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Superchargers in Ireland, Romania and Hungary open to non-Tesla EVs

Credit: Tesla Charging | X

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Tesla has opened select Superchargers to non-Tesla electric vehicles (EVs) in Ireland, Romania and Hungary, as announced earlier this month.

A couple of weeks ago, the Tesla Charging account on X posted the news, saying that select Superchargers in each of the countries were opening to non-Tesla EVs. A report on Tuesday from The Irish Times noted that five of the nine Supercharging locations in the country will now be opened to non-Tesla EVs, including those in Dublin, Cork, Athenry, Enfield and Tralee.

Currently, Tesla’s Supercharger map only shows those in Athenry and Enfield as being open to all EVs, though the other stations are likely to follow as it sometimes takes the automaker a few weeks to update the map.

The report says that the included Superchargers in Ireland offer as many as 18 individual charging stalls, each with 250 kW charging speeds that can add up to 275 km or range in about 15 minutes.

Credit: Tesla | Supercharging Map

“Access to an extensive, convenient and reliable fast-charging network is critical for large-scale EV adoption,” a Tesla spokesperson told The Irish Times. “Since opening the first Superchargers in 2012 Tesla have been committed to rapid expansion of the network. Superchargers are designed and built by Tesla, charging up to 275km in 15 minutes rather than hours.

“Since the beginning of 2023, Tesla owners have Supercharged over 11 million kilometres in Ireland, offsetting 2.4 million kilograms of CO2.”

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According to the Supercharger map, charging stations in Hungary open to non-Tesla EVs include four just outside of Budapest, one in Székesfehérvár, one in Miskolc, one in Debrecen and one in Szeged. Not far from these are the non-Tesla EV-compatible stations in Romania, which include sites in Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, Pitesti, Constanța, Craiova and two in Bucharest.

Credit: Tesla | Supercharging Map

Credit: Tesla | Supercharging Map

You can view Tesla’s full Supercharging map for yourself here, including a filtering option to see which Superchargers are open to non-Tesla EVs near you.

To use these Superchargers with a non-Tesla EV, drivers will simply need to download the Tesla app and sign up for an account. While charging prices vary from one station to the next and depending on when users charge, users can also purchase a Supercharging membership for €12.99 per month, offering even lower prices than normal.

Tesla has been piloting programs to have its Superchargers open to non-Tesla EVs in select sites across Europe and around the world over the past couple of years. Looking at the Supercharger map in Europe shows that several locations on the continent now offer charging to all EVs, while the automaker has been slowly rolling this out to select locations in the U.S.

In addition, Tesla is preparing to open Superchargers in North America to customers of Ford, General Motors (GM) and several other automakers in the coming months and years, after its charging hardware, dubbed the North American Charging Standard (NACS), was adopted by most other EV makers throughout 2023.

Tesla launches Congestion Fees at Superchargers in U.S.

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What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.

Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

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USDOT Secretary visits Tesla Giga Texas, hints at national autonomous vehicle standards

The Transportation Secretary also toured the factory’s production lines and spoke with CEO Elon Musk.

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Credit: Elon Musk/X

United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean Duffy recently visited Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas complex, where he toured the factory’s production lines and spoke with CEO Elon Musk. In a video posted following his Giga Texas visit, Duffy noted that he believes there should be a national standard for autonomous vehicles in the United States.

Duffy’s Giga Texas Visit

As could be seen in videos of his Giga Texas visit, the Transportation Secretary seemed to appreciate the work Tesla has been doing to put the United States in the forefront of innovation. “Tesla is one of the many companies helping our country reach new heights. USDOT will be right there all the way to make sure Americans stay safe,” Duffy wrote in a post on X. 

He also praised Tesla for its autonomous vehicle program, highlighting that “We need American companies to keep innovating so we can outcompete the rest of the world.”

National Standard

While speaking with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the Transportation Secretary stated that other autonomous ride-hailing companies have been lobbying for a national standard for self-driving cars. Musk shared the sentiment, stating that “It’d be wonderful for the United States to have a national set of rules for autonomous driving as opposed to 50 independent sets of rules on a state-by-state rules basis.”

Duffy agreed with the CEO’s point, stating that, “You can’t have 50 different rules for 50 different states. You need one standard.” He also noted that the Transportation Department has asked autonomous vehicle companies to submit data. By doing so, the USDOT could develop a standard for the entire United States, allowing self-driving cars to operate in a manner that is natural and safe.

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Tesla posts Optimus’ most impressive video demonstration yet

The humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network.

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Credit: Tesla Optimus/X

When Elon Musk spoke with CNBC’s David Faber in an interview at Giga Texas, he reiterated the idea that Optimus will be one of Tesla’s biggest products. Seemingly to highlight the CEO’s point, the official Tesla Optimus account on social media platform X shared what could very well be the most impressive demonstration of the humanoid robot’s capabilities to date.

Optimus’ Newest Demonstration

In its recent video demonstration, the Tesla Optimus team featured the humanoid robot performing a variety of tasks. These include household chores such as throwing the trash, using a broom and a vacuum cleaner, tearing a paper towel, stirring a pot of food, opening a cabinet, and closing a curtain, among others. The video also featured Optimus picking up a Model X fore link and placing it on a dolly.

What was most notable in the Tesla Optimus team’s demonstration was the fact that the humanoid robot was able to complete all the tasks through a single neural network. The robot’s actions were also learned directly from Optimus being fed data from first-person videos of humans performing similar tasks. This system should pave the way for Optimus to learn and refine new skills quickly and reliably.

Tesla VP for Optimus Shares Insight

In a follow-up post on X, Tesla Vice President of Optimus (Tesla Bot) Milan Kovac stated that one of the team’s goals is to have Optimus learn straight from internet videos of humans performing tasks, including footage captured in third person or by random cameras.

“We recently had a significant breakthrough along that journey, and can now transfer a big chunk of the learning directly from human videos to the bots (1st person views for now). This allows us to bootstrap new tasks much faster compared to teleoperated bot data alone (heavier operationally).

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“Many new skills are emerging through this process, are called for via natural language (voice/text), and are run by a single neural network on the bot (multi-tasking). Next: expand to 3rd person video transfer (aka random internet), and push reliability via self-play (RL) in the real-, and/or synthetic- (sim / world models) world,” Kovac wrote in his post on X.

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Starship Flight 9 nears as SpaceX’s Starbase becomes a Texan City

SpaceX’s launch site is officially incorporated as Starbase, TX. Starship Flight 9 could launch on May 27, 2025. 

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(Credit: Jenny Hautmann/Wikimedia Commons)

SpaceX’s Starbase is officially incorporated as a city in Texas, aligning with preparations for Starship Flight 9. The newly formed city in Cameron County serves as the heart of SpaceX’s Starship program.

Starbase City spans 1.5 square miles, encompassing SpaceX’s launch facility and company-owned land. A near-unanimous vote by residents, who were mostly SpaceX employees, led to its incorporation. SpaceX’s Vice President of Test and Launch, Bobby Peden, was elected mayor of Starbase. The new Texas city also has two SpaceX employees as commissioners. All Starbase officials will serve two-year terms unless extended to four by voters.

As the new city takes shape, SpaceX is preparing for the Starship Flight 9 launch, which is tentatively scheduled for May 27, 2025, at 6:30 PM CDT from Starbase, Texas.

SpaceX secured Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for up to 25 annual Starship and Super Heavy launches from the site. However, the FAA emphasized that “there are other licensing requirements still to be completed,” including policy, safety, and environmental reviews.

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On May 15, the FAA noted SpaceX updated its launch license for Flight 9, but added: “SpaceX may not launch until the FAA either closes the Starship Flight 8 mishap investigation or makes a return to flight determination. The FAA is reviewing the mishap report SpaceX submitted on May 14.”

Proposed Texas legislation could empower Starbase officials to close local highways and restrict Boca Chica Beach access during launches. Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., opposes the Texas legislation, insisting beach access remain under county control. This tension highlights the balance between SpaceX’s ambitions and local interests.

Starbase’s incorporation strengthens SpaceX’s operational base as it gears up for Starship Flight 9, a critical step in its mission to revolutionize space travel. With growing infrastructure and regulatory hurdles in focus, Starbase is poised to become a cornerstone of SpaceX’s vision, blending community development with cutting-edge aerospace innovation.

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