Musk Will Open Up Tesla Supercharger Patents To Spur Development

redletterdave (2493036) writes "Elon Musk has said repeatedly he wants to 'do something controversial' with Tesla's collection of electric car patents, but he finally offered specifics at the UK launch of his Tesla Model S on Sunday. The Tesla Motors CEO said he would like to open up the designs for his Supercharger systems — the free fast-charging stations designed to quickly refuel Tesla's electric cars — to create a standard for other car makers to use. Musk previously said he didn't want Superchargers to become a 'walled garden.'"

Comments

He continues to show himself to be ...

[c0d3g33k]

... a very smart man.

Re:Stations will be everywhere?

[Agent0013]

Just because the recharging stations will be everywhere and be compatible, does not mean they will all be free to use.

Re:Really Not really

[Anonymous Coward]

In most, not sure if all, cases Tesla didn't buy the land for the charging station. The land owner agrees to let Tesla locate the charger for free for 5 to 10 years. Tesla pays to install and maintain the charger and pay for electricity usage. The land owner theoretically gets extra business from Tesla owners.

http://insideevs.com/tech-crunch-what-it-takes-to-be-a-tesla-supercharger-partner/

So even better than buying the land, Tesla gets to use it for free.

Re:Interesting, but...

[AaronW]

Tesla's superchargers use the same signalling standard as the J1772 combo plug. The car tells the charger what voltage and current to put into the battery so the charger is not tied to any one type of battery.