Tesla Turns Down $6 million public funding for superchargers
Tesla may have raised $6 million from the state of California for its Supercharger network. However, the car manufacturer does not want to integrate the payment system, and its competitors do not require cash either.
Due to the lack of public charging infrastructure, DC fast charging networks currently receive sufficient funding in the United States. Tesla operates the largest and most reliable network and scales faster and more efficiently. Most stations are still reserved for Tesla owners only.
As Tesla opens up its Supercharger network to all-electric vehicle owners, the U.S. federal government is giving the electric carmaker a portion of $7 billion to expand public charging infrastructure for electric cars. To receive the funding, Tesla must agree to make DC fast charging stations available to owners of non-Tesla electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, for EV charging in rural areas, the California Energy Commission's Clean Transportation Program has raised an additional $6 million in federal funding for four virtual Supercharger stations with 420 charging points that will be made available to Tesla. To qualify for the funding, Tesla must meet certain "non-essential payment infrastructure requirements."
If you follow Space regularly, you've probably noticed that Tesla tends to do things its own way. The company rarely seems to take business from other companies, even if they have a bad reputation or lose support or funding.
In a letter to the California Clean Energy Commission from Jennifer Cohen, Tesla's director of business development and policy in California
"The (CEC) has been a great visionary in the expansion of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in California. Unfortunately, due to unnecessarily cumbersome payment infrastructure requirements, we are unable to utilize this award."
Tesla charges its Superchargers through a smartphone app. Your Supercharger has no screen, keyboard or credit card payment system. Some argue that the lack of such technology is why Tesla DC fast chargers are so reliable. Fewer working parts that fail over time.
California has asked Tesla to provide CCS connectivity to 50% of its charging stations. As part of a deal with the Biden administration, the company is already rolling out its new "Magic Dog" to allow non-Tesla owners to use its Superchargers.