Tesla is to allow drivers of other brands of electric vehicles to use its Supercharger network from later this year, bringing access to thousands more charge points globally.

Tesla’s Supercharger network has more than 25,000 chargers globally

The announcement was made earlier this week by CEO Elon Musk in a tweet.

Musk said: “We created our own connector, as there was no standard back then and Tesla was only maker of long-range electric cars.

“It’s one fairly slim connector for both low and high-power charging. That said, we’re making our Supercharger network open to other EVs later this year.”

And when asked which markets, he subsequently replied: “Over time, all countries.”

It means drivers will be able to access more than 25,000 chargers globally, of which around 600 are in the UK.

Details of how this would work and billing/charges have not been announced.

While widely greeted by drivers of rival EV brands, the announcement has been slammed by existing Tesla drivers on Twitter.

Some replies saw people express concerns about the Supercharger network being blocked by drivers of other make EVs, in particular those whose EVs don’t support such high rates of charging.

According to some, this would lead to the Tesla network becoming “jammed and inaccessible”, especially due to its higher reliability compared to other networks. New What Car? research published today (22 July) found the Tesla has been rated the best UK public charging provider, rated very highly for reliability but also for charging speed, ease of payment and value for money.

Other Tesla aficionados said it would lead to the network losing its exclusivity – which had been a key factor in their decision to buy a Tesla.

Latest Q2 updates from Tesla reveal that the carmaker achieved a new milestone of installing more than 700 Supercharger bays across 80 sites in Europe in a single quarter. In the UK, it’s added 70 new charge points in Q2, including expansion at its Nottingham and Bristol Cribbs Causeway sites, along with new sites), Rugby, Flint, Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Trentham and Trumpington.