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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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Tesla makes two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has made two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles in its lineup, and the changes come just as the new model year begins production.

Last year, Tesla launched the Model Y Standard, which separated the previous models into the “Premium” category. The Standard vehicles lack several features, including more premium interior materials, acoustic-lined glass, and storage.

@teslarati There are some BIG differences between the Tesla Model Y Standard and Tesla Model Y Premium #tesla #teslamodely ♬ Sia – Xeptemper

The Model Y “Premium” trims are now getting several new upgrades, which come after the company launched a seven-seat configuration of the vehicle last night in the North American market for an upcharge of $2,500.

The new Model Y seven-seat configuration did not come with just an additional row of seating; it also came with a slew of other goodies that now come standard and were previously only available on the Model Y Performance, which was launched late last year.

All Black Headliner

The new Tesla Model Y Premium trims will now come standard with a black headliner, something that many owners have been requesting for some time.

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The previous grey headliner and trim within the vehicle is now gone; it will be all black on all of the Premium trims from here on out, a welcome change:

Credit: Tesla

Larger and Higher Resolution Center Touchscreen

The center touchscreen in the new Model Y Premium configuration is now larger and has a higher resolution than the previous version.

In last year’s Model Y configurations (apart from the Performance), the center touchscreen was 15.4″. Now, Tesla has decided to go with the 16″ version across all Premium trims, which is a nice step up. It was nice to see this in the Performance, but it is really great to see Tesla include this in the Model Y’s more Premium trim levels.

Tesla Model Y Seven Seater

Tesla launched the latest iteration of the seven-seater for the Model Y on Monday night. Traditionally, the Model Y seats five passengers in total, but there were calls for a more spacious version several years ago.

Tesla released it, but it was extremely tight in the back, basically reserving those back seats for only small people or children.

Credit: Tesla

The new configuration looks to be slightly more spacious in the third row, but not as much space as most would require or want. Instead,

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Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet

Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.

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Credit: Lufthansa

Lufthansa Group has announced a partnership with Starlink that will bring high-speed internet connectivity to every aircraft across all its carriers. 

This means that aircraft across the group’s brands, from Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines to Brussels Airlines, would be able to enjoy high-speed internet access using the industry-leading satellite internet solution.

Starlink in-flight internet

Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release

Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellites are expected to provide significantly higher bandwidth and lower latency than traditional in-flight Wi-Fi, which should enable streaming, online work, and other data-intensive applications for passengers during flights.

Starlink-powered internet is expected to be available on the first commercial flights as early as the second half of 2026. The rollout will continue through the decade, with the entire Lufthansa Group fleet scheduled to be fully equipped with Starlink by 2029. Once complete, no other European airline group will operate more Starlink-connected aircraft.

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Free high-speed access

As part of the initiative, Lufthansa Group will offer the new high-speed internet free of charge to all status customers and Travel ID users, regardless of cabin class. Chief Commercial Officer Dieter Vranckx shared his expectations for the program.

“In our anniversary year, in which we are celebrating Lufthansa’s 100th birthday, we have decided to introduce a new high-speed internet solution from Starlink for all our airlines. The Lufthansa Group is taking the next step and setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers. 

“Connectivity on board plays an important role today, and with Starlink, we are not only investing in the best product on the market, but also in the satisfaction of our passengers,” Vranckx said. 

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Tesla locks in Elon Musk’s top problem solver as it enters its most ambitious era

The generous equity award was disclosed by the electric vehicle maker in a recent regulatory filing.

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Credit: Duke University

Tesla has granted Senior Vice President of Automotive Tom Zhu more than 520,000 stock options, tying a significant portion of his compensation to the company’s long-term performance. 

The generous equity award was disclosed by the electric vehicle maker in a recent regulatory filing.

Tesla secures top talent

According to a Form 4 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Tom Zhu received 520,021 stock options with an exercise price of $435.80 per share. Since the award will not fully vest until March 5, 2031, Zhu must remain at Tesla for more than five years to realize the award’s full benefit.

Considering that Tesla shares are currently trading at around the $445 to $450 per share level, Zhu will really only see gains in his equity award if Tesla’s stock price sees a notable rise over the years, as noted in a Sina Finance report.

Still, even at today’s prices, Zhu’s stock award is already worth over $230 million. If Tesla reaches the market cap targets set forth in Elon Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award, Zhu would become a billionaire from this equity award alone.

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Tesla’s problem solver

Zhu joined Tesla in April 2014 and initially led the company’s Supercharger rollout in China. Later that year, he assumed the leadership of Tesla’s China business, where he played a central role in Tesla’s localization efforts, including expanding retail and service networks, and later, overseeing the development of Gigafactory Shanghai.

Zhu’s efforts helped transform China into one of Tesla’s most important markets and production hubs. In 2023, Tesla promoted Zhu to Senior Vice President of Automotive, placing him among the company’s core global executives and expanding his influence beyond China. He has since garnered a reputation as the company’s problem solver, being tapped by Elon Musk to help ramp Giga Texas’s vehicle production. 

With this in mind, Tesla’s recent filing seems to suggest that the company is locking in its top talent as it enters its newest, most ambitious era to date. As could be seen in the targets of Elon Musk’s 2025 pay package, Tesla is now aiming to be the world’s largest company by market cap, and it is aiming to achieve production levels that are unheard of. Zhu’s talents would definitely be of use in this stage of the company’s growth.

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