Not before time, Tesla is making its latest superchargers available in the UK to drivers of other makes of cars. It’s under no obligation to help out, but as the company admits, it’s been talking about opening up its network and not quite getting around to it since 2014. Now, after a trial with its V3 chargers last year, it’s opening a new V4 charging station in North London to all EV drivers as of today. The company claims the V4 machines can deliver 180 miles’ worth of charge in 15 minutes, which if true will shorten the sometimes unruly queues at charging stations where demand for non-Tesla charging points often far exceeds demand. Non-Tesla drivers will have to pay between 35 and 42 per cent more than Tesla ones depending on the time of day. According to zapmap.com there were more than 45,000 EV charging stations in the UK last month, up 40 per cent on July 2022. Tesla’s 1,100 superchargers account for a small fraction of that but they’re faster and more reliable than average. The company opened its network to others in the US in February and in Austria, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, France and Norway last year.
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