Tesla Supercharger Stations Will Be Charging More Than Just Your Car in 2017
Tesla’s free Supercharger network was one of the best parts of being a Tesla owner. Free electricity and the lofty social status that comes with EV ownership? What’s not to like? Well, the the company just announced it’s about to make a “change to the economics of Supercharging.”
After issuing emails urging customers to stop hogging the network last year, Tesla has decided only to allow certain early adopters to make use of the fast-juicing power grid free of charge. Meanwhile, all customers purchasing vehicles after January 2017 will have to pay up.
The plan for Tesla’s upcoming Model 3 never included free Supercharging. Its $35,000 price wasn’t designed to encompass a no-fee, fast-charging fill-up at Supercharger stations. However, Musk had said that Model S and X owners already pay for the privilege, as the charging fee was built into the purchase price of their vehicles.
Will higher-end models purchased after the new year come with a reduced price tag to account for the new supercharging fee?
It doesn’t sound like it. Instead, Tesla is offering customers who buy vehicles after the January 1 cutoff 400 kWh of free Supercharging credits each year — essentially, a limited gas card.
While current Model S or X owners can continue to enjoy free electricity, any customer who orders a Tesla after the New Year will have to pay “a small fee” when using a Supercharger station. The size of the fee is unknown.
“We will release the details of the program later this year, and while prices may fluctuate over time and vary regionally based on the cost of electricity, our Supercharger Network will never be a profit center,” the company wrote in a blog post.
Tesla says the new fees will help fund the continued expansion of the Supercharger network.
The company has said before that Supercharger stations were meant to be used primarily for longer trips, instead of as a routine charging solution. Tesla reiterated this in its announcement by stating its preference for customers to charge their cars during off-hours at work or home, just like a cell phone.
So, this Supercharging fee is basically the cup of coffee you have to buy at Starbucks to plug-in your mobile device when you’re out of the office but not yet home for the evening.
A larger network of extremely quick charging stations would be invaluable to people wanting to take their electric vehicle on a road trip. However, the idea of having to pay makes this now seem less like a futuristic utopia and more like a gas station where you linger for an extra thirty minutes.
[Image: Tesla]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Not even "mostly" if you just bothered to read the Tesla announcement. All current Tesla owners and any who buy before Jan 1, '17 will still get unlimited recharging as long as they pay for the feature on purchase. After the New Year, all NEW Supercharger-accessible models will receive the approximate equivalent of 1,000 miles •per year• of free charging, which should meet most owners' needs, if not wants. The intent is to stop the abuse of the Supercharger network by those who choose not to charge at home or work while still offering suitable long-range discounts for the average once-per-year vacation trip.
While perhaps economically sound, I won't exactly be headhunting the marketing men who recommend treating new customers belonging to the Tesla S/X class as inferior, in any way, to those who came before them.