According to institutional data, Tesla's large-scale layoff in April of this year has significantly slowed down the expansion of the Supercharging Network.

According to EVAdoption, an electric vehicle analysis company, the number of new Tesla Supercharger stations in the United States decreased by about 28% from May to August this year compared to the same period last year. In the first 8 months of this year, the number of new charging stations decreased by 11% compared to the same period last year. However, during this time, Tesla has received a large amount of funding from the US government to encourage the construction of new energy vehicle infrastructure, receiving about $37 million in public funding to build 88 Supercharger stations in the United States.

Among the companies that received the most funding from the US federal government for expanding the electric vehicle charging network and promoting electric vehicles, Tesla is one of them. Some of the funds were allocated through state government projects after the layoffs in April.

For example, in July, Tesla received $1.8 million from the state of Maryland to install fast charging stations that can complete a quick charge in 30 minutes (according to the Tesla official website, Supercharging can allow the car to travel up to 200 miles, about 322 kilometers, after charging for 15 minutes). In August, Tesla also received $2.9 million to install six charging stations in Arizona.

Despite continuous government support, the expansion of Tesla's Supercharging Network has significantly slowed down in the past three months. Some media believe that this is because the layoffs in April led to the disbandment of the team responsible for new electric vehicle charging points and stations.

An article from WallStreet.cn mentioned in early May that Tesla CEO Elon Musk suddenly disbanded the entire Supercharger team, from executives to sales staff and on-site construction supervisors, immediately after his visit to China in April. This affected hundreds of employees globally, including Rebecca Tinucci, the Global Supercharger Senior Director who had been with Tesla for six years.

The article mentioned that Musk's unexpected layoff has caused confusion and turmoil in the entire industry. In mid-April, Mike Snyder, the head of Tesla's Supercharger Megapack business, revealed in an internal email that Musk believed the Supercharger network was crucial to Tesla's future. The layoff undoubtedly left many companies confused and worried about their cooperation with Tesla in the construction of charging stations, as they had no knowledge of Tesla's future plans in the Supercharger field.

Tesla has been a leader in the construction of electric vehicle charging networks in the United States for many years. In 2012, it launched the first batch of supercharging stations and built the most extensive and capable charging network in the United States in just a few years. Currently, there are over 6,200 charging stations worldwide. Tesla's Supercharging network is the only national charging network in the United States and is considered a key factor in promoting public acceptance of electric vehicles. If Tesla were to significantly reduce its investment in this area, the development of the entire U.S. electric vehicle market would suffer a major setback.

In early May, there were reports that shortly after firing nearly 500 members of the Supercharger team, Tesla began rehiring these employees. The first batch of rehired employees included high-level executives such as Max de Zegher, the Director of North American Charging Operations.

In May, Musk stated that Tesla plans to invest over $0.5 billion this year to establish thousands of new charging stations and enhance the charging network. He said that this funding only covers the cost of establishing and expanding new stations, and does not include operating costs, which are much higher. Some comment that Musk is trying to assure customers that Tesla will continue to provide Supercharging services, but the speed of new station construction may slow down.

Editor/Lambor