BARSTOW – The California Energy Commission has approved Tesla proposals to construct new Supercharger facilities in 4 rural communities – including Barstow. The Barstow project is receiving a $1.6 million grant with a requirement to have 50% of the chargers compatible with non-Tesla vehicles.

The Supercharger station will be located at the Main Street exit off I-15 with a projected opening date of winter 2023. For this location, the company has already secured an agreement at Barstow Station. There is already a Supercharger station located at the Outlets at Barstow, the Ayres Hotel and on East Main Street.

All 4 of the new facilities will be supported by a Tesla Megapack – a battery that can store enough energy to power an average of 3,600 homes for one hour. 

Tesla uses its own charging standard for the cars it sells in North America, but according to a statement Tesla CEO Elon Musk made to the Financial Times, the company recognizes that it is going to have to share its Supercharger network. 

“We’ve already opened Tesla Superchargers to other electric cars in Europe, and we intend to roll that out worldwide. It’s a little trickier in the US because we have a different connector than the rest of the industry. But we will be adding the rest of industry connectors as an option to Superchargers in the US. We’re trying as best as possible to do the right thing for the advancement of electrification; even if that diminishes our competitive advantage.”

The 100 unit station will be required to have half of the stalls Combined Charging System Compliant (CSS) – BMW, Daimler, FCA, Ford, Jaguar, General Motors, Groupe PSA, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, MG, Polestar, Renault, Rivian, Tata Motors and Volkswagen Group will have access to the chargers.

The 50% CCS compatibility requirement also contributes to President Biden’s plan to add a half million chargers throughout America and get more electric vehicle chargers built in rural locations.