Initially, all Tesla owners were permitted to use the company's fast Supercharger network for free as often as they liked. Late last year during an earnings call, the company's CEO Elon Musk announced that the high-speed charging system would only be used for long-distance travelers and not for daily use. Most Tesla enthusiasts were not pleased by the decision, but after a while, things got back to normal.
New Changes Proposed by Tesla
Tesla recently announced that new owners would receive 400kWh of free charging per year, which is good enough to drive for about 1000 miles. However, it does not affect specific cars bought via the company's Owner Referral Program. They are still eligible for free supercharger feature for a lifetime.
Tesla Model 3 is one of the biggest products launched by the company this year. It has most of the features of Tesla expensive luxury cars at an affordable price. On the other hand, the car owners will not get free supercharging. They will have to pay for the charging power when they use public chargers.
The company has not also confirmed if the car will come with a complementary charger. PTIF a Model 3 user recently tweeted about his experience on using a Supercharger located at the Harris Ranch Facility, California. He twitted a photo showing that he paid $0.20/kWh.
Current Charging Costs
The electricity price in each US state at a Supercharger facility is fixed. Though, per-minute charges vary according to the state. For instant charging in New York will cost $0.19 KWh while in Illinois the cost will be $0.15 KWh.
A conventional car will use seven gallons of gasoline for 170 miles, which approximately cost $21. This is more expensive than Model 3 that will use 43kWh of electricity costing $8.6 for the same distance.
If you are a new owner of Tesla Model 3, don’t be scared of the charges. Be sure to have lower transportation costs than your neighbor who uses gasoline. The vehicles are also environmentally friendly since it is emission free. Additionally, Tesla is very committed to getting their electricity for their supercharger facilities from the greenest source in the area. In the long run, they are working on solar-powered cars.
Despite the low charges, most of its customers were not pleased with the company. The company failed to notify them officially about the new Model 3 payment system. They received the information from Twitter. This move did not reflect well on Tesla's customer relationship policies.
Bottom Line
With all these minor inconveniences customers are still satisfied with Tesla's services. The company is taking the right steps by aggressively expanding their supercharger network facilities. Tesla car owners have access to more rapid chargers than electric car drivers from other companies.
Tesla is still releasing affordable cars and remains very competitive. Despite the little let down by the Model 3 charges, the fact remains that Tesla is the superior option. Drive with pride knowing that you are making the world a better place, and spending less on commutes.
Tags: Tesla, Tesla Model S, Tesla Roadster, Tesla Model X, Auto industry , Electric Cars