“Supercharging has helped owners drive their Tesla’s around the world,” reads the press release from the Californian company. Beneath the veneer of a seemingly benign bit of press fodder, lies a marked change in one of Tesla’s headlining services: For Tesla electric vehicles (EV) ordered in the new year, Supercharging will no longer be offered as a completely free charging solution.
The changes will new Tesla owners credited with 400kWh of “free Supercharging credits" every year, which they estimate will power their vehicles for about 1,600 kilometres. Should owners require more than that from the Supercharger network, Tesla will charge a “small fee,” which they say "will be charged incrementally,” but will still cost less than running a conventional car on fuel.
The release does not go into the charges and fees entailed, but this sees the first significant change to the Supercharger business model since it was introduced four years ago. Hailed as one of the greatest single advancements in electric mobility, the Tesla Supercharger boasts worlds’ best charging times, with 274km range achievable with just a half-hour charge. With 734 Tesla-built stations, the Supercharger network is a huge investment for Tesla, and the move to a pay-as-you-use structure was predicted since the launch of the hotly-anticipated Model 3.
Early adopters need not fear though, as Tesla reassures current owners that they will continue to enjoy the Supercharger free-of-charge, and this offer should last the lifetime of their cars. Despite this shift in the business model, a Forbes report says that it shouldn’t hamper sales too much, especially as the Model 3 nears its scheduled mid-2017 production date with overwhelming consumer response. It is understood that the new fee structure will likely fund a rapid expansion of the Supercharger network, pushing EV infrastructure to a whole new level.
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