Elon Musk has reportedly laid off hundreds of people from Tesla's electric vehicle charging team, following media reports that the company's expansion of its Supercharger network will slow down.
According to media reports, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on social media platform X that the company still plans to expand its Supercharger network, but the speed of new locations will slow down, and more attention will be paid to achieving 100% normal operating time and expanding existing locations.
Musk also answered a question from a Tesla owner on the future development of a Supercharger station under construction in Montana on X. "It will definitely open," Musk wrote. "The under-construction sites will be completed, and we will add Superchargers wherever there is a gap."
Before Musk made these comments, The Information reported that Musk had fired Rebecca Tinucci, Tesla's senior director of charging infrastructure, and up to 500 of her team members. Online media Electrek also reported the layoffs, citing internal emails from Tesla.
In addition, The Information reported that Musk had fired Daniel Ho, the head of Tesla's car project.
Tesla's Supercharger station infrastructure is the largest public fast-charging network in the United States. After reaching an agreement last year, Tesla is opening its charging network to more than a dozen competitors. Tesla's decision to lay off employees specifically responsible for expanding and maintaining its supercharging network has raised concerns among analysts, who believe that charging infrastructure is crucial for consumer adoption of electric vehicles. Some of the fired Tesla employees also expressed similar concerns on social media.
EVAdoption CEO Loren McDonald said, "The real unknown is who will maintain these chargers. Who will monitor everything and send out trucks when repairs are needed?"
According to consumer surveys by J.D. Power and other institutions, Tesla has the largest and most reliable supercharging network in the United States.
Chargeway CEO Matt Teske said, "A glaring fact is that North American electric vehicle development has relied on Tesla's leadership for nearly 20 years." He said that if Tesla could no longer maintain its leading position in the public charging field, it could harm the entire electric vehicle industry.
Analysts say that pure electric vehicle sales in the US are facing pressure due to high prices and concerns about range and charging infrastructure. The slowdown in the expansion of the supercharging network is also a major blow.
Teske said, "The supercharging network is the core reason why Tesla cars are the most effective replacement for gasoline cars." Tesla's recent layoff move does not seem like a well-considered brand and product development strategy.
