Tesla Opens Free Supercharging to All EVs Amid France and Spain Wildfires

France (Gironde / Bordeaux region):

• Arès
• Biganos
• Mérignac
• Bordeaux Lac
• Bègles

Spain (Valencia / Madrid region):

• Castellón
• Sagunto
• Fuenlabrada
• Majadahonda

Drivers can navigate to these stations using their vehicle display, the Tesla app, or Google Maps .

Who Is Eligible?

The offer is not restricted to Tesla owners. Any EV driver — including those driving non-Tesla electric vehicles — can charge for free at the listed stations during the relief window . This is possible because those European Superchargers are already part of Tesla's open network for compatible CCS-enabled EVs .

What Is the Timeframe?

The free charging period runs:

• Start: Midnight (local time), July 29, 2026
• End: Midnight (local time), August 5, 2026

This is a one-week window .

Tesla's Precedent for Disaster Response

Tesla has a long-standing pattern of activating free Supercharging during natural disasters, but the 2026 initiative goes further by including non-Tesla EVs:

• 2018 California wildfires — Tesla sent in-car notices to owners in affected areas offering free Supercharging to facilitate evacuation .
• 2018 Hurricane Florence (U.S. East Coast) — Free Supercharging was activated for evacuees, and Tesla remotely extended the range of some vehicles to help people flee the storm path .
• 2021 European floods — Tesla provided free Supercharging in countries severely affected by flooding .
• 2022 Ukraine crisis — Tesla enabled free Supercharging for both Tesla and non-Tesla vehicles at sites in Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary near the Ukrainian border .
• 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake (Japan) — Free Supercharging was offered for one week across Superchargers in Niigata, Ishikawa, Toyama, and Fukui prefectures .

The 2026 France/Spain wildfire initiative follows this template but reflects the maturation of Tesla's open-charging strategy in Europe, where the company now extends humanitarian charging access to all EV drivers, not just its own customers.

Broader Context: The Wildfires in France and Spain

Scale of Evacuations

The July 2026 wildfires triggered one of the largest evacuation operations in modern European history. By July 27–28, the EU reported more than 300,000 people displaced across France and Spain . Al Jazeera put the figure at over 325,000 . The hardest-hit area is France's Gironde department, where more than 220,000 people were evacuated, with flames creeping toward Bordeaux .

Key evacuation milestones:

• July 24: Spain declared a national emergency for the first time over wildfires, as merged fires near Madrid and Ávila displaced roughly 60,000 people; France ordered the total evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula, with about 63,000 evacuated from coastal tourist areas .
• July 25: More than 166,000 total across both countries; French President Macron ordered military support and sought EU help, calling it the worst wildfire France has ever seen .
• July 26: Gironde evacuations surged past 220,000 as 1,400 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel, and 1,700 security forces were deployed in southwestern France .
• July 27: A further 55,000 evacuated overnight in southwest France, bringing the total across France and Spain past 300,000 .

Damage

• Burnt area: At least 80,000 hectares have been scorched across both countries, according to Euronews . Spain alone had burned 119,458 hectares as of July 22, according to Copernicus data .
• Structures destroyed: In France, multiple fires around Bordeaux destroyed over 50 homes and at least one campsite . More than 80 homes were destroyed in southern France according to UN reporting . Euronews later reported at least 240 homes completely destroyed near Bordeaux .
• Human cost: Two firefighters died in France and another died in Italy while working to tackle wildfires .
• Economic impact: The fires disrupted peak summer tourism across the Atlantic coast, wine country near Bordeaux, and areas surrounding Madrid .

EU Emergency Response

The European Union activated its Civil Protection Mechanism at the request of both France and Spain . Deployed assets include:

• To France: 7 firefighting planes and 4 helicopters from Czechia, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, and Türkiye; most of these aircraft are part of the rescEU firefighting fleet .
• To Spain: 6 firefighting planes from Greece, Italy, and Türkiye, as well as 134 emergency personnel and 41 vehicles from Portugal .
• Personnel: France deployed 1,400 firefighters, 1,500 military personnel, and 1,700 security forces in Gironde alone .

Spain's declaration of a national emergency was the first of its kind in the country's history over wildfires . France called the fires the worst in the nation's history and ordered military reinforcements .

Causes

A summer of extreme heat, drought, and strong winds set the conditions. The New York Times described a "summer of extremes" that dried out forests and created fire-prone conditions across southwestern Europe .