Tesla has opened up part of its Supercharger network to all electric car owners in a pilot scheme which is expected to lead to all its chargers being open to all within the next few years. 

As a trial, 10 stations in the Netherlands are now accessible to Dutch Non-Tesla drivers. They’ll have to download the latest version of the Tesla smartphone app to start and pay for the charge. 

​The move is controversial as the reliable and extensive Supercharger network is seen as a major selling point for Teslas. The company says it: “will be closely monitoring each site for congestion and listening to customers about their experiences.” 

As part of the announcement the company also said: “It’s always been our ambition to open the Supercharger network to Non-Tesla EVs, and by doing so, encourage more drivers to go electric. This move directly supports our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.

“More customers using the Supercharger network enables faster expansion. Our goal is to learn and iterate quickly, while continuing to aggressively expand the network, so we can eventually welcome both Tesla and Non-Tesla drivers at every Supercharger worldwide.” 

There are other sensible business reasons for the move however. It’s known that some government grants to support infrastructure and improve electricity supplies to remote locations will only be available to chargers which are open to all electric car owners. 

There are currently 6,000 Superchargers in Europe, including almost 800 in the UK.

Tesla says the move will supercharge Supercharger expansion