Tesla is charging ahead in one crucial area for EV owners. And it isn't range.
Once again, Tesla has confirmed that it is the undisputed leader in the all-electric vehicle market and the charging network. The EV carmaker now has 45,000 Supercharging stalls globally, up from 35,000 only last June. There are now around 17,000 Superchargers in the US alone. To compare, Volkswagen Group-owned Electrify America aims to have over 10,000 individual charging stalls in the US and Canada combined by 2026.
What's the secret to Tesla's success? Simple: it had no choice. Prior to launching the Model S back in 2012, there was no established charging network anywhere. Its Supercharger network was created out of necessity. Tesla could not rely on third-party companies to accomplish this, and because charging technology was brand new at the time, it made sense for the automaker to develop the network itself. The time and money spent have paid off big time. Rivals continue to play catch up.
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Tesla quietly opened its network to other brands earlier this year, aiming to have around 7,500 stalls compatible with non-Teslas by the end of 2024. According to Electrek, Tesla is now supplying 1.5 million Supercharging sessions weekly which will continue to climb throughout the year. More stations are required because Tesla vehicles continue to sell at rapid rates.
Late last week, the company announced it was slashing prices again for its entire lineup. And, supposedly, the Cybertruck will finally begin production in Texas this year.
But being first to market brings yet another advantage: know-how.
While Electrify America continues to experience problems with its chargers – most recently when a Rivian R1T became bricked while attempting to charge at an EA station in California – Tesla has managed to reduce Supercharging time per session.
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Another nifty accomplishment is the integration of battery preconditioning into a Tesla's really cool trip planner. This allows the vehicle to prepare the battery pack for charging ahead of time when the driver enters the Supercharger location in the vehicle's navigation system. Above all, the Tesla Supercharging network and the stalls have proven to be reliable, something that's crucial for any owner traveling longer distances.
Some Tesla rivals have told CarBuzz and the media in general that most of their EV customers charge their vehicles at home overnight. That's all fine and good for daily driving around time but not for cross-country road trips.
Tesla's network has forced rivals to innovate, such as Ford developing a prototype robotic charging station that drivers can operate with their smartphones. But the name of the game is a large, accessible, and functional charging network. For now and in the foreseeable future, Tesla is the only company to make that happen.
Keyword: Tesla Still Has One Thing No Other EV Maker Can Match