For a long time, Superchargers were for Teslas only. At a growing number of sites, other brands can now charge there too. Whether it goes smoothly depends on the site, your app and your tariff.
Not every Supercharger is open
Tesla opens sites one by one, so you can’t assume the Supercharger near you works for your car. On the map you can see which sites you can use, and the page about Tesla has more detail. Whether a site is open can change over time, so check before you drive there.
What do you need?
- A car with a CCS inlet. That is the standard on almost all newer European EVs, see Type 2 and CCS connectors.
- The Tesla app on your phone, with an account and a payment method.
- A good mobile signal at the site. The app starts the session, and without signal you are left standing there with a cable in your hand.
You pay through the Tesla app. Whether you can also use a charging card from another provider varies, so don’t count on it. Curious how charging cards work in general? Read what an EV charging card is.
How to start a session
- Open the app before you drive to the site and check that it is open to your car.
- Park at a free charger, so the cable reaches your charging port easily.
- Pick the right charger in the app. The number is on the charger itself.
- Plug in and start the session in the app.
- End the session in the app when you are done, and only then unplug.
Is your charging port in a different spot from a Tesla’s? Check that the cable reaches before you park, and pick another charger or park differently if needed.
What does it cost?
The price per kWh for other brands is usually higher than for Tesla owners. Tesla sometimes offers a monthly membership that narrows the gap. Amounts and conditions change regularly, so check in the app what applies today before you start.
Whether a membership pays for itself is something you can work out yourself. Here is an example with made-up figures, just to show the method:
- Without membership a kWh costs 0.55 euro, with membership 0.45 euro. The difference is 0.10 euro per kWh.
- The membership costs 10 euro per month.
- You break even at 10 / 0.10 = 100 kWh per month.
- If your car uses 20 kWh per 100 km, that is 500 km per month at a Supercharger.
If you only charge at a Supercharger now and then, it won’t pay off. If you cover a lot of motorway miles, it might. In this example, simply plug in the real figures from the app. For more on what a session costs, read how much charging costs.
When is it a good idea?
Superchargers are often on busy routes and usually have many chargers side by side. On a long trip you are unlikely to have to wait. And if your favourite network is busy or broken, an open Supercharger is a handy fallback.
How fast your car really charges there depends on the car itself and on how full the battery is. An empty battery takes in much more power than an almost full one. You can read more in the article on the charging curve.
When is it not a good idea?
- When the site isn’t open to your car. You only find out in the app, so don’t wait until you arrive.
- When you have no signal and can’t use the app.
- When another fast charger nearby is cheaper and charges just as fast for your car. A Supercharger is not automatically the best price.
- When you only charge to 80% anyway and a slower, cheaper charger will do.
Before you leave
Install the app and set up your account and payment method at home, not at the charger with a low battery and a slow connection. Check the price before you start too: tariffs can change without you noticing. Other fast chargers on your route may have a better rate.