Tesla Supercharger Access Now Limited To Free 400 kWh Per Year Starting Next Week [VIDEO]
Tesla Motors has now officially announced that it will be ending its free lifetime access to Tesla Superchargers. The company revealed that the unlimited access will officially end in just a few days, more specifically on Jan. 15. This means that those who were lucky enough to buy either a Tesla Model S or Model X will now just have a few more days to charge up their batteries for free.
The company did announce that they will be replacing the previously unlimited charging offer with free supercharging access of up to 400 kWh for the Model S and the Model X. The supercharging credits will also apparently replenish each year. Charging in excess of the 400 kWh limit will mean that owners would have to pay extra for the power they use.
The FAQ section on the Tesla website also reveals that there will be different rates per kWh in locations around the United States and in countries overseas. Some areas will also apparently have a per minute cost instead of a per kWh cost.
For residents in California, customers will be charged $0.20 per kWh, while those in New York will have to fork out $0.19 per kWh. It is also important to note that the free supercharger access credits do not roll over to the next year. Users are therefore encouraged to use up all of the credits before each year ends.
In a statement to its customers, via Engadget, Tesla claims that the 400 kWh that is provided for free to customers is actually already enough for most owners and that it should last them an entire year. Of course this does not include people who are constantly driving long distances.
According to their research, long distances are still pretty much practical on their vehicles. A trip from Los Angeles to New York will only cost an estimated $120, a significant amount less than what it would cost in a conventional gas-powered vehicle.
