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Elon Musk Wants To Open Tesla Supercharger Stations To All Electric Cars

Giuseppe Macri Tech Editor
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Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk wants to share the technology behind the fastest, free electric car chargers on the market with the rest of the industry.

During last week’s investors meeting the entrepreneur teased that he was thinking about doing something “fairly controversial” with the company’s patents, a decision he recently revealed at the UK launch of the right-hand-drive Model S.

Musk said he would be willing to release Tesla’s designs in order to establish a standard for interchangeable use across the country, and allow competing manufacturers to reap the benefits of Tesla’s already established cross-country network of Superchargers.

However, the founder indicated there would be stipulations along with such permission. Any companies interested in charger integration would have to agree to Tesla’s free power business model, in which the cost of Supercharger and electricity use is built into the car’s initial price.

Tesla partners would also have to contribute to the maintenance costs of Superchargers, though Musk said they were cheap. Many pay no rental charges for their locations at all, and are seen as a boon to surrounding businesses while captive user audiences wait on the average 20-minute charge time to replenish half a battery.

At last week’s meeting Musk said he was surprised more manufacturers had yet to heavily invest in the electric auto market, and this latest move could help Musk and the industry as a whole establish a secure infrastructure for future electric vehicle growth.

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Tags : tesla
Giuseppe Macri