As the finishing touches are put on Giga Berlin, officials in Germany are asking Tesla to open up the Supercharger network to other automakers.
The request was made by the Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer. In an interview with Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (NOZ), Scheuer said he has been in direct contact with Tesla over the matter.
“I am in direct contact with manufacturers like Tesla to ensure that the existing infrastructure, for example, Tesla Supercharger, is also opened for other manufacturers.”
Although it is easier to open the Supercharger network to other automakers in Europe as Tesla cars come with a CCS charging port, and not Tesla’s proprietary port used in North America, there is still the issue of how other EV owners would pay for their Supercharging sessions.
Scheuer suggests this is an obstacle that can be overcome by creating a smartphone app that handles payment. This will allow owners to plug in and go about their business while charging, which in Germany apparently involves typically eating currywurst.
“Then you can relax and get a real or vegan currywurst while the charging process is in progress, and then it goes on,’ said Scheuer.
Opening up the Supercharger network to other EV owners in Europe has actually already happened. Last year there was a bug that allowed drivers of EVs such as the VW eGolf and Renault Zoe to plug in and charge for free. That bug was quickly fixed within a week.
Source: ecomento.de
