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Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk said the company plans to spend more than $500 million to expand its charging network, just days after mass layoffs hit the EV maker’s Supercharger unit.
On a tweet on X on Friday morning, Musk said: “Just to reiterate: Tesla will spend well over $500 million expanding our Supercharger network to create thousands of NEW chargers this year. This is only for new sites and expansions, not counting operational costs, which are much higher.”
The news comes after Musk and Tesla fired almost the entire Supercharger organization last week with the executive saying on X that the network will grow “at a slower pace” to new locations.
Pras Subramanian, Senior Auto Reporter at Yahoo Finance reports:
Automakers such as GM, Ford, Kia, Polestar, Stellantis, Honda and others have signed up to access the Supercharger network and incorporate Tesla’s NACS plug input into their future vehicles, under the promise that the Supercharger network would continue to grow steadily . rhythm.
Tesla was likely getting an earful from its NACS partners, questioning what exactly they were getting after signing deals to access the Supercharger network.
FILE – A vehicle charges at a Tesla Supercharger station in Detroit, Nov. 16, 2022. Elon Musk’s decision to fire the department responsible for Tesla’s electric vehicle charging network has sparked concerns in the auto industry about plans to open the chargers for EVs made by other automakers. Several leaders of Tesla’s Supercharger team posted messages on social media saying they were informed on Monday, April 29, 2024, that the entire group of about 500 people had been eliminated by CEO Musk. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Additionally, contractors and others working with Tesla on existing Supercharger projects have been getting your emails bounced no feedback on what to do next. Tesla also apparently backed out of leases on four future Supercharger locations in New York, by EV blog Electrek.
Charging network provider EVgo told Yahoo Finance that it was “actively engaged” in developing the NACS network and was adding more locations to take advantage of Tesla’s decision to pull back on its expansion.
EVgo competitor Blink Charging is also poised to seize the opportunity by claiming potential Supercharger customers contacted Blink on future orders after Tesla’s move.
Even oil and gas stalwarts like BP are cozying up to Tesla. With its BP Pulse charging network, the company said this “We are aggressively seeking to acquire real estate to expand our network, which is an increased focus following Tesla’s recent announcement.”
The company’s top executive is even telling rejected Tesla partners to call him.
“If there are any lost real estate partners who are looking for someone to call, they should feel free to pick up the phone and call me or look me up on LinkedIn,” Sujay Sharma, CEO of BP Pulse Americas told Bloomberg.