Tesla has joined the French roaming platform, Gireve, allowing it to partner with other e-mobility service providers connected to the platform. Tesla’s first partner on the platform is Chargemap. Chargemap’s users can therefore use their Chargemap pass to charge at a Tesla Supercharger location.
This is the latest in a continued series of initiatives by Tesla in opening its charging network to non-Tesla EV users in parallel with enabling Tesla EV users to charge at non-Tesla EV charging stations.
This particular development, however, is not as seamless as it sounds. Firstly, this is currently limited to France, though its expected will soon be extended to the rest of Europe. Secondly, to start one of the Tesla chargers, users are still required to download the Tesla app (in addition to the Chargemap app). Finally, charging sessions via Chargemap will be billed at the same rate as Tesla’s own app (at least in the introductory phase).
Whilst inclusion of Tesla and its facilities across common platforms are likely a welcome initiative for the EV ecosystem, the customer journey in this case is still complex and the user experience inconvenient. It will be interesting to see how both evolve over time.
SAR Insight & Consulting sizes, forecasts and analyses the global EV charging station market in its EV Charging Service.
