In a bid to become the standard of the North American charging market, Tesla opens up its charging port

The Magic Dock: DC Fast Charge Adapters for Non-Tesla Autonomous Vehicles at a Tesla Supercharger

Unlike in Europe, Tesla Superchargers in the US use a proprietary connector — this was Tesla’s “competitive moat,” the thing that offered protection from other automakers. In order to allow non-Tesla vehicles to access the chargers, the company installed a device called the “Magic Dock,” in which a CCS adapter is applied to the connector. CCS is the agreed-upon standard that most EV makers in North America have adopted for DC fast charging.

That’s a lot of using your fingers. When a Tesla owner needs a charge, they simply pull up, plug in, and that’s it. The charging port on the vehicle is always open. The experience will be much more convenient for owners of the car. The structure of the payment is also different.

Non-Tesla owners can pay per charge, or they can sign up for a monthly $12.99 membership that gives them a discounted rate. Non-Tesla owners will pay a higher rate for charging at a Supercharger than Tesla owners, which Tesla says is meant to cover the “additional costs incurred to support charging a broad range of vehicles and adjustments to our sites to accommodate these vehicles.”