Can You Charge A Chevy Bolt At A Tesla Station? Answered

In this article, I will explain “Can You Charge A Chevy Bolt At A Tesla Station?” We went to one of the 10 Superchargers that is enabled to give our small Chevy Bolt some Tesla power just hours after the news broke that Tesla officially enables other electric vehicle manufacturers to charge on its Supercharger network. Here’s what happened.

I was around 30 miles from the station in Brewster, New York, and regrettably, the Bolt was almost completely charged when the news broke.

That means that even after traveling quickly, I was still about 80% filled when I arrived at the station.

I would therefore be unable to experience the complete charging curve. Additionally, the charging station only had one other Tesla there. I could stop other potential users from utilizing the station without feeling horrible.

The Tesla has its driver-side charging port at the back, as opposed to the front of the Chevy Bolt.

That means that when I pull in, I have to pull into the spot further forward and that I’m essentially using two slots because I’m taking the spot right next to where a Tesla would charge. Since there was just one car there, as I already mentioned, I didn’t attempt the end chargers.

Can You Charge A Chevy Bolt At A Tesla Station?

Generally, no Tesla has a unique high-power connector for its superchargers and destination chargers incompatible with the Bolt. With a modest Tesla-supplied adaptor, a Bolt or a Tesla can be charged using a J-1772 level 2 charger.

Tesla Supercharger

TESLA SUPERCHARGER STATIONS DELIVER High-speed DC (or direct-current) charges to a Tesla’s battery.

They avoid using the car’s internal power supply for charging, enabling the Tesla to complete a 200-mile charge in as little as 15 minutes.

Tesla supercharging stations could only deliver a maximum of 150 kW per car when they were first released in 2012, and they could only charge two cars simultaneously.

Additionally, they were restricted to the Model S exclusively.

In 2017, five years after the initial release, Tesla unveiled a new range of more compact urban Superchargers.

Although this action reduced the Supercharger’s maximum power supply from 150 kW to 72 kW, it was still beneficial for Tesla owners who frequently traveled to and from urban areas.

The Superchargers will be able to be used by the Model 3, Model X, and Model Y by 2020.

The third generation of Superchargers was released a few years later, in 2019. These Superchargers, known as the V3, increased the maximum power supply from 72kW to 250kW.

This power surge can charge up to 15 miles per minute. These third-generation chargers, as opposed to the V1 and V2, give peak charging of 250kW whether multiple Teslas are charging or not.

Sharing The Supercharger Network

The issue of whether Tesla Superchargers are only available to Tesla EVs still has to be addressed. Even Tesla itself was not too keen on discussing it openly for a long time.

Since the launch and growth of the urban Superchargers in 2017, Tesla is reportedly discussing sharing the Supercharger network with other automakers.

Not to mention, Tesla has frequently permitted EVs of various kinds to charge at Tesla Superchargers, particularly during natural disasters.

Tesla did this as recently as February 2022, providing access to Superchargers for all types and sizes of EVs to people leaving Ukraine. It has never been made the norm, though.

It has always only been transient. Up until recently, that is.

Tesla started a limited trial operation in November 2021 that allowed non-Tesla EV drivers to use the Superchargers outside of the United States by downloading the Tesla app.

A few months later, in July 2022, Tesla declared that all non-Tesla EV drivers would get access to Superchargers by the end of the year. But who gains from this action by the brand?

Can GM EVs Charge At Tesla Superchargers?

GM EVs are now unable to charge at Tesla Superchargers. The strategy will change once Tesla formally allows non-Tesla EV drivers to use their Superchargers, but if you tried to charge your GM EV at a Tesla Supercharger right now, you’d be out of luck.

But GM is among the most recent EV producers to support the Plug and Charge initiative.

For non-Tesla EV drivers, Plug and Charge is essentially the Tesla Supercharger. Drivers need to plug in their car at the charging station, and the charger will quickly and effectively identify the vehicle and charge you appropriately. In June 2022, GM will be Plug and Charge compatible.

Can Ford EVs Charge At Tesla Superchargers?

Ford has stated that they are anticipating Tesla opening its chargers to non-Tesla EVs by the end of the year, even though Tesla Superchargers are now closed to Ford’s line of EVs.

Ford EV owners can charge up at any of the more than 75,000 BlueOval chargers. BlueOval offers a 150kW charge that gives little more than 50 miles in 10 minutes.

However, the specs are far from those of the Supercharger. For now, this will have to do for Ford EV users.

Can Hyundai EVs Charge At Tesla Superchargers?

Even before the Superchargers were announced, Hyundai EVs could charge at Tesla’s destination chargers. This is because Hyundai EVs have long-supported adapters.

Hyundai EV owners can buy charging adapters at Tesla destination chargers outside well-known destinations and locations globally, even though superchargers are Tesla exclusives.

Given this, it is clear that Hyundai EVs will be among the first in line for Tesla Superchargers in the latter half of 2022.

Can Nissan EVs Charge At Tesla Superchargers?

Nissan EVs are not currently compatible with Tesla Superchargers (although this will change if the Superchargers are unlocked for non-Tesla EVs) as of the time of this writing. Nissan EVs do, however, have a Supercharger of their own, known as the CHAdeMO.

The CHAdeMO fast charger is rare in the United States, where it competes directly with the industry-standard CCS (or Combined Charging System) utilized by most EV brands. Still, finding one is not impossible. (In light of access to Tesla Superchargers, Nissan has started to phase down the CHAdeMO in North America.)

Can Volkswagen EVs Charge At Tesla Superchargers?

Although Volkswagens cannot use Tesla Superchargers, VW EV drivers do not need to worry about skipping out on a quick charge.

That Volkswagen was the EV Company responsible for founding Electrify America, a nationwide network of over 730 fast-charging stations.

Volkswagen EV owners can charge their batteries at these Electrify America fast charging locations up to 80% in under 40 minutes.

What About The Tesla Supercharger’s Max Charge Rate?

One last thing to consider is how the Tesla Supercharger’s maximum power might affect specific EVs.

For example, if your particular brand of EV isn’t designed to manage the Supercharger’s output in the first place, what use is a Tesla Supercharger to it?

Finally, let’s take a quick look at the maximum charge rate offered by each manufacturer and how it stacks up against the Superchargers.

The highest charge rate for V3 Superchargers is 250kW, as was already mentioned. The maximum power that a GM EV can manage is 350kW.

The maximum at Ford is 150kW. The Hyundai model only has 75kW. Around Nissan? It’s 100kW. For Volkswagen, 125kW is the highest charge rate possible.

As you can see, these figures range widely, and none exactly corresponds to the maximum charging rate for the V3.

Expect a slower charge than you might be used to if you have rates higher than the Supercharger’s maximum rate.

Depending on how the manufacturers intend to proceed once the Superchargers are made available to everyone, those with rates below the maximum rate could not use the Tesla Supercharger.

How future adapters compensate for this kW discrepancy will be determined over time. Right now, all we can do is guess.

Conclusion

Here I will sum up all the above information related to Can You Charge A Chevy Bolt At A Tesla Station? According to S&P Global Mobility, there will be almost 17,000 Superchargers and Tesla destination chargers in the US as of January 2023.

Although the firm hasn’t disclosed where or how many Superchargers are now accessible to EVs other than Teslas, you may use the Tesla app to search any location for suitable stations.

By the end of 2024, Tesla has committed to opening at least 3,500 stations and 4,000 Level 2 charging stations to all-electric vehicles.

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