Tesla is disrespecting Ford owners

[Texas Dan]

A new Tesla Supercharger in north Amarillo, TX has just been activated. There are twelve chargers all rated at 250 kW. Not a single one of those chargers is available to our Lightnings.

As I mentioned in another thread, not a single one of many 250 kW Superchargers in Mexico is available to our Lightnings. I’m starting to get the feeling that, if we don’t already have access to particular superchargers, we are not going to get access to them even if they are brand new. Forcing out non-Tesla charging is going to cost Tesla money so why would they do that?

I can think of many reasons based on what I’ve read about Tesla over the years. A few catch phrases come to mind; conservative reprisal, predatory business behavior, disrespect of anything non-Tesla. Don’t get me wrong, I very much appreciate being able to charge at the Superchargers I do have access to but Lightning owners should never expect to be treated as anything more than a red headed step child by Tesla.

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[TaxmanHog]

Is it possible the design and hardware acquisition plan for the stations you're citing were before Magic Dock came about? How long were these stations on the state bureaucratic agenda in TX

I have nothing to say about international matters, Mexico has its own agenda.

BTW, please keep the political charged labels to a minimum

 

[Maxx]

By opening up superchargers, Tesla was damaging their sales number. They tried to curb that by charging non-Tesla owners at a higher rate and limiting the number of chargers available. So understandably, we were never the favorite child to begin with.

Even if there was a plan to extend the cables and add more superchargers for us, I am not sure if they ever hired back all the supercharger team.

 

[RickLightning]

A new Tesla Supercharger in north Amarillo, TX has just been activated. There are twelve chargers all rated at 250 kW. Not a single one of those chargers is available to our Lightnings.

As I mentioned in another thread, not a single one of many 250 kW Superchargers in Mexico is available to our Lightnings. I’m starting to get the feeling that, if we don’t already have access to particular superchargers, we are not going to get access to them even if they are brand new. Forcing out non-Tesla charging is going to cost Tesla money so why would they do that?

I can think of many reasons based on what I’ve read about Tesla over the years. A few catch phrases come to mind; conservative reprisal, predatory business behavior, disrespect of anything non-Tesla. Don’t get me wrong, I very much appreciate being able to charge at the Superchargers I do have access to but Lightning owners should never expect to be treated as anything more than a red headed step child by Tesla.

Tesla has 3 SuperCharger locations in Amarillo. One is old, one is new, and the one 10 miles away is open to all vehicles with an adapter. And the one that is accessible is right on I-40, very convenient for travelers.

Second, you don't know that this location won't turn on for everyone soon. Maybe they're making sure it works good first. This location opened a day or two ago. Or, maybe they think it will be congested with lots of vehicles and don't want non-Teslas. Let's see what it says a month from now.

Lastly, you say "Lightning owners should never expect to be treated as anything more than a red headed step child by Tesla". You do realize that Ford has 3 EVs, right? And that Rivian is also authorized. And GM will soon be. And about a dozen other automakers. So thinking that Lightning owners are somehow being slighted makes no sense.

 

[TomB985]

I find the premise of this thread a bit silly. Tesla is disrespecting us by not letting us use all of their chargers?

Am I disrespecting the EV community by not letting everyone use my wall-mounted level 2 charger? Or is it my property that was installed for my personal use, so I’m entirely reasonable to not share it with the motoring public?

Business is complicated, and Tesla superchargers were funded by the sale of Tesla cars. A portion of every sale gets invested into that network, and we didn’t pay for that when we bought our Fords. To me, that justifies a higher non-Tesla rate, and I appreciate being able to buy my way into Tesla’s pricing for $13/mo.

Tesla isn’t opening their network out of the goodness of their hearts; there’s a mutual benefit that makes the transaction worthwhile for both parties. We get to use their equipment, and they earn revenue for its use. They have to balance that against the risk of a substandard experience for their customers who bought Teslas expecting a premium charging experience. If they think a Supercharger site would be overwhelmed by Ford, Rivian, and others, it’s a reasonable choice to keep us out to preserve the experience for their customers and preserve the competitive advantage of their car brand. Not a choice that any of us like, but it’s hardly disrespectful.

I bought my Lightning after Ford announced that we would be able to use Superchargers. I didn’t expect that we’d be able to use all of them, and I’m happy with the number of additional stations this opens up for us. There’s a new Supercharger in North Branch, MN that’s not open to us, which would have been useful for me. Their hardware, so their rules, and I just charge elsewhere when needed. I don’t feel upset about it.

 

[Jiji]

I try to think rationally so I could be in big trouble here, but I assume Tesla has to balance the marginal revenue gained by opening to other EV’s (just Ford and Rivian so far) with their own demand which is much higher.

It makes sense to me to not open it up if it’s relatively near a MagicDock or a NACS adapter SuperCharger. Makes sense to me not to open it up if the expected demand from Tesla owners is high so not to agitate their owners. Makes sense to me to open up along interstate corridors but not in urban centers where they might be swamped with ride sharing vehicles that aren’t Teslas.

 

[deserthi]

Just two weeks ago 12 new superchargers were opened on the east side of San Antonio right off the 10 freeway. They are all type 3 and I can charge my lightning there no problem. Oh, two the the superchargers have not been activated yet.

 

[Bigisland Guy]

Please remember that Tesla as well as many other Charge companies may be leasing the land and access to that land may have land owner stipulations. A privately owned parcel may put in chargers for the convenience of their tenants but not the general public. This is the case in our area in which Tesla chargers are only 1 mile from each other. One set is in a public mall and open to all brands while the other set is located near a residential commercial building and only open to Tesla. I understand that Tesla has its way of doing things but I'm just citing an example on a local issue.

 

[Texas Dan]

I very clearly remember how so many on this forum promoted Tesla Superchargers back when it was just talk even though they were warned that Tesla would play games and could not be trusted. Now people on this forum are making excuses for Tesla’s bad behavior. All I’m saying is that as long as we are dependent on Tesla for DCFC we should expect to be disappointed.

 

[BabyDoc1012]

I very clearly remember how so many on this forum promoted Tesla Superchargers back when it was just talk even though they were warned that Tesla would play games and could not be trusted. Now people on this forum are making excuses for Tesla’s bad behavior. All I’m saying is that as long as we are dependent on Tesla for DCFC we should expect to be disappointed.

We are absolutely not dependent upon Tesla for DCFC at all! We have to use an adapter to use their chargers, meaning we have another option in charging. Let’s face it ever DCFC network has its downside; bad locations, chargers being down, limited number of chargers at a site, not able to access all locations. We should remember that we are a guest on the Tesla network, they did not have to allow us access to them. It is a privilege to use their network, not a right.

 

[H8N-8NT-EZ]

I do not understand why some of you are acting like supercharger access is an entitlement. They are a private company who it seems is prioritizing their highest paying customers over everyone else. Do you also complain that season ticket holders to your local sports teams get priority access to parking passes? Tesla should prioritize their customers over us.

 

[RickLightning]

I very clearly remember how so many on this forum promoted Tesla Superchargers back when it was just talk even though they were warned that Tesla would play games and could not be trusted. Now people on this forum are making excuses for Tesla’s bad behavior. All I’m saying is that as long as we are dependent on Tesla for DCFC we should expect to be disappointed.

We got access to 15,300 SuperChargers. Electrify America has less than 5,000...

You are creating bad behavior, by saying that they're doing something wrong in not letting you charge at a 2 day old location, and you have zero idea if that's permanent or not, or the reasoning. And, a SuperCharger location 10 miles away you can use.

Yes, dependency at all on Elmo is a risk. Ford, GM, and the other dozen companies know this. Life goes on.

 

[Shawnson]

A new Tesla Supercharger in north Amarillo, TX has just been activated. There are twelve chargers all rated at 250 kW. Not a single one of those chargers is available to our Lightnings.

As I mentioned in another thread, not a single one of many 250 kW Superchargers in Mexico is available to our Lightnings. I’m starting to get the feeling that, if we don’t already have access to particular superchargers, we are not going to get access to them even if they are brand new. Forcing out non-Tesla charging is going to cost Tesla money so why would they do that?

I can think of many reasons based on what I’ve read about Tesla over the years. A few catch phrases come to mind; conservative reprisal, predatory business behavior, disrespect of anything non-Tesla. Don’t get me wrong, I very much appreciate being able to charge at the Superchargers I do have access to but Lightning owners should never expect to be treated as anything more than a red headed step child by Tesla.

I’m just going to put this out there, but this whole post sounds like entitlement gone too far. Don‘t turn inconvenience into a conspiracy. It doesn’t help anyone.

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

I've had zero problem with the opening of some Super Chargers to Fords. Every SC I've gone to is usually empty. Tesla was nice enough to remove the bollards (otherwise I'd not be able to get the Lightning close enough.) The Ford-supplied adapter connects (and disconnects) easily. And not a single button to press. Zero complaints.

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