Tesla announced last week the expansion of the Non-Tesla Supercharger Pilot program outside of Europe for the very first time. The program now includes Australia.
That's the 16th market where non-Tesla EVs (with CCS compatibility) can use select Tesla Supercharging stations since the program was launched in November 2021.
In the case of Australia, the company starts with only five stations (all in New South Wales), which is about a tenth of the entire network. The stations are located in Narooma, Hollydene, Tamworth, Dubbo and Bathurst, offering up to 120 kW of power (V2 chargers).
The launch of the program was easily possible in Australia because just like in Europe, the country is using the CCS Combo 2 (CCS2) charging connector for fast charging (all new Tesla cars are natively compatible with this plug). To initiate charging, non-Tesla EV drivers must use the Tesla app.
According to Drive.com.au prices (AUD) are as follows:
- Tesla EVs: $0.58 to $0.70 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) depending on the location
- non-Tesla EVs: $0.79/kWh or $0.66/kWh with a $9.99/month subscription
The full list of markets included in the pilot program:
- Australia
- France
- The Netherlands
- Norway
- UK
- Spain
- Sweden
- Belgium
- Austria
- Denmark
- Finland
- Germany
- Luxembourg
- Switzerland
- Iceland
- Italy (added in November 2022)
Tesla is expected to continue the expansion of the program around the world in all markets that signed-up for the CCS2 charging connector (especially in Europe).
Things are more complex in North America (and a few other markets, like South Korea), where the CCS1 connector is used by most manufacturers and charging networks, while Tesla uses its own proprietary charging connector, recently named by the manufacturer the North American Charging Standard (NACS). To solve the issue, the company is expected to add some kind of adapter for CCS1 inlets in other EVs - called the "Magic Dock".
In Japan, which opts for CHAdeMO, Tesla will probably continue to use its own standard, while in China the company uses GB/T connectors (one for AC and one for DC charging), compatible with local requirements.
