Tesla’s public Superchargers (in other words, the stations that are open to non-Tesla EVs) have been deemed as illegal in Germany. At face value, it’s hard to believe that EV charging stations could ever be considered nefarious; however, the lack of a kilowatt-hour counter on the charging units its reportedly to blame.
If you’ve been following the continued global expansion of Tesla’s Supercharger network, you know that in November of last year, the company launched a pilot program which opened up 10 Supercharger stations in Netherlands to non-Tesla EV owners. This was an exciting step, as communities around the world are working tirelessly to accelerate available EV infrastructure and promote the switch to electric.
Read more: Tesla adding CCS connectors to US Superchargers
Following the success of that initial pilot project, Tesla expanded it to more stations in Norway, France, all of the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, and Austria as well. In June, Tesla expanded the program further, this time including Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.
However, now that the Supercharger network is “partly public”, it faces different rules in certain markets — including Germany. This week, Handelsblatt reported that Tesla’s Superchargers are considered “illegal” because they don’t have a visible kWh counter at the stations and, therefore, don’t comply with calibration law in Germany. According to that law, each station (on both public and private premises) is required to have a meter that precisely measures the charged current. This is a problem for Tesla, as it has always relied on its mobile app to monitor charging sessions, and the stations are therefore not equipped with built-in screens.
Read more: In Netherlands, Tesla Superchargers are now open to all EVs
According to Thomas Weberpals, head of the Bavarian State Office for Weights and Measures, it is Tesla’s job to retrofit the stations, and the company is reportedly is working toward that. The government doesn’t plan to act on it right now. “The illegal operation is not hindered and not sanctioned,” he hared. “It was and is being worked toward a lawful state.”
There are a few other charging companies that are also in violation of this particular law, but Tesla is seemingly the most prominent offender.
