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The Tesla charging saga has taken an abrupt turn. Two weeks after sending shockwaves through the industry by firing 500 employees responsible for expanding Tesla’s Supercharger network, Elon Musk has apparently had a change of heart. According to reports, he’s hiring an unspecified number of those employees back. Now, Musk if is known for anything, it’s his untraditional business decisions. But still, decisions around the Supercharger department is especially noteworthy because of how much it touches on other companies in the auto world. Over the past year, we’ve seen a ripple effect as numerous have signed on to join the Tesla charging network. The timing is also unsettling given how much upheaval and unsteady growth were seeing in the EV space. But in typical Musk fashion, the Tesla CEO recently took to X to ease concerns and said that the company still had plans to grow the network, albeit at a “slower pace.” At the same time, we’ve also seen Musk change course like this before. In 2022, he fired half the company and then swiftly took dozens of back. That’s all to say that this situation is raising more questions than answers. But that these employees, many of them top level, are returning says something about their belief in the product and the vision. That should offer some element of reassurance. https://lnkd.in/etVu563v #tesla #teslafiring #teslasupercharger #superchargers

Tesla's Supercharger Network is in Jeopardy After Surprise Team Axing. In a move that has the EV world buzzing, Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently laid off the entire Supercharger team - despite the profitable network being a key selling point for the company's electric cars. 🔋 The Supercharger division, once tasked with ambitious expansion goals, had around 500 employees responsible for building and maintaining Tesla's over 50,000 charging stalls worldwide. But in April, they were all suddenly let go. According to an ex-employee: "We built the best network in the world. We were minding the ship. Nothing was frivolous." (see: https://lnkd.in/ddgJF39P ) Yet it wasn't enough as Musk went for deep cuts with a "chainsaw" approach amid slowing sales growth and price wars denting profits. The Supercharger network's widespread, reliable and high-speed charging was instrumental in overcoming "range anxiety" for EV buyers. But now: ✅ Dozens of new Supercharger sites are stuck in limbo or may not open at all ✅ An advanced V4 hardware rollout appears stalled ✅ Tesla may struggle to win federal funding for charging expansion While Musk pledged $500M for Supercharger growth, hitting that goal sans a dedicated team will be extremely difficult according to insiders. The layoffs are even more puzzling given the profitability of the network and its future money-making potential by opening to other EVs. All major automakers have now adopted Tesla's charging standard (see my previous posts about it here: https://lnkd.in/dFRE4B3D ) With the Supercharger brain trust gone, can Tesla maintain its crown jewel charging advantage? Or will the network's perceived dominance slowly erode? The company's strategic path for its "linchpin" project is now surrounded by question marks. What are your thoughts on this surprise move? Do you think "Superchargers on wheels" like my https://lnkd.in/de27ZaQ could come to the rescue in areas with new EV offers? Share your insights in the comments! #tesla #polestar #nacs #supercharger #abb

Great to have many #EV alternatives today ... "Elon Musk wanted Tesla to slash its headcount by 20% because its quarterly vehicle deliveries fell by 20,1%" 😵💫 As an admirer of the Tesla brand, I was thrilled when I got my first #Tesla 2,5 years ago. The innovation, the vision for the future, and the #electric revolution they represented were all incredibly inspiring. However, my feelings have taken a turn. The #quality of my Tesla regarding hardware and software hasn't held up to expectations, and I've encountered more issues than I anticipated. Moreover, #ElonMusk's behavior and decisions have also contributed to my changing perspective. While I once admired his boldness and unconventional approach, some of his recent actions have left me feeling disillusioned. Whether it's his controversial statements on social media or his unpredictable behavior, I can't help but question his #judgment and #leadership. It's a reminder that even the most admired brands can falter, and that #loyalty should always be tempered with #critical thinking. Source: https://lnkd.in/eC35rxuv #emobility #charging #charger #ac #wallbox #battery #elektromobilität

In early May, news broke that #Tesla had laid off most of the Tesla Supercharger network team, including its leader, #RebeccaTinucci. 👀 Reaction from the media and the EV industry was fast and confused. I wondered what Tesla owners or potential owners thought. Those I talked to aren’t happy, and I personally think it was a really dumb move. But not everyone agrees. 😅 Full disclosure: I don’t own a Tesla or an EV that will be able to use the Supercharger network, so my feelings don’t count for much. I am mystified, however, why Elon Musk would throttle a part of Tesla that convinces many to buy one of the brand’s EVs and could potentially be a steady source of income for Tesla. 🤔 Get more to Alysha Webb's story at the link below! 🤝 https://lnkd.in/eQ-CE4GW #ElectrifyNews #EV #ElectricVehicles #Tesla #Supercharger

This is sure to have a resounding effect across the #evcharging industry. After laying off 10% of the company a few weeks ago, Tesla has now cut the majority of its Supercharging team. It’s a curious pivot in direction nearly one year after securing some of the largest OEMs across the globe to adopt Tesla’s own NACS charging port for their new vehicles, in lieu of CCS, which was poised to be the American standard until then. I wonder what these companies must be thinking now that Tesla is shifting focus away from DC Fast Charging. #ev #charging #dcfc #teslalayoffs https://lnkd.in/gBmb3Ypt

Have the wheels come off for Tesla? "When Tesla first emerged, it had an exciting new product, a charismatic CEO, and it came across as really pioneering. Now though, the company is no longer the entrepreneurial new entrant and upstart disrupter, but increasingly an industry incumbent with all the challenges this brings when faced with a growing array of competitors in the same market space. Basically, the world has caught up with Tesla." Professor Peter Wells There's been a lot said about Tesla over the last week, especially in the midst of the giant layoffs, including the whole Supercharger team. So, it's worth thinking back to what has happened. Musk have proven to exceptionally good at scaling companies with ideas that were not thought possible. Looking back 15 years ago SpaceX and Tesla were little more than tiny garage concerns, both of which became 11 or 12 figure companies. Obviously, Musk is an exceptional industrialist. PayPal wasn't really different, except that Musk chose to exit. And that's the key: He got out the way. However, Musk is Tesla and Tesla is Musk - they are deeply intertwined. Musk has an iron fisted control over the Tesla board, with little appropriate governance and risk management. So, for a leader who fluctuates between brilliance and compulsive, it ca not deal with the instability that's reflected in its volatile share price. No other product represents Musk more than Cybertruck. Brilliant in parts, daft in others and a "look at me" attention seeking weirdness that is love or hate. Erratic at best. The S3XY cars are all well thought out and universally appealing, but not CT. So, what will stir growth to 20 million units by 2030? Robo taxi? I don't see it operational as a Level 4 vehicle before 2030, especially after my FSD experience last month. Vehicle sales? Not enough models, and the low cost Model2 is rumoured dropped. His management and employees? He's fired many, and many others have left. In my mind, I'm really not sure what is next. Likely more of the same behaviour, more volatility, but one thing is for sure, it will be interesting. What do you think Tesla's future looks like? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below #automotive #batteries #climatechange #electricvehicles #innovation #sustainability #cleanenergy #renewableenergy More here: BBC article, https://lnkd.in/gSP8Syqf

With Ford, BMW, Mercedes, and others buying access the Tesla’s NACS ports, Tesla needs to ensure it has enough ports to support all these new users in existing locations, and that these ports are capable of efficiently charging these newcomers. Remember that many of the non-Tesla vehicles have their ports on the “wrong” side of the vehicle… meaning some Brand-X owners will be tempted to park at Station “A” but hook up to Station “B.” That’s going to go down very well with Tesla owners. Once Tesla designs a solution (if it doesn’t have one already), the work isn’t that hard to implement, and can probably be outsourced. Also, with all these new users, there is greater need to add more stations to existing locations, than to design and build new locations. Expanding existing locations is probably cheaper and faster than locating, scoping, permitting, and building new locations. And I’d be surprised if Tesla doesn’t already have permits and/or power for addition ports. So with all this in mind, letting go of 75% percent of their Supercharger staff (not the wrongly reported 100%) makes a lot of financisl sense… for the short term.

Tesla has apparently binned their biggest competitive advantage: the Tesla Supercharger team. 🗑 The BEST part about Tesla is their charging network. The cars themselves are out of date and boring, but the Supercharger network is unflappable. So good in fact that nearly every other passenger car OEM has decided to ditch J1772 and CCS, and are instead adopting the Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS), standardized as SAE J3400.🔌 The Tesla charging team was the most efficient part of Tesla. They negotiated deals with utilities that seemingly no other charging network could get. They got prime locations almost anywhere they wanted. Their chargers work! 💪 Of all the teams to fire this should have been the last one. 🤦♂️ And to fanboys who are convinced Elmo knows best- layoffs don't improve company morale and the damage done by them takes years to recover from (if ever).📉 Will the BOD and shareholders ever stop rewarding Musk for his erratic and out of control behavior? Or is there some brilliant play here that none of us can see? 🤔 One thing seems clear- commercial electric bus and electric truck manufacturers seem to have dodged a bullet by sticking with the J1772 and CCS standards. Here at Motiv Power Systems we polled our customers and there was simply no interest in switching to NACS for commercial applications. 🙅♂️ Hold on to your hats- its going to be interesting to see what other automakers do! 🤠 Keep climbing! 💪📈 #electrification #electricvehicles #evs #evse #charging #salesmountaineer https://lnkd.in/gNAyZyER

Pretty much every article I read these days is about the Tesla Supercharger network. While the layoffs and dissolution of the team will probably hinder EV adoption as well as significantly slow down infrastructure rollouts, I think it presents an opportunity for all the CPOs, OEMs, and even probably large VAR networks. Telsa was major competition who was at the top of the heap and now they are gone, at least in the short term. I don't think the network will die but it is just going to be rolling out much slower. If you need help scaling your installations to fill the gap left by Tesla, give BoltOne | EV Charging Station Solutions a call. We can help you manage your rollouts quickly and efficiently. https://lnkd.in/e5XejkCQ