Tesla opens EV chargers for non-Tesla electric cars in Australia
Tesla is opening up its electric car chargers to other EV brands in Australia for the first time – but there’s a catch
- Non-Tesla EVs can now be charged at five Tesla stations
- The selected Supercharger stations are all located in NSW
- Charging your non-Tesla electric vehicle at a Tesla station will cost more
Tesla has opened a handful of charging stations for EVs from other automakers in Australia – but it will cost more.
The US electric car and energy company announced on Tuesday that all electric cars could be charged at five of its stations across NSW.
The selected Superchargers are located 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 five of its charging stations across NSW to EVs from other manufacturers (pictured a Supercharger in Brisbane).
The US electric car and energy company is understood to be planning to open more charging stations for other electric vehicles across Australia in the future (pictured a charging station at The Star Casino in Sydney).
The price of charging a non-Tesla vehicle at a Tesla station is a whopping 79 cents per kilowatt hour.
For comparison: It costs between 58 and 70 cents per kilowatt hour to charge Tesla cars in the same supercharger.
If non-Tesla owners buy a charging membership, which costs $10 a month, the fee drops to 66 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Owners of other vehicles must also ensure that they have a CCS fast charging socket.
Another issue is that Tesla stations use short cords that fit the charging port that’s on the back left of Teslas.
If an electric vehicle from another manufacturer has its connector on the right, it must park in a different bay and use the charging cable in the bay next to it.
Non-Tesla EV owners will be charged an additional fee for using Tesla Superchargers, their vehicles need a CCS fast charging socket and rear left charging port for convenience, as suggested by TikTok user and SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock (pictured ) described.
Tesla has pushed to expand its non-Tesla Supercharger pilot to new locations.
The company has been providing superchargers for non-Tesla electric vehicles since late 2021 and is launching the program in several European countries.
Since then, the company has added new superchargers for non-Tesla vehicles in the UK and Australia.
It comes after it was revealed that the Tesla Model 3 has been crowned Australia’s favorite mid-size sedan for 2022.
The electric car overthrew the Toyota Camry in sales. Tesla sold 10,877 Model 3s last year, compared to 9,538 sales of the Toyota Camry.
It’s a major blow to Toyota after Elon Musk’s brand ousted the Camry from 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 with 10,877 Model 3s sold, surpassing the veteran Toyota Camry in 2022
Tesla’s total sales of 19,584 vehicles accounted for nearly two-thirds of all electric cars sold across Australia.
A total of 33,410 new full battery electric vehicles were sold in Australia in 2022, accounting for 3.1 percent of new vehicle sales.
Experts say state and federal tax refunds are helping Tesla’s sales surge as politicians aim to phase out fossil-fuel vehicles to combat climate change.
Tony Weber, executive director of the Federated Chamber of Automotive Industries, expects EV adoption 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 direction for future decarbonization of the light vehicle fleet,” he said.
