Tesla has confirmed that Supercharger locations in Ireland will now be accessible to all electric car users. In a statement, the American electric car maker has said that: "Tesla is announcing that over 50 per cent of its Supercharger network in Ireland is opening up to Non-Tesla vehicles. Launched in November 2021, the Non-Tesla Supercharger programme is expanding to Ireland in support of Tesla's mission to accelerate the Irish transition to sustainable energy. Today, selected stations in Ireland are being opened to non-Tesla owners across Dublin, Cork, Athenry, Enfield and Tralee."
18 Supercharging points
Those five locations will include 18 individual Supercharger connections, which can charge at speeds of up to 250kW, so this move will dramatically increase the number of available high-speed chargers in Ireland.
The move comes following several pilot projects across the EU and the US, which has seen Tesla open up the once-exclusive Supercharger network to other electric car users. The company says that: "Access to an extensive, convenient and reliable fast-charging network is critical for large-scale EV adoption. Since opening the first Superchargers in 2012 Tesla have been committed to rapid expansion of the network."
Monthly membership
Non-Tesla owners who wish to use Superchargers will first have to get the Tesla mobile phone app, and create an account. Supercharger costs vary through the day, according to usage, from 57c per kWh to 64c per kWh at peak times. You can defray some of that cost, if you're a regular user, by taking out a monthly Supercharging Membership, which costs €12.99 per month, but which reduces the cost of charging to 42c per kWh off-peak, or 46.7c per kWh at peak times.
There are other costs of which to be aware, though. If you leave your car on the charger beyond its charging time, then you'll have to pay an extra 50c per minute, or €1 per minute if all of the other Supercharging points at that location are occupied. Those charges apply to both Tesla and non-Tesla vehicles.
11 million kilometres this year
In a statement, Tesla Ireland said: "Five locations and 18 individual Superchargers are opening up in Ireland to Non-Tesla vehicles, part of a wider network of 50 Supercharger stalls across nine locations in Ireland. Superchargers are designed and built by Tesla, charging up to 275km in 15 minutes rather than hours. Since the beginning of 2023, Tesla owners have Supercharged over 11 million kilometres in Ireland, offsetting 2.4 million kilograms of CO2."
Update
Some hours after the initial release of information, Tesla seemed to backtrack on its original story. CompleteCar has been told that: “there is a mistake in the below Tesla Update. There are just two sites that have been opened to Non-Tesla vehicles in Ireland. These are Athenry which has a total of eight stalls and Enfield which has six stalls.” It is unclear if the earlier information revealed a plan that will be enacted at a later date or if the two sites now named will be the only non-Tesla sites in Ireland. CompleteCar has contacted Tesla for clarification and we will update this story as we get more info.