Tesla has announced that is now adding third-party fast charging stations to its in-car navigation in Europe and Israel. Not all stations will be added however as the automaker has set up some strict rules so that the experience is as smooth for owners as it is when using Supercharger stations.
Tesla’s Supercharger network in Europe is different than what is found in North America as Tesla uses the CCS connector, instead of their formerly proprietary connector, which is now open source and called the North American Charging Standard (NACS).
Since Tesla went with the CCS connector they are able to more easily test things out in Europe as all EVs in the region use the same connector. They did this with the Non-Tesla Supercharger Pilot Program, which opened up the network to owners of other EVs.
There is also an advantage for owners as they can easily visit third-party fast chargers without the need for an adapter. The only drawback is they would either have to know where the charging station is, or use a third-party mobile app to find it.
Now Tesla owners can use their in-car navigation to find and navigate (and precondition their battery) to a third-party fast charging station, just like they can with Superchargers.
According to Tesla they will only add a third-party fast charging station to their navigation system when it has proven to be frequently and reliably used by their owners. For a station to be added it must meet the following criteria over a 60 day period:
- At least one compatible charging connector
- Frequently used by Tesla drivers at least once every four days
- Average charge success rate is 90% or higher
If a station is successful in being added, it must still maintain a high level of operability. Tesla will continue to monitor the station and it will be removed if during a 14 day period it either has no charging sessions detected, or if the average charge success rate dips below 70%.
Hopefully we see this program expanded to North America soon, as Tesla’s in-car navigation is as easy as it gets when searching for Supercharger locations. Having the ability to see third-party fast charging stations on your screen would make it even better, especially in areas of Canada and the US where there is a lack of Supercharger stations.
