Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk said that he would be "totally cool" with consumers plugging in electric vehicles made by rival car manufacturers into the company's Supercharger network.
Musk's comment, which he made to a group that was hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, reveals how Tesla Motors is not overly protective of the technology that the company has developed in the relatively young industry of electric cars.
In fact, Musk said that the company was already in discussions with rival companies regarding the usage of the rapid-charging stations for electric vehicles.
Tesla's Supercharger network, which is made up of 520 stations all over the country, allows owners of Tesla's electric cars to recharge their vehicles quickly. The technology in each Supercharger allows the Model S, for example, to fill up to an 80 percent charge within just 40 minutes and up to a full charge within just 75 minutes.
So for consumers that are not able to afford a high-end Tesla electric car and instead resort to cheaper alternatives by other automobile manufacturers, there is a possibility in the future that they will at the very least be able to experience charging up their vehicles like one from Tesla Motors through access to the Supercharger network.
The reason behind Musk's comments of possibly opening up Tesla's Supercharger network to electric cars made by rival companies is that the Tesla Motors CEO is keen on promoting the electric vehicle industry, as he is very heavily invested in the propagation of the technology.
Musk confirmed that a European company had already approached Tesla Motors regarding the possibility of having its electric cars use the Supercharger network. Musk added that for companies looking to gain access to the charging stations, they will have to pay a sum that is proportionate to how much the owners of their respective brands use the Superchargers.
Opening up Superchargers to owners of other brands of electric vehicles, however, goes against the contents of a letter sent out in the middle of August to the most frequent users of Superchargers. In the letter, Tesla Motors asked the frequent users to reduce the frequency and length of their visits to the Supercharger stations and to do most of their charging at home to improve the experience for all the owners of Tesla electric cars.
If Tesla Motors would allow even more cars to charge up in their stations, the result could be even longer queues for electric car owners looking to recharge their batteries.
