For most of its existence, the Tesla Supercharger network was both the automaker's crown jewel and a walled garden. Tightly integrated to work only with Tesla electric vehicles, the DC fast-charging experience for Tesla customers was painless in ways that EV drivers dependent on CCS1 chargers operated by a patchwork of networks could only dream of. Then, in 2023, Tesla began opening up the network to other EVs. Ford was the first to sign a deal, and by the following year, the CCS1 plug, which was the de facto non-Tesla standard, was living on borrowed time.
But it's not just other automakers that are adopting the J3400 standard, better known as NACS. Manufacturers of DC fast charging equipment can also license Tesla's Supercharger design. In fact, the first license-built Superchargers were deployed in the UK in 2024. And today we learned that's what EVgo will be doing here in the US. It says it will start deploying EVgo-made Tesla V4 Superchargers onto its network later this fall.
The DC chargers can deliver up to 500 kW (operating at up to 1,000 V) and support both NACS and CCS1 plugs. And because they're Tesla Superchargers built under license, the EVgo units will appear in Tesla's in-car navigation app and be included when a Tesla driver uses their onboard route planner. The hardware will be owned and operated by EVgo, which will also "manage activities such as site host engagement, utility interconnection, and price management at EVgo Supercharger sites," the company told Ars.
