Tesla is offering free charging on all electric vehicles today to celebrate its Supercharger anniversary in Europe.
The initiative has been introduced to celebrate 10 years since the opening of the first Supercharger station on the continent.
All EV owners – not just those with Teslas – can now charge their cars for free on 29 August, from 8am to the end of the day, though the latest owners can plug in tonight is at 10.59pm.
All EV owners can now charge their cars for free on 29 August, from 8am to the end of the day, note that charging must start by 10.59pm
The first European Supercharger station opened in Norway on 29 August 2013.
In the last decade, the network now extends across 36 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa with well over a thousand sites and 13,000 individual Superchargers.
Tesla claim that it’s the biggest ultra-fast charging network in Europe with over 9,200 Superchargers and 660 stations currently accepting all EVs.
The US car maker says the one-day-only free charging initiative is part of its ‘electric summer’ celebrations and a ‘token of appreciation to the Tesla community who has contributed to making the Supercharger network the largest, most reliable and one of the best fast charging networks in Europe’.
With the network of rapid charging devices open to drivers of all electric cars from different manufacturers, the brand describes it as ‘a great opportunity to test the network and greatly expand charging options as over 70 per cent of the network is now open to all EVs.
It comes just days after the group launched its latest V4 Supercharger in the UK, which is ‘built for all electric vehicles with CCS compatibility’.
The first V4 Supercharger is located at the Tesla Centre Tottenham and opened to the public last week.
It features a three metre charging cable and a contactless card payment terminal.
The company said: ‘These [V4 Superchargers] have been specifically designed to enable non-Tesla owners to enjoy the 99.5 per cent uptime and 250kW speeds of the Tesla Supercharger network’.
The first Tesla V4 Supercharger (pictured) is located at the Tesla Centre Tottenham and opened to the public on Friday
The new V4 Supercharger features a three metre charging cable and a contactless card payment terminal
James Court, chief executive of Electric Vehicles Association, said: ‘Tesla’s Supercharger network has been a point of envy for many EV owners across the UK.
‘We look forward to the rollout of these new V4 Superchargers designed for all EVs and the continued opening up of existing sites to all electric vehicles in the UK.
‘This is a great benefit to all EV drivers given their widespread coverage and reliability.’
Decarbonisation Minister Jesse Norman said: ‘Electric vehicles are a key part of the UK’s transition to a prosperous green economy.
‘I am delighted that Tesla are investing in EV charging and infrastructure that will benefit all EV drivers through its new public rapid charging hub.
‘The Government is making it easier than ever to own an electric vehicle, most recently by introducing new regulations to improve the ease of charging an EV, but it is private investment that will ultimately make the difference.’
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