(Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday praised the plan by Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk to open part of its electric vehicle charging network, saying the move is a “big deal” and will “make a big difference.”
The tweet is a sign of improving relationships between Biden and Musk, who previously complained about being ignored.
“In building our EV charging network, we have to ensure that as many chargers work for as many drivers as possible,” Biden said in a tweet. “To that end, @elonmusk will open a big part of @Tesla’s network up to all drivers. That’s a big deal, and it’ll make a big difference.”
In response to the tweet, Musk said, “Thank you, Tesla is happy to support other EVs via our Supercharger network.”
By late 2024, Tesla will open 7,500 new and existing Superchargers and Destination Chargers, the Biden administration said on Wednesday. The administration is set to spend $7.5 billion on expanding charging infrastructure and jump-start the adoption of electric vehicles.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles, Kanishka Singh in Washington and Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
