A move by Elon Musk to lay off the department behind Tesla's electric vehicle chargers this week has touched off concerns in the auto industry that EVs from other automakers will have trouble joining Tesla's network.Several leaders of Tesla's Supercharger team posted social media messages saying they were told Monday night that entire group of about 500 had been laid off by CEO Musk, who seemed to confirm the move in a posting Tuesday on X, the social media site he now owns.
Expanding access to the network, which previously had been accessible only to Tesla owners, also helped to allay fears that there weren't enough charging stations for EV owners to travel without running out of juice. The industry also switched to Tesla's charging plug, which now has become the standard.