The updated charging stall has been spotted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Tesla has introduced the updated V4 Supercharger station in Europe, which will seemingly accept multiple payment methods for the first time. This will rectify one of the concerns with the Supercharger network being opened up to owners of non-Tesla EVs, as the current chargers automatically pair with Tesla models, and payment is handled on the infotainment screen. Such a connection wouldn't be possible for all brands, so a workaround is needed.
Unveiled at this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed, photos of the new charging stall were shared on Twitter. Based on the images, the V4 Supercharger has a credit card reader and a touch screen for entering pin codes.
That said, the updated charging station could benefit non-Tesla owners using the company's Superchargers. For the uninitiated, non-Tesla owners who want to use Tesla Superchargers must download the app, set up an account, and enter the necessary credit card information to start the process.
We have a few more photos to share.
We estimate the cable length is around 2.5m! pic.twitter.com/eGaFx853xu
— Tesla Owners UK ???? (@TeslaOwnersUK) July 16, 2023
Once an account has been set up, they will have to click on the “Charge Your Non-Tesla” tab, which should show stations accepting non-Tesla units. The process can be inconvenient, especially for users who won't regularly charge up at Tesla.
It is still unclear whether the updated charging stall will expand outside the UK. But considering a slew of automakers will be given access to 12,000 Supercharger networks in the US and Canada in 2024, Tesla could adopt a credit card reader for the convenience of future users.
This would be the complete opposite of the company's previous decision to walk away from the California Clean Energy Commission's (CEC) $6.4 million subsidiary last March. The subsidy requires publicly funded chargers to have “multiple point-of-sale methods.”
Ford, Rivian, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, and General Motors are some of the brands that will be given access to the charging network. As such, we would likely see EVs like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Rivian R1S, Volvo EX90, and Hummer EV using the superchargers from next year. By 2025, said brands plan to equip their EVs with Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector.
Other brands are also considering joining the fray, with some saying the decision will depend on what's best for their customers. If that happens, one can only hope more US Superchargers start accepting multiple payment methods, as shown in the updated V4 Supercharger.
Keyword: Tesla V4 Superchargers Resolve Payment Issues For Non-Tesla Owners