Tesla's Supercharging Station Just Became Very Busy

It's a strange sight: a Ford F-150 Lightning truck and a Mustang Mach-E crossover lined up in front of a Tesla Supercharger, perched on the familiar red-and-white pillars. After years of driving a Model 3 and only greeting other Teslas at our charging stations, I can't quite get used to the visual. However, I have to do it because a new phase in electric vehicle charging has arrived.

Tesla has done so since they turned their proprietary plug-in into an open standard and invited other automakers to adopt it. One company after another pledged to adopt the rebranded North American charging standard (which has since been given the technical name J3400) instead of the technology they had been using, which would allow their EV customers to use Tesla's larger, more reliable fast chargers server network.

This week, Ford was the first company to go all-in on Tesla plugs, gaining access to a network of Superchargers. Approximately 15,000 Tesla chargers will be compatible with Ford electric vehicles and will appear on the vehicle's infotainment screen as part of the BlueOval charging network. The Detroit giant is helping its early adopters by offering free adapters that typically cost more than $200, at least for now. (Future Fords will be built with NACS plugs, no dongle required). As more brands follow Ford's lead, we'll see the use of Superchargers change the charging dynamic in the U.S. in a number of ways.

First, buying a non-Tesla electric car becomes more attractive. Loren McDonald, chief executive of analytics website EVAdoption, said horror stories about third-party chargers being vandalized or lacking adequate plugs have dissuaded many drivers on the fence from using electric vehicles. When he asked his brother-in-law, who is no stranger to electric vehicles, about switching to electric vehicles, his response was: So if I were on a road trip in Idaho, I heard there was no place to charge. What if my battery is dead? "I think it was a real eye-opener for me," he said.

Tesla, meanwhile, has maintained a sales advantage thanks to closed channels at its Superchargers. Many buyers, myself included, buy a Tesla over another electric car because its network is large, fast, and reliable, which makes it possible to use an electric car as your primary or only car. Once Ford electric cars (or Rivians, Chevys, or Hyundais) can also use the Tesla network, those cars suddenly become a more viable option. Just check Tesla's updated website to see all the Supercharger locations that are suddenly open to other cars equipped with NACS plugs.

For Tesla drivers like me, giving up our exclusivity can be annoying; I'm sure I grunted under my breath the first time I waited for my F-150 to finish charging. But if expanding plug access gives more people the confidence to use an electric car, then that will certainly be good for electrification as a whole.

Of course, Tesla isn't opening up its network out of the goodness of its heart. Even as the company loses its dominant market share in electric vehicles, its victory in the charging standards war means Elon Musk's company gains new customers who will pay Tesla for electricity. Ford, for example, sells more than 70,000 electric vehicles in 2023, and this week they all became potential Supercharger users. With NACS successfully becoming the industry standard, we're talking about millions of cars around the world ready to buy Tesla.

These new customers may also pay additional fees. Electrek reports that Tesla is charging Ford drivers a 30% premium per kilowatt-hour. Ford owners can get around that fee by purchasing a $12.99 monthly Supercharger subscription, which will allow them to pay the same kilowatt-hour price as Tesla drivers. Of course, this model incentivizes these drivers to subscribe indefinitely and maximize their investment by choosing as many Superchargers as possible.

Fortunately, the new pricing model could benefit those who don't want to pay for yet another subscription. Ford's electric drivers get along just fine with almost all their charging at home or at a charging station operated by Electrify America or EVgo. Then, if they need a little juice in a place where there's just a Tesla Supercharger, they can pay extra and move on.

On the other hand, Tesla's new power in the charging market means it could also go in the other direction - for example, launching a price war as it has done in the electric car market, which has limited the power of traditional automakers such as Ford in the electric vehicle field. Profitability. Once again, Tesla's competitors could be in trouble.