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BMW, Nissan and Tesla to Develop Universal Charging Network?
Now that Tesla has tentatively opened some of its intellectual properties (IP) to the competition and that we have some insight as to its motives, who else wants to benefit from this strategy?
Tesla welcomes the competition
Welcoming the competition might seem like a bold and dramatic move, but it is one Elon Musk has carefully planned. In the past articles, we visited what it means to open some of the company’s IP to the competition, and asked what does Tesla Motors mean by “good faith” use. We also saw this is a strategic move to once and for all cement Tesla’s role at the core of the electric vehicle (EV) industry. It also gives it a chance for its charging protocol to become a de facto standard.
BMW and Nissan
BMW has demonstrated a willingness to step into the 22nd Century, leaping over its local German competition. It has dabbled with the idea of selling directly, but is careful not to rock the boat. The matter of the fact is that BMW needs other carmakers more than Tesla does in terms of manufacturing. Case in point, its partnership with Toyota, which gives it more production capacity. BMW also gains much of a strategic alliance with Tesla.
Nissan is the next logical choice. Already at the forefront of EVs with its best selling Nissan LEAF, which stands for Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car, it built and sold more electric cars than any other company in history.
Tesla already announced last week that it had a meeting with BMW, who showed great interest. BMW is working hard to make its “ultimate driving” electric machines not only fun to drive, but feasible. And serious, BMW is. BMW bought its own carbon fiber manufacturing company and developed a sophisticated resign carbon fiber tub for its electric i3 and the stunning plug-in hybrid (PHEV) i8. I was fortunate to interview Benoit Jacobs, the head designer of the iDrive team, who revealed the gist was to have static air flow control with no electronics. Every curve and line are functional on both the i8 and i3, from the static upper windshield spoiler to the dramatic rear air diffusers. Benoit told me he wanted static aerodynamics, not electronic automation. One glance at the i8 and we can say they achieved something the Germans are not always known for, dramatic beauty. Now the real work rests on batteries and electronics, something Tesla does brilliantly.
The only problem BMW has, as well as an other recent EV I tested on CarNewsCafe is the (in)famous Combined Charging Standard (CCS) plug. CCS stations are far and few between compared to more readily available CHAdeMO, with more than 1,000 globally and the Superchargers, 100 globally. Nissan uses CHAdeMO and enjoys many more locations than CCS, but it, too, has never developed a charging network.
How come electric carmakers don’t build charging networks?
One of the many question we, journalists, ask EV makers is why they haven’t actively built a charging infrastructure like Tesla? There are many reasons, most about keeping their core competencies and ROI balanced for survival. Both BMW and Nissan would benefit tapping into Tesla’s technology and hopefully shift the power away from the idiotic charging standard war dividing manufacturers, leaving consumers to pay the price once more. If BMW and Nissan adopt Tesla’s charging protocol, the industry inexorably tilts toward a unified charging standard, leaving the CHAdeMO versus CCS battle a vestige of yesterday’s knuckle-dragging battle techniques behind. Did I make that last point strongly enough? Now imagine how the rest of carmakers and the charging industry feels.
Image source: Autoguide
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Elon Musk continues to tease the unveiling event for the Tesla Roadster, a continuing trend that has grown into a bigger game of “When” for fans who have been waiting years for the car to finally enter production.
A video shared on X of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that Musk appeared on last year, teasing the Roadster unveiling, was shared once again on the social media platform. The poster said the Roadster event will be “unforgettable.”
Musk agreed:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2026
The timing is interesting because just yesterday, Musk said that we will be getting flying cars, and for years, Tesla has hinted that it could develop a SpaceX cold gas thruster package that would help the car float or fly for a short period of time.
It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s major delays with this unveiling event are likely caused by the company’s need to break the rules and push the envelope on nearly everything. Last July, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, said:
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“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
The latest updates that Tesla has given us are that the Roadster is in design development, and it did have several potential dates for an unveiling event this year, including April. It was then pushed to August.
However, there are no clues as to when Tesla will be ready, and fans are certainly getting frustrated with the delays.
For what it is worth, Franz von Holzhausen told Jay Leno this week that the event would be “very soon.”
We sure hope.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
Florida’s governor rode Tesla’s Cybercab at a closed test track and called the experience impressive.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rode in a Tesla Cybercab on a closed test track this week and came away impressed, posting on X that the vehicle “successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.” He called the ride “impressive.”
The stop was part of a broader event Monday at SunTrax, a 775 acre state owned proving ground in Auburndale that Florida built specifically to test autonomous and connected vehicles before they reach public roads. Standing next to a gold Cybercab, DeSantis described the car in plain terms: “You go in there and you just sit. You have a screen. There’s no steering wheel, no pedals. Clearly these things could be very beneficial.”
We took a ride on a robotaxi on the Suntrax course and it successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.
Impressive! https://t.co/FVAkzFLz3r
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 11, 2026
DeSantis paired the praise with a caveat that has followed autonomous vehicles since the category existed. “You don’t want to be in an autonomous vehicle and it drives you into a ditch. That would not be good,” he said, framing safety validation as the gate before wider deployment.
SunTrax, the 2.25 mile oval which the state calls the only high speed autonomous vehicle test track in the Southeast, can simulate rain, pedestrian crossings, hills and crowded urban conditions at highway speeds, letting companies push a car past what an early public rollout would risk. Tesla, Waymo and Beep all use the facility, and Florida’s regulatory approach, among the most permissive for autonomous vehicles in the country, doesn’t require a human operator inside a fully autonomous car.
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Tesla has reason to want the blessing of Florida and states beyond, as the Cybercab entered volume production at Gigafactory Texas this spring and has since self certified as SAE Level 4 under Texas law. Public road testing so far has kept a safety monitor in the passenger seat, and Florida is where Tesla has been expanding its existing Model Y based Robotaxi service instead, adding Miami in July and then Orlando and Tampa two weeks later. A closed track endorsement from a sitting governor doesn’t change any of that, but it does put Tesla’s newest hardware in front of a state that has already shown it will move fast on rules.
Sweden’s IF Metall union has announced that it is ending all protests against Tesla, effective immediately.
The union said in a statement this morning:
“There seems to be no limits to the length Tesla would go to keep unions out of their operations. Unfortunately, they have managed to pay their way out in Sweden. At least that has given the former IF Metall members more money in their pocket, but the insecurity of not having a union or a collective agreement still remains.”
IF Metall has been after Tesla in Sweden for the past three years, attempting to push unionized operations into its factories. Tesla, on the other hand, has given its employees the chance to unionize in various markets. However, the organization says that Tesla has “bought out all of its striking members.”
🚨 NEW: IF Metall has decided to end all industrial action against Tesla in Sweden, effective immediately.
“IF Metall has decided to end all industrial action against Tesla’s Swedish operations, after the company bought out all of its striking members. With no members remaining… pic.twitter.com/blne8iC6hV
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 13, 2026
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“Today, we end our industrial action against Tesla. We do so because it can no longer have an effect – not because our principles have changed,” a written statement said.
Over the past three years, IF Metall has definitely been a thorn in the side of Tesla and its operations in Sweden. The primary strike started in October 2023, when IF Metall members at Tesla’s Swedish Service Centers refused to work.
IF Metall chair to Elon Musk: “Give us a chance” as Tesla Sweden strike hits 2 years
Strikes extended to blockades and work stoppages at non-Tesla-owned repair shops that service Teslas. This limited and stopped anything related to warranties, transport damage, and other work on Teslas ending, eliminating work arounds for customers.
Sympathy strikes followed, as postal workers, dock workers, electricians, and other tradesmen stopped working. Add in lawsuits and other pressures, and you get the full scope of what strategies the union has used against Tesla over the past several years.
But now, it’s all over.
“We will continue to defend the right of workers to organize. We will continue to fight for collective bargaining. And we will continue to stand in solidarity with workers and trade unions facing similar challenges elsewhere – just as you have stood with us,” IF Metall said.
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Elon Musk teases Tesla Roadster unveiling once again
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
