Tesla opens EV chargers for non-Tesla electric cars in Australia
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Tesla opens its electric car chargers to other EV brands in Australia for the first time, but there’s a catch
- Non-Tesla electric vehicles can now be charged at five Tesla stations
- Selected Supercharger stations are all located in NSW
- Charging your non-Tesla EV at a Tesla station will cost more
Tesla has opened a handful of charging stations in Australia for electric vehicles made by other carmakers, but it will cost more.
The US electric automotive and energy company made the announcement on Tuesday that all electric cars could be charged at five of its stations across New South Wales.
Selected Superchargers are in Narooma, Jerry’s Plains, Tamworth West, Dubbo and Bathurst.
Tesla is understood to have plans to open more stations to other vehicles across the country in the near future.
Tesla has opened up five of its charging stations in NSW to electric cars made by other manufacturers (a Supercharger in Brisbane pictured)
The US electric automotive and energy company is understood to have plans to open more charging stations for other electric vehicles across Australia in the future (a charging station at The Star Casino in Sydney pictured)
The price to charge a non-Tesla vehicle at a Tesla station will set you back a whopping 79 cents per kilowatt-hour.
For comparison, it costs 58 to 70 cents per kilowatt-hour to charge Tesla cars on the same Supercharger.
If non-Tesla owners purchase a charging membership, which costs $10 per month, the fee will drop to 66 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Owners of other vehicles will also need to make sure they have a CCS fast charging socket.
Another problem is that Tesla stations use short cables suitable for the charging port on the left rear of Teslas.
If a third-party electric vehicle has its port on the right, you’ll need to park in a different bay and use the charging cable in the adjoining bay.
Non-Tesla EV owners will be charged extra to use Tesla Superchargers, their vehicles will need a CCS fast-charge plug and left-rear charging port for convenience, as described by user of TikTok and SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock (pictured)
Tesla has been pushing to expand its non-Tesla Supercharger pilot to new locations.
The company has been providing superchargers for non-Tesla electric vehicles since late 2021, starting the program in several European countries.
Since then, it has added new superchargers for non-Tesla vehicles in the UK and Australia.
It comes after it was announced that the Tesla Model 3 has been crowned Australia’s most popular midsize sedan for 2022.
The electric car toppled the Toyota Camry in sales. Tesla sold 10,877 Model 3s last year, compared to 9,538 Toyota Camry sales.
It’s a significant blow for Toyota after Elon Musk’s brand knocked the Camry off the top spot after a 28-year reign as Australia’s best-selling sedan.
The Tesla Model 3 has become Australia’s most popular sedan, outselling the veteran Toyota Camry by 2022, with 10,877 Model 3s sold
Tesla’s total sales of 19,584 vehicles amounted to almost two-thirds of all electric cars sold in Australia.
In total, 33,410 new fully battery electric vehicles were sold in Australia in 2022, representing 3.1% of new car sales.
Experts say state and federal tax rebates are helping Tesla’s sales soar as politicians aim to phase out fossil fuel vehicles to tackle climate change.
The executive director of the Federated Chamber of Automotive Industries, Tony Weber, expects the adoption of electric vehicles to remain strong in 2023.
“This year is shaping up to be one of the most significant in recent history, particularly in terms of the development of policies that set the course for the future decarbonization of the light vehicle fleet,” he said.