Tesla will no longer offer the benefit of free-for-life charging in its Supercharger stations, for new car buyers who order from Tesla after January 1, 2017. New Tesla owners will be given an annual Supercharger credit of 400 kWh good for 1000 miles. A small fee will be charged for the use of Tesla's fast-charging network once the credits are used up.
According to The New York Post, Fortune magazine, and WIRED magazine, Tesla posted on its blog that, for new car buyers, it will withdraw the free lifetime privilege of using its Supercharger stations, beginning January 1, 2017. Tesla revealed that cars ordered before Jan. 1 or delivered before April 1, 2017, can still avail of the unlimited free charging benefit on its fast-charging network.
New buyers after January 1 will instead be given a credit of 400 kWh of charging at no cost, that is good for 1000 miles. By reducing the expense of subsidizing the electrical consumption of future buyers, it puts a limit on the abuse of customers and the costs it takes to support them.
It also allows Tesla to increase investment in building more Supercharger stations, factories to produce batteries at lower costs, and solar panels to reduce the costs of electrical power, and also to produce the Tesla Model 3. Tesla wants and needs to reduce costs so that it can use the funds accumulated, for investments that further drive down costs and allows the company to produce more cars and the infrastructure to support them.
An additional benefit to the company, of setting a deadline for the removal of the unlimited charging privilege, is that it becomes an incentive to encourage prospective buyers to purchase a Tesla car before the end of the year. People who buy a car from Tesla before the end of the year will still receive the free lifetime charging offer. This now provides a good reason for those interested in a Tesla car to be more confident of their decision of buying a Tesla before the start of next year. This would allow Tesla to sell more cars and generate more funds to invest in their infrastrucute and in producing more cars.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
