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Tesla is losing its Supercharger advantage as rivals like GM and Mercedes build their own networks

Alexa St. John   

Tesla is losing its Supercharger advantage as rivals like GM and Mercedes build their own networks
  • Mercedes announced at CES this week its plans to launch a "high-power" EV charging network.
  • The announcement is an effort to replicate Tesla's Supercharger advantage.

Tesla could be losing its Supercharger advantage as more auto industry rivals set up their own networks of places to plug in.

The Supercharger network has long set Tesla apart from any competition, and largely still does. While drivers of other EVs have long depended on limited and often malfunctioning public charging, Tesla's website says it operates more than 40,000 stations worldwide, and until recently, the chargers could only be used with Tesla vehicles. (The company has since made plans to offer a membership for non-Tesla owners to use the plugs.)

That means Tesla has sat on a huge advantage, where prospective and current buyers of Elon Musk's vehicles know there is a more dependable network available just for them.

Now, other automakers are establishing their own plays in the charging space, given that lack of access to public charging stations is a barrier to widespread EV adoption. In a recent Deloitte 2023 global automotive consumer study, 46% of US respondents cited a lack of public charging infrastructure as a hurdle to their going electric.

This week at CES in Las Vegas, Mercedes announced it is launching its own version of Tesla's Supercharger network. With the network, Mercedes owners can reserve a plug ahead of time, taking the anxiety out of road trips. The station can communicate with the car to handle payment, reducing the need for credit cards or confusing apps.

Mercedes' network, which will include more than 10,000 chargers across North America, Europe, China, and other key markets, will be accessible for all automaker brands.

The company plans to start building the network this year in the US and Canada, and will target "key cities and urban population centers, close to major arteries, convenient retail and service destinations, including participating Mercedes-Benz dealership sites," according to a release Thursday.

Mercedes is targeting a network of 400 hubs with 2,500 chargers across North America by 2027. To tackle this, the automaker is working with solar energy and battery storage company MN8 Energy and charging giant ChargePoint. It says the North American investment alone will cost over $1.07 billion.

GM, meanwhile, is establishing an "Ultium Charge 360" charging network in North America. The Detroit automaker is racing to install 40,000 Level 2 chargers via a partnership with its dealers, who will select where in their local communities the plug would make the most sense.



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