Elon Musk touted plans to expand Tesla Inc’s Supercharger network just over a week after firing almost all of the roughly 500 people who ran the business.

Tesla will spend “well over” US$500 million on growing its network this year, Musk wrote on X, the social media network he owns. Ten days ago, he posted that the company planned to add chargers at a slower pace and focus more on uptime and existing locations.

Musk’s dismissal of virtually everyone in Tesla’s charging division late last month came as a shock both to customers and other carmakers starting to tap its network of plugs. The head of BP Plc’s electric-vehicle charging business in the US told Bloomberg this week that the oil major was eager to step in and work with any real estate partners the EV manufacturer had abandoned.

Musk’s turnabout is reminiscent of when the chief executive officer abruptly announced in early 2019 that Tesla would close most of its stores and shift sales almost completely online. Ten days later - after landlords refused to let the company out of its leases - Musk backtracked and announced Tesla would raise vehicle prices.

  - Bloomberg