In a post on its website yesterday, Tesla finally revealed the charges all its new buyers will be required to pay to use its high-speed charging network. Late last year, the EV firm announced the change that all new vehicles purchased after January 15 or delivered after April 15 will be affected by this decision.
Pricing to vary by state and country
The pricing for using Superchargers will vary by state in the U.S. and by country internationally. Most regions will pay by the kWh, while others will be required to pay by the minute because of local regulations. In a blog post, Tesla said it is engaging in negotiations with regulators to update the rules, making them synonymous worldwide.
The automaker said it will not make profits from the Supercharging network; rather, it will reinvest all the income it makes from the network into new Superchargers.
“Supercharging will remain simple, seamless and always significantly cheaper than gasoline. We are only aiming to recover a portion of our costs and set up a fair system for everyone; this will never be a profit center for Tesla,” the blog post read.
The charge rate will be used as the basis for determining per-minute charges. When cars are charged at or below 60kWh or when Supercharger power will be shared with another car, then Tier 1 will be applied. Tier 2 will be applied when charging above 60kW and will cost double of Tier 1. For example, in Texas, the Tier 2 charge is 15 cents per minute, while the Tier 1 charge is 8 cents per minute, notes The Verge.
Tesla estimates that customers will be required to pay of about $15 for a road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles, about €60 from Paris to Rome, about $120 from Los Angeles to New York, and about ¥400 from Beijing to Shanghai.
Tesla gives 400 kWh in free charging
According to the new details, 400 kWh of free charging will be given annually to all new Model S and Model X cars, enabling them to drive about 1,000 miles. The company believes this is sufficient to cover the annual long-distance driving needs of the majority of Tesla owners.
Tesla’s existing vehicles will remain unaffected and will be able to use the Superchargers for free. Also the feature will remain for older cars even when they are resold. Free Supercharging will not be included with the Model 3, and there is no announcement from the company on if it will come with some complimentary charges, notes The Verge.
