In a message on his social media site X, Elon Musk explained why he was breaking up Tesla’s supercharger team.
It was a surprise to us earlier today that Tesla was firing some important members of its Supercharger team. It was a small part of a larger plan to get rid of about 10% of the company’s employees.
Musk said that Tesla would still add more Superchargers, but it would take longer than before. The focus will now also be on “100% uptime and expansion of current locations:
Tesla still wants to add more Superchargers, but they will do so more slowly for new sites and with more focus on making sure all of their current locations are always online and growing.
Tesla still plans to grow the Supercharger network, just at a slower pace for new locations and more focus on 100% uptime and expansion of existing locations
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 30, 2024
Tesla recently let Rivian and Ford use its Superchargers, and soon, over 10 other big automakers will also be able to charge their cars at charging stations in North America.
Additionally, automakers have decided to use the NACS connector exclusively and will include the outlet on their cars starting in 2025 and continuing after that.
The timing seems very odd since a huge number of electric vehicles are now able to use the Supercharger Network, which will now be slowly growing.
A lot of Musk and Tesla fans on X are upset about the choice to handle it this way:
This is a goddamn disaster. Superchargers need to be Teslas second top growing sector outside of FSD.
— The Cybertruck Guy (@cybrtrkguy) April 30, 2024
Long-range travel that's EASY to any location is fundamental to the adoption of EVs in North America.
I can't easily visit my in-laws in Kansas without very specific planning.…
The move doesn’t seem like the best idea now that so many cars can connect to the Supercharger Network. Also, Hawaii and Alaska are two places that only have a few Tesla Superchargers, leaving drivers with few or no options for charging. In other rural places, getting to a Supercharger takes a long drive.
Of course, a lot of EV owners can charge their cars at home, but not everyone can.