SAIC-GM, a joint venture between China’s SAIC Motor and America’s General Motors, has just announced that it will officially gain access to Tesla’s Supercharger network in China as early as the end of the year.
According to the press release, this new partnership advances SAIC-GM’s position as the first-ever Chinese brand to have a charging network interconnection cooperation with Tesla’s local arm.
Partnership details
This strategic partnership will enable Ultium-based Cadillac and Buick electric vehicles to enjoy Tesla’s enormous and reliable Supercharging and destination stations in China by late 2023.
SAIC-GM also indicated plans to provide its owners access to real-time data to determine the availability of Tesla Superchargers via their mobile apps. It will also offer convenient charging services, including charging session management and payment.
Tesla China’s Supercharging network
Teslarati noted that Tesla currently operates over 1,800 Supercharger stations with a total of 11,000 stalls in China under its Supercharging network.
Apart from these, Tesla China has also deployed more than 700 destination charging stations with 2,000+ stalls.
Tesla’s enormous number of electric vehicle chargers will undoubtedly aid SAIC-GM owners, especially those who often struggle with range anxiety.
It is worth noting that Tesla initially opened its Supercharger network exclusively to its EV owners. It changed in April when the Musk-led company decided to launch the non-Tesla Supercharging pilot program.
A WeChat post suggested the pilot program enabled non-Tesla model owners to charge from 10 Supercharging and 120 DC stations made available for them.
SAIC-GM’s own charging network development
Remarkably, SAIC-GM has also been working on its own charging network for its local customers. So far, the brand has already deployed 52 charging stations with 246 charging stalls. It has also launched 9 Autoneng Airport Charging Service Centers in different airports since October.
In addition, the Chinese joint venture also partnered with six EV charging companies to secure access to over 500,000 chargers nationwide.
All these initiatives are part of SAIC-GM’s strategy to guarantee a “multi-level and high-quality charging network” that meets the driving needs of its EV owners. Its partnership with Tesla China for the popular Supercharging network will significantly aid the brand in boosting its sales and deliveries in the coming years.
Street Insider reported that TSLA share increased by 2.19%, while GM grew 1.30% in afternoon trading on Friday.
