When Tesla got massive buy-in from automakers in the United States to use the North American Charging Standard (NACS), effectively giving the vast majority of future electric vehicle models access to Tesla Superchargers, some of us wondered if Tesla would open Supercharger access to EVs in other countries.
Of course, the opening up of Superchargers to non-Teslas actually started in Europe. Tesla started trialling this at selected stations a couple of years ago. It seems the reason for this was to qualify for subsidies and, more importantly, government permission to install Superchargers in various locations in Europe. The opening up of Superchargers in Europe was one thing. It seemed targeted and small, limited in scope. But the story in the US, where most carmakers are now planning to design EVs with the NACS charging port as standard, is something else. (Note also that Tesla uses a conventional CCS port in Europe, but its original, unique NACS port in the US).
But why would Tesla open up access to Superchargers in other places? In Europe and the US there was a clear motive. In South Korea, I’m not sure.
Two things come to mind. One is that maybe South Korea is also implementing policies that incentivise open charging standards and charging stations. The other is what I’ve been thinking about ever since NACS came out and carmaker after carmaker adopted it. Tesla could end up with a semi-monopoly on good, fast charging in many places – and there’s a lot of money to be made from a semi-monopoly!
In just about every country where I’ve read about people travelling in EVs, they’ve criticised the unreliable, problematic fast chargers. Tesla’s Superchargers often stand out for their reliability, abundance and ease of use. If Tesla Supercharger use grows and spreads at this time, it seems likely that Tesla could come to dominate the EV fast-charging scene and also attract more new buyers. Of course, a monopoly would risk being broken up or heavily regulated. But in a semi-monopoly – one where there are other options, but they’re not used much because they’re not comparable – a company could make a healthy profit. Is profit what’s driving Tesla to expand Supercharger access in South Korea? Who knows? But let’s keep an eye on this development. Which countries could be next?
