Telsa has recently expanded their non-Tesla Supercharger pilot to Australia. This pilot will allow those driving EV’s that aren’t made by Tesla to use [some of] their network of chargers.
It’s a great win for current and prospective EV owners, where the availability of EV chargers still lags.
How to:
If you don’t own a Tesla, but drive another brands EV here is how you can use Tesla chargers:
- Download the Tesla app (version 4.2.3 or higher) for iOS or Android and create a Tesla Account.
- Select ‘Charge Your Non-Tesla’ and find your Supercharger site.
- Add your payment method, plug-in your car, select a stall and tap ‘Start Charging.’
- Select ‘Stop Charging’ to complete your session.
Note: If you also own a Tesla, go to your profile in your Tesla app and swipe to find ‘Charge Your Non-Tesla.’
Just like when you arrive to any other electric vehicle charger, there will be steps on how to connect to the specific charger you’re parked in.
CCS Only
A key thing to remember is that Tesla chargers only use the CCS style connector for charging. Tesla mentions:
“This pilot is only accessible for CCS-enabled vehicles. If a Supercharger post has two cables, non-Tesla cars can only charge with the CCS connector. Tesla is unable to accommodate vehicles that do not fully comply with CCS communication and safety protocols. If you encounter any issues while charging your vehicle, reach out to Tesla Customer Support or your vehicle manufacturer.”
If you’re unsure what connector your car is compatible with, best to check the manual!
Pricing
Using the Telsa charging network won’t be free, but pricing is easily found in the Tesla app. Pricing will vary between chargers. The two chargers currently available to non-Tesla vehicles are priced at $0.28 per kWh and $0.35 per kWh in Brisbane at least.
Unlike other charging networks like ChargeFox, Ampol AMPCharge, or Evie, Tesla will charge you idle fees if your vehicle has completed charging and is preventing another user from charging.
Current idle fees for Australia are $0.50 per minute or $1.00 per minute when the station is 100% occupied.
The Tesla Network
Currently, not every Tesla charger or Supercharger is available to non-Tesla owners, and the list is pretty underwhelming at this stage. Tesla tells users to find chargers using their app, and at time of publishing there are only two chargers available in South-East Queensland (there is a third, but it is a private Tesla charger on the Gold Coast).
The situation doesn’t improve if we look at public Tesla chargers in Sydney. In total, there is one in Mascot and another next door in Rosebury. Looking further out, there is also a location in Parramatta.
And it’s worth noting that none of the locations listed in the app are Tesla superchargers. The max charging speeds quoted are 22kW or 13kW in some instances. Interestingly, the same speed chargers were cheaper in Sydney compared to Brisbane.
Tesla does have a web page to find chargers, but it doesn’t show the same results as the app. View it here.
Is it worthwhile?
EV adoption is still at a earlyish-stage, with more and more brands introducing new models to their line ups. Unfortunately, chargers aren’t popping up as quickly, and so adding the ability to use even more chargers (even if a limited number for now) is welcomed.
Next time when we have an EV in the test garage, we’ll be sure to give the app a go and report back on the real-world experience. The pricing appears to be competitive to other charging networks, but in a lot of cases they are slower, which means more time spent waiting around.
How do Tesla owners feel?
Tesla investing in their own charging infrastructure has been a major competitive advantage, as their network is more mature and widely available. The handful of Tesla owners we spoke to were positive about the news, as this is a good thing for the long term. However, there was hesitation over the short-term impact with it causing higher utilisation rates at busy locations.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Read about the non-Tesla Supercharger pilot here.
Header Photo Credit: Blake Woodington
