Tesla has applied with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TECQ) to receive funding to install a number of Superchargers in the Lone Star State.
While the application itself is not unexpected, the rules around the program are in that it requires Tesla to also install either CHAdeMO or CCS connectors.
According to the filing discovered by u/mockingbird on Reddit, Tesla has applied to build at least 4 Supercharger stations, requesting funding amounts ranging from $375,973 to $500,000 for each project.
The project requirements state each application must include at least one CHAdeMO connector and one CCS connector if “alternative connectors” are also included.
Given that the CHAdeMO charging standard is being phased out, Tesla will likely opt for the CCS connectors at these Supercharger stations.
Tesla could end up installing Superchargers with dual connectors, their proprietary connector and CCS, like they do in Europe and other markets. Or somehow provide the upcoming CCS adapter at each station.
However, a more likely scenario involves Tesla partnering with a third-party charging network to provide the alternative connectors.
This is exactly what Tesla did to secure funding from Natural Resources Canada to build 14 Supercharger stations in BC, Alberta & Saskatchewan.
The rules under that program said that 75% of the chargers can be proprietary (e.g., Tesla), and the remaining 25% must be “universal”. Tesla partnered with FLO to provide the DC fast chargers at all of these stations, like this one in Salmon Arm.
Image via David Johnson /Facebook
