The Morning After: Tesla’s ‘open’ Supercharger network

When Tesla first launched its network of Supercharger stations, they were just for Teslas. But with increasing rival EVs, demand for charging station access has steadily risen, prompting Tesla to begin opening its existing charger network to third-party EVs.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted last year that the company's open-access Supercharger pilot program — already in 13 European countries — would head to the US.

Now, InsideEVs spotted in a recent White House fact sheet that open chargers could arrive by the end of the year: “Later this year, Tesla will begin production of new Supercharger equipment that will enable non-Tesla EV drivers in North America to use Tesla Superchargers.”. To access it, American EV owners will need to use the latest Tesla app and select the Charge Your Non-Tesla option from the menu.

The challenge will be ensuring interoperability. While open superchargers are operating in more than a dozen countries in Europe, only some stations are actually available to non-owners. Only in the Netherlands is every Supercharger open access. 

For compatibility in North America, Tesla will need to install adapters at its stations to get around the company's own proprietary charging plug, as well as consider the software interactions between the charger and non-Tesla EVs.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

• Roku's Streambar drops to $90 ahead of Prime Day

• Human Horizons' next China-only EV will come with a robotic arm and light curtains

• Former Theranos COO Sunny Balwani found guilty of all charges

• EU will require all new cars to include anti-speeding tech by 2024

• Netflix starts using new Ambeo spatial audio tech from Sennheiser

• North Korean hackers are using ransomware to attack healthcare providers

• NBA 2K23's $150 Championship Edition includes a year of NBA League Pass

ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 review

When are two screens better than one?

Engadget

ASUS’ ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 is the latest push from the laptop maker to make dual-screen laptops happen. And it’s getting there. According to Engadget’s Sam Rutherford, this is an innovative option if you want to maximize screen space in a laptop, with a 16-inch main panel and a 14-inch secondary display. The main downsides include weak battery life, a somewhat bulky chassis and a high price. The costs of an extra screen.

Continue reading.

Hydrow made a smaller and cheaper smart rowing machine

It still aims for the same close-to-realistic rowing experience as the original.

Hydrow

When it debuted back in 2019, Hydrow’s creators said they were building the Peloton of smart rowing machines. Now, the company is unveiling its second-generation ergometer, Hydrow Wave, with a lower price and a smaller footprint.

Continue reading.

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ cements its first season with a strong finale

‘A Quality of Mercy’ takes us to tomorrow’s Enterprise.

We’re living in the age of the prequel, says Engadget’s Dan Cooper. Ever since Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was announced, it was blighted by this same hard stop, one dictated back in November 1966: Captain Pike’s fate in the original Star Trek series. How does the latest show deal with that? 

Warning: Significant spoilers ahead.

Continue reading.

VW is getting into the EV battery business

It's committing $20 million and building its own factory in Germany.

Volkswagen Group held a groundbreaking at the site of its forthcoming EV battery cell plant in Salzgitter, Germany, and announced the formation of a new company, PowerCo, responsible for the VW Group's burgeoning battery business. PowerCo will handle the group's global battery activities, from producing the batteries themselves to conducting R&D on new battery technologies to "products such as major storage systems for the energy grid," according to the announcement.

Continue reading.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch5 leaked

The leak shows every angle of the new wearable.

A leak from 91Mobiles shows two new Samsung wearables, apparently confirming a higher-end Pro model that will top the range. That unit, codenamed Project X, will come in black or gray titanium. The vanilla Watch5, meanwhile, will supplant the Watch4 as the more fitness-focused device in the lineup. Much like its predecessor, it’ll apparently have two case sizes and the option of an LTE modem, as well as a far broader variety of colors to choose from.

Continue reading.

from Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics https://ift.tt/WXgEepN