Mercedes-Benz Is 'Assessing' if Tesla Layoffs Will Delay Supercharger Access

Mercedes EVs are in line to access Tesla's Supercharger network, but the brand is currently evaluating how layoffs at Elon Musk's company will impact the rollout for Mercedes drivers.

"We are currently assessing how Tesla's latest announcements may affect our plans," a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson tells PCMag. "We assume that Tesla will fulfill its contractual obligations [and] we continue to aim for Mercedes-Benz customers to have access to Tesla Superchargers in North America later this year (2024)."

Last month, Musk laid off the entire Supercharger team as part of a larger workforce reduction that hit about 10% of employees.

Ford and Rivian are currently the only brands that can power up at Tesla stations. General Motors, Polestar, and Volvo were scheduled to get access in "spring 2024," according to the Tesla website, but the seasons have changed, and they're still waiting.

In the past few weeks, Tesla changed the site verbiage from "spring 2024" to "Coming soon" and added Mercedes-Benz to the list. If everything goes according to plan, all EVs will be able to use the Supercharger network by early 2025.

For now, non-Teslas plug in with an adapter (distribution of which has been more difficult than anticipated). After 2025, automakers will build new vehicles with the Tesla-backed NACS port, abandoning CCS and removing the need to convert the plug tip.

For Germany-based Mercedes-Benz, trouble at Tesla will only impact US drivers. "For Europe, Tesla's announcement will have no impact," it says. "The decision to switch our electric vehicle range to the NACS connector relates only to the North American market."

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Mercedes is also building out its own Mercedes-Benz Charging Network. The first stations came online in Q4 2023. Mercedes plans to have 10,000 stations worldwide by the end of the decade, with 2,500 chargers across the US by 2030. They are open to all EV brands and use 100% renewable energy.

"We are still sticking to the expansion plans for our global charging infrastructure," Mercedes says. "We strongly believe that this initiative will play a crucial role in the transition from combustion engines to electric vehicles."