Tesla allowed electric car drivers in the UK to charge for free for a whole day to mark the 10th anniversary of its Supercharger network in Europe.
The one-day promotion was open not only to just Tesla owners, but owners of all EV. The firm’s Supercharger devices were free to use from 08:00 to 23:59 BST on Tuesday 29 August. The last charging sessions had to begin by 22:59 at the latest.
It formed part of Tesla’s Electric Summer celebrations and marks 10 years since the first Tesla Supercharger opened in Europe. Tesla said the move is “a token of appreciation to the Tesla community who has contributed to making the Supercharger network the largest, most reliable and one of the best fast charging networks in Europe”.
For other EV owners, Tesla added: “this is a great opportunity to test the network and greatly expand their charging options as over 70% of the network is now open to all EVs in Europe and the Middle East.”
The European network was inaugurated on 19 August 2013 in Norway and since then has expanded to include 36 countries and 13,000 individual chargers.
> Polestar to switch to Tesla’s EV charging standard
Last week, Tesla launched its latest-generation V4 Supercharger in the UK, and this will eventually open up Tesla sites across the UK to EVs from all brands.
It features a three-metre-long cable that can supply power at rates of up to 250kW for EVs with a CCS (Combined Charging System) connection, activated either by contactless card payment or via the Tesla smartphone app. Prices are set at 50p per kWh.
While other charging firms have already introduced faster chargers, for instance Gridserve’s 350kW High Power unit, a Tesla spokesperson told Autocar the V4 was “futureproof”, thanks to over-the-air software-update functionality, and that faster rates could be offered in the future.
The V4 features a more discreet design than Tesla’s previous-generation V3 charger. The design with a large aperture, which has been a Tesla staple for three generations of chargers, has been replaced by a solid box.
As of November 2021, the European Supercharger network started to accept EVs from other brands, with 15 individual locations in the UK currently taking part in a pilot scheme allowing all EVs to use the network.
In recent times, Tesla has been lobbying inthe United States for its own proprietary charging standard, called the North American Charging Standard (NACS) port.
> Ford EVs can use Tesla’s Superchargers from next year
In May, we reported that in a Twitter Spaces call between Ford boss Jim Farley and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, it was revealed that Ford EV drivers could start using Tesla Superchargers with an adapter from early next year, and from 2025, the next generation of Ford’s electric cars will come equipped already with the charging standard.
Others started following suit, including EV giants like General Motors, Volvo and Rivian. And in July, Swedish automotive brand Polestar became the latest to join in, announcing that its drivers will be able to use the Tesla Superchargers in North America with the help of an adapter, while there are also rumours that Polestar 4 and 5 could come equipped to make use of the American proprietary chargers right from the start.
