Energized: Tesla vehicles at a charging station in Miami
Image: Picture Alliance
More and more automakers are forming alliances with Tesla to use the company’s charging network in America. That’s a triumph for Elon Musk – but it comes with weighty risks.
Jim Farley’s aha moment came on his way back from a vacation to Lake Tahoe last year. The CEO of the car manufacturer Ford drove past charging stations of his competitor Tesla several times on the Californian roads. His kids in the back seat excitedly asked him if he couldn’t stop there to charge the car. He had to tell them every time that it couldn’t be done.
Farley recounted this episode when he announced a remarkable collaboration with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in May. Ford electric cars will soon be able to be charged at Tesla’s so-called supercharger stations in America. This is a “really, really big deal for our customers” and a “huge step” for the entire industry, Farley said. It soon became apparent that Ford’s announcement would only be the first of many.