations
Drivers of non-Tesla cars will now be able to charge their cars at Tesla charging stations.

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) plans to open its charging network to other vehicle brands later this year, which will mark a major turning point in the electric vehicle industry. If the move is successful, it will accelerate the spread of electric vehicles. The electric car maker controlled its sockets because it could because when it entered the market there were no incentives for those who built or operated charging stations. So Tesla designed its own sockets knowing that electricity is just as important as the electric car. In short, outlets were selling electric cars, and as long as other electric car makers like Nissan and Chevrolet didn't have them, consumers had more reason to buy a Tesla. However, with the advent of the Tesla parade fighters, there was a surge in competing EV charging networks such as EVgo and Electricity America. And while the Tesla charging network is one of the best compared to its competitors, it's not much better. Tesla has 1,176 fast charging stations in Canada and the United States, compared to 5,113 rival stations, the Department of Energy recently discovered. However, the Tesla stations are 20% larger and widely spread across the country. However, it looks like Tesla could ease the situation in Europe, where competition is fierce and subsidies for agnostic outlets are promised. Tesla currently controls 16% of the fast charging network in Europe, which is not surprising when you consider that most Tesla cars in Europe have general CCS charging ports rather than Tesla's own charging station. In the domestic market, competitors have cornered Tesla by partnering under interoperability agreements that allow customers to connect to any network. For example, Ford's hodgepodge called FordPass has 16,000 stations, including those operated by EVgo and Electrify America.





