DETROIT - Mr Elon Musk’s abrupt decision to lay off employees who ran Tesla’s electric vehicle (EV) charging business blindsided automakers gearing up to equip new EVs for customers to use the Tesla Supercharger network, industry officials and analysts said on April 30.

For now, General Motors (GM), Ford and other automakers that struck deals in 2023 to give customers access to the network said they are not changing their plans.

Tesla’s decision to open its network to rival EV manufacturers was hailed by US President Joe Biden and opened the door for Tesla to get federal subsidies to expand the reach of its North American Charging Standard (Nacs) system.

Mr Musk’s decision to dismiss the head of the business, Ms Rebecca Tinucci, and most or all of the staff that operated and maintained the system, according to two former employees and multiple postings on LinkedIn, left officials at automakers and Tesla suppliers uncertain about the future.

Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr Musk subsequently said on X that the carmaker still plans to expand the Supercharger network, “just at a slower pace for new locations and more focus on 100 per cent uptime and expansion of existing locations”.

Mr Andres Pinter, co-chief executive of Bullet EV Charging Solutions, a supplier to the network, said: “As contractors for the Supercharger network, my team woke up to a sharp kick in the pants this morning.”

“Tesla has already been awarded money under the federal government’s Nevi programme,” he added, referring to the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula programme to provide funding to states to deploy EV charging networks.

“There is no way Mr Musk would walk away from effectively free money. It may be possible Mr Musk will reconstitute the EV charger team in a bigger, badder, more Muskian way.”

GM and Ford, in separate statements, said they are not changing plans to equip their EVs with connectors that will allow drivers of Chevrolet, Cadillac or Ford brand EVs to recharge at Tesla stations.

“We have nothing new to announce regarding our plans,” GM said. “We are continuing to monitor the situation regarding changes to the Supercharger team and the potential impacts with no further comments or updates at this time.”

Nothing is off the table

Some industry executives and analysts said Mr Musk could have disbanded the existing Supercharger organisation to build a leaner and less expensive team to run the operations.

However, Mr Musk made clear in a call with analysts that he is focused on opportunities in artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomous robotaxis.

“In this layoff, nothing is off the table,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said. “Musk is trying to send a signal internally that the difficulty that Tesla is going through, they’re going to have to make tough decisions... it shows there is serious cost focus.”

Tesla last week reported lower first-quarter profits and its first quarterly revenue decline since 2021. Even after a surge over the past week, Tesla shares are down 22 per cent for 2024.

With sales of Tesla’s EVs falling and profit margins under increasing pressure, Mr Musk could be cutting the Supercharger network spending to conserve cash for other projects with more growth potential, analysts said.

“Tesla is looking to rightsize its (capital spending) and operating expenses over the next couple of years as the company is in a slower growth phase,” Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein said.

More traditional automakers might hang on to a business that promised steady revenue and near-continuous data exchanges with customers, analysts said. But Mr Musk could take a Silicon Valley entrepreneur’s view that charging is a legacy business that could be streamlined or even divested.

“My guess is now that the industry has adopted the Nacs standard, he views Supercharging less as a strategic moat and more as a cost centre,” said Mr K.C. Boyce, a vice-president at data analytics firm Escalent.

The Tesla Supercharger network could have significant value if Mr Musk wanted to sell it, analysts said. Rival US charging networks have struggled with reliability problems and do not have the scale or prime locations Tesla has locked in.

Seven large automakers, including BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis formed a joint venture called Ionna in 2023 to develop a fast-charging network to compete with the Tesla Supercharger network. REUTERS