What to expect for Tesla's Supercharger network now that the team is dismantled

Tesla's Superchargers dominate EV charging in North America. But CEO Elon Musk just laid off the entire Supercharging team and now its future is uncertain.

May 14, 2024 - 21:08

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What to expect for Tesla's Supercharger network now that the team is dismantled

The future of Tesla Supercharging is uncertain following CEO Elon Musk's disbanding of the Supercharging team as part of a broader restructuring. The roughly 500 layoffs included senior director of EV charging Rebecca Tinucci and Daniel Ho, director of vehicle programs.

Musk's abrupt decision has raised concerns about the future of Tesla's EV charging system, which has grown to be one of the largest EV charging networks in the world, with more than 55,000 charging ports, according to the company.

"I would describe the Supercharger network as one of the crown jewels of Tesla," said Andres Pinter, co-CEO of Bullet EV Charging Solutions. "Instead of doing victory laps and building the Supercharger network and reaping the benefits of this asset, suddenly there's this pause."

Bloomberg reported on Monday that Tesla has started hiring back some of the laid-off employees in the group, citing people familiar with the matter.

It's been a difficult stretch for Tesla, as the EV maker grapples with market pressures and heightened competition in the sector.

Tesla formed a partnership with Ford Motor, General Motors and others last year, opening up some of the Supercharging network to non-Tesla drivers.

Musk said in a post that Tesla still plans to grow the Supercharger network, just at a slower pace. He also said it will invest $500 million in a network expansion and create thousands of new chargers this year. Still, experts question how the recent cuts will affect the overall EV charging landscape.

"We have really relied on Tesla's leadership here in North America," said Matt Teske, the founder and CEO of Chargeway. "I think to all of a sudden have the sensation of that leadership seemingly paused or stopped or halted, it brings into question, where do we go from here and who will step up?"

As Tesla navigates its next steps, stakeholders and EV buyers are waiting to see how the decision will affect not just the charging landscape but also the broader adoption of electric cars.

Watch the video for the full story and to learn how the cuts might shape the future of electric car charging and possibly impact Tesla's position in the market. Tesla didn't respond to a request for a comment.