Tesla Charging Stations Now Open to All Electric Vehicles in California

FILE: A Tesla car is charged at a parking lot in San Mateo County, California, on Dec. 13, 2023. Tesla’s network of charging stations in California is now open to non-Tesla electric vehicles, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom
Li Jianguo/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

Tesla’s network of charging stations in California is now open to non-Tesla electric vehicles,  Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted in a Saturday post on social media. The governor said the move brings the total number of public charging stations in the state to more than 105,000. Newsom said that figure includes 10,000 fast-charging stations, which can add substantial power to an electric battery in just a few minutes. 

The expansion comes amid California’s attempt to shift drivers away from cars that run on gasoline, a fossil fuel. In 2020, Newsom signed an executive order that will phase out the sale of new gas-powered cars and smaller trucks in California by 2035.

“California dominates in this space,” Newsom said in a video accompanying Saturday's announcement. “We want to maintain that leadership, maintain that dominance, as we transition from dirty tailpipes to a low-carbon, green-growth future.”

A charger station dashboard operated by the California Energy Commission shows that there are 2,416 electric vehicle charging stations in San Francisco County. Of those, 1,045 are public while the other 1,371 are "shared private," which means they are only accessible to certain drivers.

Tesla did not reply to SFGATE's question regarding how many charging stations it operates in California by publication time.
In the video, Newsom said that electric vehicles now comprise 25% of new vehicle purchases in the state. In a news release from Newsom’s office, the governor said that Saturday’s announcement means there is now one electric vehicle fast-charging station for every five gas stations in California. Some non-Tesla EVs will need an adapter to use Tesla charging stations.

Earlier this year, the California Energy Commission approved a four-year, $1.9 billion plan that will help pay for 40,000 additional charging stations in the state. The agency said that combined with previous spending plans and funding from the federal government, the latest funding means Californians can expect to see 250,000 public charging stations sometime in the next few years.

Written by Alec Regimbal for SF Gate