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Tesla Supercharger membership program threatens EV charging competitors

Credit: Tesla Greater China/Twitter

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Tesla has launched a new membership for charging your non-Tesla vehicle at a reduced rate at Tesla Supercharging locations.

For the longest time, while EV drivers complained about the charging experiences provided by many charging providers, notably Electrify America, they have been prevented from accessing the market leader, the Tesla Supercharging network. As Tesla begins to open its Superchargers to non-Teslas through the Magic Dock, that barrier to competition has been removed, and Tesla has opened a membership to capitalize on it.

Memberships from Tesla, Electrify America, and EVGo all operate similarly. By paying a monthly fee, you can access a lower price per kWh (or price per minute, depending on where you live), typically roughly 25% cheaper than the non-membership rate. Coming in at $12.99 per month, the Supercharging membership is undoubtedly more expensive than membership offerings from Electrify America and others at roughly $4 per month. Still, despite the higher cost, many non-Tesla drivers are already calling the charging experience superior.

While sadly, non-Tesla vehicles are not immediately recognized by Superchargers, which would allow the driver to plug in and walk away; it only requires two other steps. When you arrive at the charger, you identify which stall you are parked at and scan a QR code at the charger, then press start charging. And while this experience is far more clunky than the one offered to Tesla drivers, it still beats out the experience at the vast majority of other chargers.

On top of this operational advantage, which is quickly going to be apparent to customers when they use the service, Superchargers have proven themselves to be the more dependable option as well. Electrify America chargers have gained the unfortunate reputation for being unreliable and inconsistent, only further incentivizing non-Tesla drivers to choose Supercharger locations.

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It should be noted that currently, Tesla’s Magic Dock is far from widespread or battle-tested, but as the automaker continues to spread this availability, its threat to charging competitors will only become more apparent.

At the very least, the path forward for Tesla’s new charging competitors is a clear one; continue to improve the charging experience and reduce downtime to at least Tesla-parity. However, for the time being, Tesla is now offering a product that is quite considerably better, and it will likely attract customers to its new members no matter the price. Hopefully, it can serve as a wake-up call for charging companies, leading to a better charging experience for everyone in the near future.

What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email atย william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us atย tips@teslarati.com!

Will is an auto enthusiast, a gear head, and an EV enthusiast above all. From racing, to industry data, to the most advanced EV tech on earth, he now covers it at Teslarati.

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Tesla dominates in the UK with Model Y and Model 3 leading the way

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla is dominating in the United Kingdom so far through 2025, and with about two weeks left in the year, the Model Y and Model 3 are leading the way.

The Model Y and Model 3 are the two best-selling electric vehicles in the United Kingdom, which is comprised of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and it’s not particularly close.

According to data gathered byย EU-EVs, the Model Y is sitting at 18,890 units for the year, while the Model 3 is slightly behind with 16,361 sales for the year so far.

The next best-selling EV is the Audi Q4 e-tron at 10,287 units, lagging significantly behind but ahead of other models like the BMW i4 and the Audi Q6 e-tron.

The Model Y has tasted significant success in the global market, but it has dominated in large markets like Europe and the United States.

For years, it’s been a car that has fit the bill of exactly what consumers need: a perfect combination of luxury, space, and sustainability.

Both vehicles are going to see decreases in sales compared to 2024; the Model Y was the best-selling car last year, but it sold 32,610 units in the UK. Meanwhile, the Model 3 had reached 17,272 units, which will keep it right on par with last year.

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Tesla announces major milestone in the United Kingdom

Tesla sold 50,090 units in the market last year, and it’s about 8,000 units shy of last year’s pace. It also had a stronger market share last year with 13.2 percent of the sales in the market. With two weeks left in 2025, Tesla has a 9.6 percent market share, leading Volkswagen with 8 percent.

The company likely felt some impact from CEO Elon Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration and, more specifically, his role with DOGE. However, it is worth mentioning that some months saw stronger consumer demand than others. For example, sales were up over 20 percent in February. A 14 percent increase followed this in June.

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Tesla Insurance officially expands to new U.S. state

Tesla’s in-house Insurance program first launched back in late 2019, offering a new way to insure the vehicles that was potentially less expensive and could alleviate a lot of the issues people had with claims, as the company could assess and repair the damage itself.

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Credit: Tesla Insurance

Tesla Insurance has officially expanded to a new U.S. state, its thirteenth since its launch in 2019.

Tesla has confirmed that its in-house Insurance program has officially made its way to Florida, just two months after the company filed to update its Private Passenger Auto program in the state. It had tried to offer its insurance program to drivers in the state back in 2022, but its launch did not happen.

Instead, Tesla refiled the paperwork back in mid-October, which essentially was the move toward initiating the offering this month.

Tesla’s in-house Insurance program first launched back in late 2019, offering a new way to insure the vehicles that was potentially less expensive and could alleviate a lot of the issues people had with claims, as the company could assess and repair the damage itself.

It has expanded to new states since 2019, but Florida presents a particularly interesting challenge for Tesla, as the company’s entry into the state is particularly noteworthy given its unique insurance landscape, characterized by high premiums due to frequent natural disasters, dense traffic, and a no-fault system.

Tesla partners with Lemonade for new insurance program

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Annual average premiums for Florida drivers hover around $4,000 per year, well above the national average. Tesla’s insurance program could disrupt this, especially for EV enthusiasts. The state’s growing EV adoption, fueled by incentives and infrastructure development, aligns perfectly with Tesla’s ecosystem.

Moreover, there are more ways to have cars repaired, and features like comprehensive coverage for battery damage and roadside assistance tailored to EVs address those common painpoints that owners have.

However, there are some challenges that still remain. Florida’s susceptibility to hurricanes raises questions about how Tesla will handle claims during disasters.

Looking ahead, Tesla’s expansion of its insurance program signals the company’s ambition to continue vertically integrating its services, including coverage of its vehicles. Reducing dependency on third-party insurers only makes things simpler for the company’s automotive division, as well as for its customers.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving gets sparkling review from South Korean politician

“Having already ridden in an unmanned robotaxi, the novelty wasnโ€™t as strong for me, but it drives just as well as most people do. It already feels like a completed technology, which gives me a lot to think about.”

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Credit: Soyoung Lee | X

Tesla Full Self-Driving got its first sparkling review from South Korean politician Lee So-young, a member of the country’s National Assembly, earlier this week.

Lee is a member of the Strategy and Finance Committee in South Korea and is a proponent of sustainable technologies and their applications in both residential and commercial settings. For the first time, Lee was able to utilize Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology as it launched in the country in late November.

Her thoughts on the suite were complimentary to the suite, stating that “it drives just as well as most people do,” and that “it already feels like a completed technology.”

Her translated post says:

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“Finally, today I got to experience Tesla FSD in Seoul. Thanks to the Model S sponsored by JiDal Papa^^, Iโ€™m truly grateful to Papa. The route was from the National Assembly -> Mangwon Market -> Hongik University -> back to the National Assembly. Having already ridden in an unmanned robotaxi, the novelty wasnโ€™t as strong for me, but it drives just as well as most people do. It already feels like a completed technology, which gives me a lot to think about. Once it actually spreads into widespread use, I feel like our daily lives are going to change a lot. Even I, with my license gathering dust in a drawer, donโ€™t see much reason to learn to drive a manual anymore.”

Tesla Full Self-Driving officially landed in South Korea in late November, with the initial launch being one of Tesla’s most recent, v14.1.4.

It marked the seventh country in which Tesla was able to enable the driver assistance suite, following the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, China, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.

It is important to see politicians and figures in power try new technologies, especially ones that are widely popular in other regions of the world and could potentially revolutionize how people travel globally.

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