The Tesla Supercharger network has become one of the key pieces of the North American manufacturer, which has managed to deploy a global infrastructure that provides service to its customers, and also, recently, to cars of other brands. Now, Tesla has celebrated the opening of the 10,000 points in Europe with several challenges ahead.
One of the most important is the rise in electricity prices, which has triggered recharging prices at these previously uneconomic stations.
For example, at the end of 2021, we saw how Tesla raised prices in our country from just 0.29 euros per kWh to 0.36 euros. A cost that has subsequently been climbing non-stop to between 53 and 55 cents that we have in Spain. 82% more in just one year.
If you do not have a Tesla and stop to charge at one of its stations, then the bill is even higher since it costs 71 cents per kWh. Something that indicates that the American brand needs to work on this aspect if it does not want to be left off the hook against a competition that has managed to contain the increases somewhat. For example, the 0.45 euros per kWh from Endesa in ultra-fast charging, or the 0.55 euros from Zunder.
The point is that the price of electricity, which was already rising at the end of 2021, has suffered an explosion with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Something that has caused an increase due to the rise suffered by gas. But since then, the price has stabilized, and we have numbers in the wholesale market below even what we had in 2021 at this point.
For example, today, October 5, 2022, the MWh is with the adjustment mechanism, gas cap, at 283.86 euros, when on October 5 we were at 222 euros per MWh, reaching 296 euros per MWh on October 6. The moment when the cost of recharging in the Tesla network, as we remember, was still below 30 euro cents per kWh.
The other challenge to be overcome by Tesla is the strong concentration of stations in certain places, mainly those with the highest sales density, which makes other regions see large areas without coverage.
A strategy that prevents many customers from being able to move their vehicles comfortably in some parts of Europe, while in others it sees multiple Superchargers being accumulated in a small space.
There are also strange situations to be solved, such as the one experienced by our neighbors in Portugal, where Tesla has not opened a new station since 2020, and this despite having two lists to start operating but which do so for reasons related to the company. and their problems in meeting the country’s standards.
