Tesla has opened up part of its Supercharger charge point network to owners of electric vehicles (EV) produced by rival car manufacuring brands.

As part of a pilot scheme, Elon Musk's pioneering automotive brand has opened 15 Supercharger stations offering a total of 158 charge points to non-Tesla drivers across the UK.

Tesla Superchargers at Aberystwyth, Adderstone, Aviemore, Banbury, Birmingham St Andrews, Cardiff, Dundee, Flint, Folkestone Eurotunnel, Grays, Manchester Trafford Centre, Thetford, Trumpington, Uxbridge and Wokingham are all part of the pilot.

Tesla said: “Access to an extensive, convenient and reliable fast-charging network is critical for large-scale EV adoption. That’s why, since opening our first Superchargers in 2012, we have been committed to rapid expansion of the network. Today, we have more than 30,000 Superchargers worldwide."

Telsa owner Elon Musk, the world's richest man, recently launched a $44 billion takover bid for social media company Twitter. The Financial Times reported that the deal may have temporarily stalled as Musk demands information about fake accounts on the platform.

To make use of Tesla's Supercharger network EV drivers must sign-up to the brand's smartphone app.

Pricing is set at 60p per kWh, for non-Tesla owners, although a monthly subscription of £10.99 will provide cheaper rates.

Tesla's statement said: “Tesla drivers can continue to use these stations as they always have, and we will be closely monitoring each site for congestion and listening to customers about their experiences.

“More customers using the Supercharger network enables faster expansion. Our goal is to learn and iterate quickly, while continuing to aggressively expand the network, so we can eventually welcome both Tesla and non-Tesla drivers at every Supercharger worldwide.”

Last week Volkswagen chief executive Herbert Deiss said that Volkswagen Group’s race with Tesla to become the world’s leading electric vehicle (EV) producer by 2025 will be ‘tight’.

Deiss expressed surprise at the pace of growth achieved by Musk’s automotive brand as he addressed the Financial Times’ Future of the Car Summit.

Tesla registered 9,612 Model 3’s in December last year to end 2021 with a total of 34,783 new car registrations.

That figure was 183.5% more registrations than the AM Awards 2020 Car of the Year, the Kia e-Niro, which ended the year as the second most-selling EV.

And the growth has continued for Tesla. In March, registrations data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed that the Model Y and Model 3 had been the UK’s best-selling cars.

Diess said: “I didn’t expect our main US competitor’s growth to be so fast.”