As EVs become a larger and larger part of our lives, there’s naturally more competition in the marketplace. No, I’m not just talking about the sheer number of new EV makers out there. I’m also talking about charging. Outside of Tesla’s proprietary Supercharger network, Americans increasingly have more choice in where they charge. However, for now, there’s really only one manufacturer who’s really figured it out. I’ll give you three guesses.

Tesla’s Supercharger is the best EV charger

You probably cheated and used the pictures to figure it out, but that’s ok. Tesla’s Supercharger is without a doubt the best EV charger. Let’s start with availability. Currently, per Tesla, there’s more than 25,000 Superchargers globally. That is of course, a lot. A quick glance at their website shows a map that looks more like cell phone coverage than charger availability.

That’s a good thing, as range anxiety is still very much a problem for much of America, specifically more rural parts. I cannot think of another company that has put the resources Tesla has into developing a proprietary charging network. For a while, that was a little bit of a downer for non-Tesla owners looking to use the EV charger. However, that will soon be changing.

The Supercharger network is becoming more accessable

According to Elon Musk himself, Tesla Superchargers will become more like standard EV chargers later this year. Soon, Musk says you won’t need a Tesla-built adapter to charge at one of the brand’s chargers. Obviously, that’s good news given the size of the network other EV owners could soon have access to. Frankly, we need a standard, federally mandated EV charger plug.

It’s honestly absurd that automakers are going around each trying to make their own iPhone charger for EVs. It’s time to bend the knee and stick to one layout. Given the popularity of Teslas, maybe it’s best if the brand make the plug type open-source, so that other brands can make their own. Honestly, that plan seems very on-brand for Musk. We’ll have to wait and see if I get an email later. You can also thank me later if it happens.

Tesla needs the Supercharger to stay on top

However, it isn’t just accesability and usability that makes the Supercharger the best. As the name implies, they charge pretty fast. Tesla says 15 minutes at a Supercharger will get you 200 miles of range. That’s roughly equivalent to a fuel stop, plus or minus a few minutes. Honestly, the speed alone is what makes the Supercharger so great. Now we just need standard charging sockets, right Elon?