Tesla’s first third-party owned Superchargers opened in Florida on Thursday.
The eight charging stalls are now open in Land O’Lakes, Bexley, and are branded as Suncoast Charging, a Florida-based EV charging company.
According to its website, the company aims to build a charging network and to improve the charging experience, “making it faster, more reliable, and accessible for all drivers.”
For that, Suncoast will be using “premium Tesla Superchargers for ultra-fast and reliable charging” and provide “NACS [North American Charging Standard] and CCS [Combined Charging System] port accessibility for nearly any EV driver.”
The company’s website shows that, in addition to the Land O’Lakes stalls, it has installed four fast chargers at Wesley Chapel, Lexington Oaks, which are likely Tesla Superchargers.
The charging hubs are open 24 hours a day and support several payment methods. They also include amenities such as “food, beverage, shopping, grocery, and lifestyle options.”
The stalls can be found through the Tesla app or through other navigation apps that support Supercharger live activity.
When questioned if they’re affiliated with the Elon Musk-led company, Suncoast says that “while we proudly utilize Tesla V4 hardware, Suncoast Charging is an independent company with no formal affiliation or partnership with Tesla.”
Supercharger for Business
Suncoast is Tesla‘s first client on the ‘Supercharger for Business’ program, which lets customers purchase and install white-labeled fast-charging stalls.
The chargers come with “the same hardware, software, pricing controls and service as those in Tesla‘s network,” according to the brand’s website.
These include features like downtime alerts and real-time availability, among others.
“We treat your site like we treat our sites,” Tesla says, explaining that customers are provided with “a full-service package that includes network operations, preventative maintenance and driver support.”
Supercharger Network
Superchargers are compatible with all electric vehicles, provided that they support the North American Charging Standard (NACS), which most brands in the US have adopted.
Late last month, EV start-up Slate became the latest automaker to adopt the NACS charging standard, following US EV makers Lucid Motors and Rivian.
Japanese Honda Motor Co., Detroit automakers Ford and General Motors, German-based BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and Sweden-headquartered Volvo and Polestar also use Tesla‘s network.
Earlier this summer, Rivian began updating its charging stations to integrate the port, which will come standard with the upcoming R2 SUV.
Adopting the NACS allows automakers to access over 25,000 Supercharging stalls in the US.
Tesla owns and operates over 75,000 Superchargers across the globe, where drivers can recharge their vehicles up to 200 miles in under 15 minutes.
Earlier this year, a J.D. Power study found that Superchargers remain the most trusted fast-charging stations among EV owners, even as overall satisfaction with fast-charging networks has declined among US consumers.
