Tesla Superchargers Grew Almost 50% In One Year (Globally)

I already wrote about the rapid growth of Tesla stores, service centers, and mobile service vehicles, but the company’s Supercharger growth seemed to warrant a story of its own — for a few reasons.

Photo by Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

First of all, I think it’s important to point out that Tesla Superchargers are a pillar of Tesla’s dominance in the EV market. There is simply nothing out there that is as convenient, reliable, and widespread as Tesla’s network of Supercharger stations. While most of us drive just a handful of miles every day and life without a home charger can even be convenient with a Tesla, almost everyone who buys a car thinks about how the car would do on a road trip. Perhaps that is especially true for the demographics that favor buying a Tesla or any new electric vehicle. The Supercharger network is indeed the net that pulls many buyers into Tesla.

In fact, I know multiple people who would eagerly buy an EV from another company — would even prefer it — but chose a Tesla because of the Supercharge network. (It will be interesting to see what people like this do once Tesla opens up its Superchargers to non-Tesla EVs — and how much that depends on the cost for other EVs to charge at a Supercharger.)

Photo by Zach Shahan, CleanTechnica

Supercharger access is like one of the legs of a table — it’s critical. So, how much the Supercharger network grows is important to many people, and it also increasingly attracts new buyers who see the stark difference between what Tesla has built and what others have built — especially people who see Superchargers pop up near them or along some of their favorite travel routes.

From Q2 2020 to Q2 2021, Tesla’s Supercharger network across the globe grew from 2035 stations to 2966 stations. The number of connectors (which is really the most important metric) went from 18,100 to 26,900. That’s 46% growth in the number of stations and 49% growth in the number of connectors.

Even if you’ve been tracking Tesla’s growth and development for several years, these numbers probably sound a bit hard to believe. Tesla has grown so fast and so strongly that what seemed like tremendous new records a few years ago, or even a year ago, are now meager figures that are ready for the garbage ban. Supercharger growth is making skeptics into believers.

Maps courtesy of Tesla.