Tesla opening Supercharger network to other EVs — but it’s not what you think.

This is not the first time Tesla has optioned its Supercharger network to other EVs. Yeah, yeah, I know there’s new episodes of Sex Education and Money Heist — I’ll get to them, uh, soon! Promise! But Netflix already has a feature that reminds you to get back to watching a show you started.

Like gas stations, EV charging stations need to be universal, or the headache of buying an electric car won’t be worth it to many buyers. But you don’t have to choose; the algorithm does it for you. I didn’t expect Play Something to be perfect and find exactly what would suit my mood in a particular moment within one or two recommendations. None of these suggestions are egregiously out of step with my preferences. Here are the 15 Play Something offerings I got: But "Exciting TV Shows" seems overly broad.

One evening, I fired up Netflix and selected the Play Something option. After what seems like hours (or maybe decades) later, I still can’t frackin’ pick a title. Elon Musk also responded to YouTuber MKBHD in December of 2020 as to why other automotive manufacturers haven’t taken Tesla up on the offer to use its Supercharger network. And I write a weekly "what to watch this weekend" guide!

This should be easy for me! I start internally arguing about whether Start Up can truly be considered a "Familiar TV Favorite" or puzzling over why Criminal Minds is in the "Award-Winning TV Shows" category. It’s a classic case of choice paralysis — which is where Play Something should step in. If America does plan on leading the EV future, then chargers that can work with all electric cars will be necessary. In general, though, my Play Something results indicate that it’s less of a discovery tool and more of a reminder to catch up on shows I’ve fallen behind on.

My initial expectation of Play Something was that it would serve as a kind of discovery mode — like Netflix’s version of my article on shows and movies to watch after Squid Game. Netflix is massive and needs better discovery. Musk responded by saying, "They are, although it’s kind low-key. Tesla opening Supercharger network to other EVs — but it’s not what you think.

At the moment, Tesla has over 25,000 Superchargers with over 2,700 stations around the world. It’s called "Continue Watching" (and I hate it). I suppose I also can’t really fault Netflix for not realizing if I’ve watched shows elsewhere, on broadcast, cable or another streaming service (though an I’ve Watched This Already" button would be neat).

Tesla Superchargers are being made accessible to other electric cars." This might seem familiar to you: I’m sitting on my couch, aimlessly scrolling through Netflix. It’s a sort of shuffle function that literally does what its name says — it plays something! Not completely randomly, but based on the tastes and preferences expressed by your past viewing history. For instance, while I viewed the first five seasons of Schitt’s Creek on Netflix, I tuned into Pop TV for the final installment.

I tried Netflix’s Play Something feature — and the results surprised me. Only the fifteenth offering, On the Verge, was new to me (I had heard about Julie Delpy’s series, but it had escaped my mind). I was pretty skeptical of it when it launched. The fact is, Netflix has so . much . stuff.

Grey’s Anatomy (previously watched elsewhere) You (currently watching) Great British Baking Show (currently watching) Sex Education (currently watching) Schitt’s Creek (previously watched elsewhere) Shameless (previously https://jiji.ug/central-division watched elsewhere) Seinfeld (previously watched elsewhere) Lucifer (not interested) The Blacklist (not interested) Midnight Mass (not interested) My Unorthodox Life (watched on Netflix) Money Heist (currently watching) Chicago Med (not interested) Love on the Spectrum (currently watching) On the Verge (new to me!) I’ve had friends talk excitedly about a Netflix show that I’ve never even heard of — and that’s literally my job. Those rows can actually make my indecision worse. Germany’s Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said he’s been in talks with Tesla for such a deal. The themed rows on my Netflix home screen aren’t particularly helpful. "Futuristic Sci-Fi," sure. "Because you watch [insert title]," understandable.

Instead, it’s added a different kind of anxiety to the Netflix experience. I either had already watched something, was in the middle of watching it or I wasn’t interested. According to council meeting notes from Vestland county in Norway, as obtained by Electrek , Tesla is open to expanding its Supercharger network to other EVs in exchange for economic incentives. "The administration recommends that Vestland County Municipality take note that the benefit can be removed if the conditions are not met." I add it to My List or make a mental note, then keep scrolling in case I find something even better to watch among the zillions of other programs. The best Netflix shows to binge right now Here’s what’s new on Netflix this month Plus: Netflix canceled shows in 2021 — these shows are ending. It took 15 skips to discover a title that was new to me.

I was one of millions of people who saw Seinfeld during its first run on NBC. Plus, it wasn’t (and still isn’t) available on Netflix’s Apple TV app so I forgot about it. But I had hoped it might at least somewhat relieve my decision paralysis.

The size of its library is unfathomable. I examine my List, peruse the various rows vertically and horizontally and tab through the Movies and TV shows section. To cure the indecision blues of people like me, Netflix rolled out Play Something earlier this year. The results weren’t at all what I imagined.

And "Mood Boosters?" Whatever. Still, the sheer breadth and depth of the programming makes discovery extremely difficult on your own. Should you wake up and choose chaos, aka Netflix’s Play Something? Just don’t expect this openness to translate to the U.S. yet.

For Tesla to be eligible for government incentives in Norway, it needs to ensure Superchargers are available for the entire public. To be fair, Netflix explains that Play Something will deliver: a brand new series or film, a series or film you’re already watching, a series or film on your list, or an unfinished series or film you may want to revisit. Tesla’s Supercharger network is one of the biggest advantages Elon Musk has when competing with the likes of Ford, Mercedes and Audi in the EV space.

Even when I do find something that looks interesting, I don’t start playing it immediately. But if Tesla doesn’t fulfill its promise to make Superchargers available to all cars, Norway is willing to rescind those benefits. "In the application, Tesla describes the relevant charging stations will nevertheless be publicly available from the third quarter of 2022," per the Vestland county meeting minutes as translated by Google Translate. "The administration considers that the charging stations for which benefits have been applied for will then be eligible for the scheme, provided that the benefits paid out after Tesla opens the charging offer for all car brands no later than the end of September 2022." Given that Tesla made the initial investment in its Supercharger network, it’s not totally surprising that the company would like some government incentives to offset that initial cost. The best electric cars right now Plus: Tesla Model S Plaid does 0-60 in ‘just’ 2.59 seconds — what’s going on? It takes time to process what title is playing, hit next, see the new program queue up, and so on. Well, it seems that in Norway, Tesla is changing its tune on Supercharger exclusivity.

I do have plans to rewatch it on Netflix at some point, so it’s an understandable suggestion. Like, "Hey, we know you like this thing, so here’s this other thing you’ve never seen that’s similar." But while I was testing the Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus, I noticed the Play Something option and decided to give it a shot. One out of 15 isn’t a great track record, though, if you want to use Play Something to find gems you don’t already know about. At the moment, Tesla is wanting to build five Supercharger stations in Vestland county.

About 1,200 stations are located in the U.S. By comparison, Electrify America has 500 stations. At that point, it’s taking nearly as much time as scrolling. As you can see, the majority of them are shows I’ve watched or am in the middle of watching.

Given that Tesla was early in the electric car race, it had to aggressively build out its own Supercharger network to incentivize people to buy its cars. "I am in direct contact with manufacturers such as Tesla in order to ensure that the existing infrastructure, for example Tesla Supercharger, is also opened up to other manufacturers," said Scheur in an interview with German newspaper Osnabrücker Zeitung. Although, as noted by Electrek, it’s easier for universal charging at Supercharger networks in Europe as Tesla employs the CCS standard for charging, unlike the proprietary connector used in the U.S. Maybe if I was the type of person to wake up and choose chaos, Play Something would be perfect.

But Tesla hasn’t been as bullish in allowing other EV makers to use its Supercharger network, potentially hindering overall EV adoption. Netflix’s algorithm has its limits.