Electric car company Tesla will stop offering unlimited free use of its Supercharger Network starting January 1, 2017. New customers will only receive 400 kWh of supercharging credits with their Tesla car purchase. Afterwards, they will have to pay a minimal fee in order to use the company's impressive network of Supercharger stations.
Carscoops.com reported that 400 kWh is equivalent to about 1,000 miles of free charging. "Beyond that, there will be a small fee to Supercharge which will be charged incrementally and cost less than the price of filling up a comparable gas car," the article quoted the company's statement. It added: "All cars will continue to come standard with the on-board hardware required for Supercharging."
The new rule applies only to Tesla models ordered from January 1, 2017. Cars ordered earlier and claimed by April 1, 2017, will also not be covered by the policy. According to Tesla, they will be reinvesting in their Supercharger network and expanding growth, especially with the impending release of the Tesla Model 3.
The Tesla statement explained that the full details of the Supercharger program will be released in the next few weeks. The company maintains that the Supercharger Network will not be used to rake in profits. However, fees may fluctuate from time to time and may vary depending on the cost of electricity in different areas.
Accelerating the growth of our Supercharger network for current & future Tesla owners https://t.co/jSgjebWkVw
— Tesla (@TeslaMotors) November 7, 2016
The Tesla Supercharger Network was launched on 2012. It allows Tesla vehicles to plug into any of the 4605 charging points for free. Each 30-minute charge extends the electric car's battery charge for another 200 to 300 miles per hour. It's as easy and convenient as pumping gas into a car, but is free to use for life -until this announcement.
Forbes.com underscored the importance of the Tesla Supercharger Networks. It allows electric cars to travel great distances, even different parts of the globe. It is important to note though, that Tesla cars can be charged from anywhere - like a smartphone, when it is not in use. Unfortunately, Tesla car owners favored using the Tesla Supercharger stations instead of leaving their homes with their electric vehicles fully charged.
