It looks like Tesla may finally be getting some praise from the United States government. Well, privately at least.
As reported by InsideEVs, the Biden administration has been courting Elon Musk in hopes that Tesla will open up its supercharger charging network to electric vehicles from all brands. According to the report, multiple members of the administration have met with Musk to convince the Tesla CEO to do so.
According to Teslarati, Musk met John Podesta and Mitch Landrieu to talk about the potential for opening the network. There are still few verifiable details from the meeting, but The Washington Post reported that the Biden Administration hopes to convince Musk to allow other EV manufacturers access to the network, which is interesting since this could be seen as different than allowing individual EV owners access.
Tesla has already been talking for some time about opening its Supercharger network to all EVs, and it has already done so in some parts of the world, such as Norway and Sweden. However, such a move has yet to happen in the United States — something the Biden administration apparently wants to change.
Tesla’s Supercharger network is the largest and arguably most widespread and reliable DC fast charging network in the US with an estimated 1,700 stations. Other electric car manufacturers have started building out their own charging networks or partnering with electric charging providers, but Tesla still arguably maintains the lead when it comes to charging infrastructure.
According to the report, Tesla has not yet indicated if it will open the Supercharger network to other EV brands but, if it does, it could receive a cut of the $7.5 billion that the Biden administration has set aside to expand EV charging infrastructure in the country.
The news comes a couple of weeks before Elon Musk is set to unveil “Master Plan 3” at Tesla’s Investor Day on March 1st.
