Germany Finds Some Tesla Superchargers Temporarily Illegal

Tesla opened some Superchargers to the public in Germany, but there's a compliance issue it's working to address.

By: Steven Loveday

Aug 16, 2022 at 12:59pm ET

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Tesla announced that it's in the process of opening up its Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs. It has already done so in some areas, at least as part of a relatively new pilot program. In the meantime, Tesla is also aggressively expanding the network as it has been for years. Now that some Tesla Superchargers are open to the "public" in Germany, new rules must be followed.

As Tesla expands its proprietary Supercharger network into new territory, and also opens it up for public use by all EVs, there are likely to be some bumps along the way. This is due in part to the fact that different countries and local areas have different rules.

In Germany, it seems the public Tesla Supercharger stations aren't yet legal, though they remain in use. This is because while they work properly, they're missing a kilowatt-hour (kWh) counter on the charging stalls.

According to a recent report published by Handelsblatt and shared by Electrek, Germany requires that all public DC fast-charging stations must have a visible kWh counter on every station. Handelsblatt wrote via Electrek (translated from German):

"Every charging station at which charging current is billed according to kilowatt hours must comply with calibration law in Germany , i.e., have a meter that precisely measures the charged current. This applies to public space, but also to company and private premises."

Electrek points out that Tesla uses its smartphone app to keep track of details related to each individual charging session. Unlike other DC fast-charging stations, Tesla's Superchargers don't have display screens. Since everything is done via the Tesla App, and users have to be set up in advance for billing, there's arguably no need for a screen or a kWh counter, unless, of course, the laws in the area require the features.

There are reportedly other charging stations in Germnay that are also deemed illegal for the same reasons. However, Tesla has the largest number of charging stalls that aren't yet in compliance.

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Bavarian State Office for Weights and Measures chief Thomas Weberpals makes it clear that it's Tesla's job – and that of other companies deploying charging stations – to retrofit the charging stalls so that they comply. In the meantime, Germany isn't taking any official action, it's not sanctioning the companies or shutting down the stations.

Weberpals also shares that the situation is already being addressed to ensure that the charging stations are in compliance with the law going forward.