Tesla's Chargers Have Been Removed from NJ Turnpike, and EV Drivers May Suffer the Consequences | Carscoops

      New Jersey has decided not to renew its contract with Tesla for charging services along the Turnpike and will instead opt for a much smaller brand, Applegreen.

      The state’s cancellation of Tesla’s charging agreement was made with little public rationale. Applegreen was chosen despite having a significantly lesser number of charging stations and higher electricity prices.

      Tesla has already installed 116 chargers off the Turnpike and remains open to discussions with state authorities.

      Electric vehicle owners in New Jersey might need to reconsider their charging habits. A significant change is occurring on the New Jersey Turnpike involving a company that is closely associated with EV charging.

      The Turnpike authority is not extending its contract with Tesla, opting instead to implement chargers from Applegreen. This decision could potentially lead to higher costs and challenges for New Jersey residents, yet Tesla seems prepared for any outcome.

      Rather than being announced by the state, Tesla revealed this transition on Friday. “The New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) has selected a sole third-party charging provider for the New Jersey Turnpike, which means we cannot co-locate. Consequently, NJTA requested that 64 existing Supercharger stalls on the New Jersey Turnpike not be renewed and be decommissioned,” the company stated on X.

      A Smaller Network with Elevated Prices

      Tesla indicated that it provided the state with “above-market commercial terms” and offered access for all EVs in an effort to continue the contract. They also planned to construct more stations and upgrade current ones with screens and CCS1 ‘magic docks’. Nonetheless, the state declined and instead chose Applegreen for the foreseeable future, which is an intriguing choice given that Applegreen's network is significantly smaller than Tesla's.

      Currently, in the United States, Applegreen operates in only a few states including New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and has only a limited number of stations in New Jersey. Elon Musk even suggested that "corruption" may have influenced the choice. Even after installing the planned chargers, the situation might still be worse for many drivers.

      Importantly, analysis from InsideEVs indicates that this may not benefit consumers. “Superchargers along the NJ Turnpike range from $0.20 to $0.45 per kWh, depending on the time of day. Applegreen, however, charges between $0.35 to $0.59,” they observed.

      If these prices remain, drivers might pay more to charge their vehicles than they did previously. It’s possible that the state may stand to benefit financially from this new deal, although the NJTA has not released any public statements to confirm or elaborate on this.

      Tesla Moving Forward

      Despite this situation, Tesla claims it anticipated this outcome and has independently offset the loss of 64 charging bays by adding 116 stalls off the Turnpike. Notably, this may not be the conclusion of the matter. Tesla expressed its willingness to negotiate should New Jersey authorities reconsider their decision.

      “We are still prepared to invest in New Jersey Turnpike sites if the NJTA or Governor Murphy choose to reverse this decision. Otherwise, we will continue to expand the best charging infrastructure off the Turnpike to support EV drivers in New Jersey,” the automaker stated. In an area where charging infrastructure can be unreliable, this could represent a backward step. Only time will reveal the outcome.