The Tesla Supercharging network became the biggest 150kW plus EV charging network in Europe last Wednesday, and now one enterprising classic car conversion business has grabbed the opportunity to try it out.
Tesla has been trialling the opening of access to its Supercharger network for some months now. It started in Norway, where EV uptake is the highest in the world. It then expanded to other European countries, including Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and France.
Last week, it added the UK, Spain, Sweden and Austria to the mix.
Now, Zero EV – a UK business that says it has converted 100 classic cars including Porsches and iconic MGs – has given the Tesla Supercharging network a whirl.
It’s certainly a sign of the times: a classic Porsche Boxster 986 charging at what is now Europe’s largest fast-charging network.
“Tesla just opened up their UK supercharging network to non Teslas. You know what that means?,” said Zero EV engineer Seb Smith on Linkedin.
“This converted Zero EV Porsche AG Boxster can charge its recycled Tesla battery cells with Tesla electrons once again! This is what proper #sustainability looks like….”
The business converted the vehicle in 2020, showcasing the conversion in a four-part series on Youtube. To convert the Boxster, they used a 36kWh Tesla battery pack, and added the ability for 11kW three-phase charging as well as 150kW CCS2 fast-charging. (Currently however, Zero EV tells us the charge rate is limited to 70kW.)
You can view Zero EV’s full Boxtser conversion video series starting with this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_SOP86n-PM
