Tesla is opening its facilities for non-Tesla vehicles and will start to charging third-party vehicles for its charging services in China, according to a recent report from Shanghaiist. It is reported that the company will start charging RMB15 per hour at its 1,300 charging stations in China.
Will it charge Tesla owners also?
CarTrek, the break disc and auto filter manufacturer, published a picture on its public account hinting that Tesla’s charging station in Beijing has already started charging a service fee. The notice is in Chinese and reads that the fee charged is RMB10 for utilities and RMB5 for services. “Our charging service is open to electric cars from any other brands,” is stated in the last line.
With Tesla charging third-party vehicles, there arises a question, Can Tesla do this for its own vehicles? As of now, it can be assumed that such a decision will be disastrous. Tesla, which caters to high-income bracket customers with its Model S, is also looking to offer a car for the masses, but if it starts charging a fee, it is doubted that the company will be able to achieve its goal. However, going forward, when the infrastructure is well in place, this could be tried. None of the traditional automakers provide free fuel for their cars.
Could things get better in China?
Tesla has installed 200 superchargers and 1,300 destination chargers, becoming the brand with the most extensive charging network in the country. The network consists of Beijing, the Beijing-Shanghai Line, the Pearl River delta, the Yangtze River delta and Tiajin.
China is one of the most significant markets for Tesla. Even though the company was thrilled when entering China, its business didn’t start off as well as expected, falling short of the company’s goals. However, Tesla has increased its investments there, and the Chinese government is also taking up new initiatives to encourage the use of green cars in the country.
Reports say that Tesla is installing one supercharger per month in the country. In the first quarter of 2015, Musk said that even though there is a lot of work to do, some positive signs of orders are already visible.
Update: The article has been edited to correct statements that previously gave out incorrect information.
