Tesla’s biggest modern edge: the Supercharger network

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a42438754/supercharger-elon-musk-biggest-coup-aint-rockets/

by hirundo • 3 years ago

8 3 3 years ago

"Now [the Supercharger network] the linchpin of their brand and their competitive moat against other automakers."

This is a very American perspective. The North American EV market is about a third the size of the European EV market. Europe standardised on CCS Type 2 Combo and all brands of EV can charge on all chargers, no nonsense with incompatible plugs and protocols.

Here's an American car reviewer charging an EV in Europe and wishing America was the same:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C37-YJOuEhI

Here's a BMW charging on a Tesla charger as Nature intended:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y33AArvMUQ

North America's incompatible charging infrastructure is a profoundly stupid outcome and only serves to make EVs worse than ICE vehicles.

America is still good at innovation but has forgotten how to do implementation.

But ask the short sellers: Whether the plan is to dominate global EVs or refill batteries, it rarely pays to bet against Musk.

Eh, lately it's paid well to bet against Musk. With the 70% fall in Tesla's stock price short sellers have profited:

https://news.yahoo.com/short-sellers-15-billion-betting-0844...

bartvk• 3 years ago

I was disappointed that the article started with a map of the USA, but "the Supercharger network] the linchpin of their brand" is not solely an American perspective.

I recently took a trip from The Netherlands to Spain. I could pick a Tesla or a Hyundai Kona for the trip. I was very happy to have taken a Tesla. It was completely and utterly painless due to the Superchargers. For shits and giggles, I tried five other (non-Tesla) chargers: two worked, two did not work and one was extremely busy.

If any of my fellow Europeans ask, I'd recommend them a Tesla if they can afford it.

clouddrover2• 3 years ago

A lot of those Tesla charging sites are open to all EVs. All Tesla charging sites in the Netherlands, for example, are open to all brands.

Enter the trip you took in A Better Routeplanner (https://abetterrouteplanner.com) using the Hyundai Kona 64 kWh as your car. It will likely include Tesla charging sites in the route plan. Probably some of the same sites you used.

I tried planning a route from Amsterdam to Madrid with the Kona on A Better Routeplanner. I configured it to prefer Tesla chargers over other sites. All but one of the charging stops used Tesla for charging.

Tesla’s biggest modern edge: the Supercharger network

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