4 days ago
New Jersey is removing Tesla chargers from its turnpike. What about Mass.?
The removal of more than 60 Tesla Superchargers is underway from the super highway connecting northern and southern New Jersey.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) made the decision to instead go with a sole third-party charging provider to serve the state's turnpike and has not allowed Tesla to co-locate, the business wrote on X.
'... NJTA requested 64 existing Supercharger stalls on the New Jersey Turnpike to not be renewed and be decommissioned,' the post reads. 'We have been preparing for three years for this potential outcome by building 116 stalls off the New Jersey Turnpike, ensuring no interruption for our customers.'
Service areas on the New Jersey Turnpike will begin transitioning fully to Universal Open Access EV chargers on June 6, NJTA wrote on May 30 in a statement. The chargers, provided by Applegren Electric, are compatible with all makes and models of EVs.
Tesla called the decision to eliminate the charging stations a setback for EV users on the highway, adding that it offered the NJTA above-market commercial terms, including an offer to build Superchargers at all New Jersey service plazas and with equipment upgrades like screens and NACS with CCS1 'magic docks.'
'Tesla always advocates for more infrastructure and co-location with additional third-party charging providers,' Tesla wrote. 'This drives down costs through optionality and accelerates EV adoption by having sufficient capacity to shoulder peaks.'
Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, there are 97 Tesla Supercharger locations, according to Loan Center. While the majority of these locations are contracted with a business, four are located in plazas owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), the agency told MassLive.
'MassDOT has contracted with Tesla to host Superchargers at 4 service plazas: Charlton East, Charlton West, Newton and Lexington,' the agency told MassLive. None of these locations will be canceled, MassDOT added.
Tesla hopes that NJTA or New Jersey's Gov. Phil Murphy will change their minds regarding the state's cancelation.
'We are willing to invest in New Jersey Turnpike sites if the New Jersey Turnpike or Murphy want to reverse this decision,' the X post reads. 'Otherwise, we will continue to build out the best possible infrastructure off the Turnpike to serve Tesla owners and the electric vehicle drivers of New Jersey.'
Read the original article on MassLive.
