In May 2022 Tesla introduced a scheme to allow non-Tesla drivers use of Superchargers at 15 locations around the UK, providing 158 charging bays. This is great news for EV owners that do not drive a Tesla, as most of the Supercharger locations are on major routes and at each site there are lots of charging bays available.
The eagle eyed among you may have seen that there are now more Superchargers available for this scheme. This has not been officially released by Tesla, but there are now another 7 locations in England and Wales offering a further 81 charging bays to the public. While this is obviously good news, there are still a few things you should be aware of before charging at a Tesla Supercharger.
Download The App
To use and find out where you can charge your non-Tesla vehicle you first need to download the Tesla App, this can be easily found in the App Store and is the official Tesla app with the red logo. Once downloaded you simply have to tap on ‘Charge Your Non-Tesla’ and you will be taken to a map. When you are at your chosen Supercharger location you will need to park in the best way to make use the relatively short cable that is attached to the charger. The bays are designed for Teslas which have their charging ports on the back passenger side of the vehicle, so you may have to get creative with your parking. Then you need to Plug your vehicle in before using the App to select the post (bay)number you are parked at. Press ‘Get Started’ and you will be taken to a payment page. It can take around 2 minutes for charging to commence so its good to keep an eye on this to ensure that there are no problems. To stop, simply press ’Stop Charge’ on the App and return the cable.
CCS Only
Tesla Superchargers only offer CCS plugs to Charge non-Tesla vehicles so this unfortunately does exclude EV models without a CCS connector. There are reports that some owners of the EV6 and Ioniq 5 have experienced compatibility issues when using the V3 model of Supercharger. Hopefully, these issue will soon be ironed out.
Idle Charge
It is Electric Vehicle etiquette to leave the charging bay as soon as the EV is fully charged, however we all know as EV owners that this doesn’t always happen. So Tesla charge vehicles an additional fee if you do not disconnect after your vehicle has finished charging. You do have a grace period of 5 minutes, so if you are stuck in a queue for coffee then you will be able to get your caffeine fix before being charged the idle fee. Currently, this fee is charged at 50p per minute if 50% or more of the Supercharger bays are full, or £1 per minute if all the bays are full when your EV has finished charging. You can view the rates here – https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/support/supercharger-idle-fee
Cost For Members / Visitors
The cost of using a Tesla Supercharger will vary from site to site, so it’s always worth checking on the App to see how much it will be before you commit. However if you think that you’ll be using the Supercharger regularly and you do a lot of millage then it may be worth becoming a Tesla member and taking advantage of a reduced rate for a monthly fee.
More non-Tesla Supercharger locations are likely to become available, so it’s always worth keeping an eye of the App to check on new developments.
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