A Rivian driver got into a confrontation with a Tesla owner who appeared unaware that Superchargers are now open to other brands, an incident that highlights the need for more communication from Tesla about the initiative, the Rivian driver says.
The Rivian driver was trying to charge his newly delivered R1S at a Supercharger in California when a Model Y driver approached him, "demanding to know why I was there," according to a post on the Rivian Owners Forum.
"He then pointed to the red 'Tesla Vehicle Charging Only' signs and insisted that it was ILLEGAL for me to be there and that he was CALLING THE POLICE! I was taken aback by his extreme reaction," the Rivian driver writes.
Tesla gave Rivian access to its network last month at eligible stations. Ford EVs can also charge at Superchargers, while EVs from General Motors, Volvo, and Polestar are next on the list. For now, non-Teslas need an adapter to charge. In 2025, car makers will start making EVs with Tesla-backed NACS port instead of the CCS ports they currently use, making adapters unnecessary.
The R1S owner in this case decided not to wait for Rivian to ship him a Supercharger adapter, as the company is sending them in VIN order so he'd likely be at the bottom of the list. He instead purchased an aftermarket adapter on Amazon, "since I am impatient."
The charge ports on non-Teslas, meanwhile, are also in a different spot on the vehicle, meaning they may have to park parallel to a Supercharger, taking up two spots. That's what happened here; "I had no choice but to park in a way that blocks two stalls," according to the Rivian driver.
Ultimately, the Rivian owner's adapter didn't work, so he decided to leave and head to a nearby EVGo charger. That's when the Tesla driver confronted him. Trying to "steer the conversation towards a constructive dialogue only seemed to aggravate him further," so the Rivian driver got in his car and left. "As I drove away, I saw him angrily talking on the phone, presumably to an unfortunate 9-1-1 operator."
In an update to his post, the Rivian driver stressed that he is not disparaging Tesla or its community of owners.
"I believe there is a need for better education and communication within the EV community," he writes. "However, this specific incident highlights an extreme case of entitlement and reflects a broader issue. My hope is that this discussion can lead to a constructive dialogue about the future of EV charging, especially as more non-Teslas gain access to Superchargers."
He asked Tesla drivers if they had received any notification from Tesla about opening up Superchargers to non-Teslas. One Tesla owner confirmed they had not received any communication, but in their opinion, "one has to live in isolation not to know that Tesla has opened up [Superchargers] to just about everyone."
Others responded that they thought this type of conflict might happen and that it's "unwise" for Tesla to open chargers to other brands while keeping the "Tesla Charging Only" signs up.
The issue may crop up more and more in the coming months, with non-Teslas potentially overcrowding eligible stations or showing up at Superchargers that don't support non-Teslas. Tesla and the other brands are also aware of the charge port position issue, but have not said if and how it will be fixed.