Tesla's Supercharger network is one of Elon Musk's biggest advantages in competing with Ford, Mercedes, Audi, and others in the EV field. Because Tesla was an early entrant in the electric vehicle race, it needed to aggressively build its own Supercharger network to entice people to buy.

However, Tesla has not been willing to let other EV makers use its supercharger network, which could hinder overall EV adoption.

Now, in Norway, Tesla appears to be changing its attitude about its Supercharger monopoly: according to parliamentary minutes from Vestland County, Norway, obtained by Electrek, Tesla is willing to extend its Supercharger network to other They are open to expanding the Supercharger network to other EVs in exchange for financial incentives. However, this openness has not yet been communicated to the US.

In order for Tesla to receive government incentives in Norway, Supercharger must be made available to the entire general public. Currently, Tesla wants to build five Supercharger stations in Vestland County.

"According to the Vestland County meeting minutes translated by Google Translate, in the application Tesla explains that the associated charging stations will be available to the public starting in the third quarter of 2022." The administration believes that the charging stations for which benefits have been applied for will then be covered by the program, provided that the benefits are paid after Tesla begins offering charging to all car brands by the end of September 2022 at the latest."

However, Norway is willing to revoke those benefits if Tesla does not fulfill its commitment to make superchargers available to all vehicles.

"The administration recommends that the Västland County Municipality note that the benefits can be revoked if the conditions are not fulfilled."

The Norwegian government has also recommended that the Tesla Supercharger program be revoked.

This is not the first time Tesla has offered the Supercharger network as an option for other EVs. German Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said he is in such negotiations with Tesla.

"I am in direct contact with manufacturers like Tesla to ensure that existing infrastructure, for example Tesla's Supercharger, is open to other manufacturers," Scheuer said in an interview with the German newspaper Osnabrücker Zeitung.

Nevertheless, as Electrek pointed out, Tesla uses the CCS standard for charging, which facilitates universal charging on the European Supercharger network. To this Musk responded, "It's modest, but it's happening. Tesla's Superchargers are available to other electric vehicles as well."

He added, "We have a lot of other electric vehicles that can use Tesla's Superchargers as well.

Currently, Tesla has over 25,000 Superchargers with over 2,700 stations worldwide. In contrast, Electrify America has 500 stations.

Given Tesla's initial investment in the Supercharger network, it is not at all surprising that the company would want government incentives to offset its initial costs. Like gas stations, EV charging stations must be universal, or the headache of purchasing an electric vehicle will not be worth it for many buyers. If the U.S. is going to lead the way in the future of EVs, it will need chargers that are compatible with all electric vehicles.