To pave the way for the paid use of Superchargers after Jan. 15, Tesla has already announced the pricing scheme for charging Tesla EVs on its website. The information, however, is still a bit vague and could confuse owners as to the specific amount they will be paying for every minute charged or kilowatt hour charge.
Unlimited Free Supercharger Charging vs. Paid Energy
Before diving into the Tesla Supercharger pricing, one should remember that those owners who have purchased a Tesla EV on or before Jan. 15 can still enjoy unlimited charging at its Supercharger stations forever or for the entire lifespan of the vehicle.
The privilege will remain even when the vehicle has been resold.
Those, however, who purchased a Tesla Model S or Model X after the deadline will be given a 400 kWh free charging credits. Once this has been spent, owners will have to pay for every charge made at Superchargers.
According to Tesla, the cost of charging is approximately $15 for battery consumed traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles. If you are bound for New York coming from Los Angeles, the cost will be $120.
Supercharger Pricing Details
The company has not released any specific cost computation as to how the charging will be paid for. It would have been helpful if Tesla was able to identify the price per kilowatt hour or for every minute spent charging a vehicle.
It is difficult to determine any standard pricing for the United States. Consider the fact that the travel distance between San Francisco and Los Angeles is about 381 miles. Compare that to the 2,789 miles between Los Angeles and New York. The gap between these driving distances is not huge, but the pricing discrepancy is massive: $15 to $120.
This can be attributed to the fact that, in the United States, pricing is fixed by state. Aside from regulatory conditions, Tesla is also probably factoring in the availability of Superchargers in a particular area.
Overseas, prices will vary due to the differences in regulatory environments, but they are fixed by country. The company has so far provided the pricing information when traveling from Beijing to Shanghai and Paris to Rome, which cost $60 and $64, respectively.
Tesla: Fee Is Not For Profit
Tesla has underscored that the announced pricing is still significantly lower than the price of gasoline. This talking point is aligned with its previously declared position that the charging fee will not be implemented as a means to generate profit but will merely cover the cost of developing Supercharger facilities and its continuing effort to improve consumer experience in these charging facilities.
"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 company said in an official statement.
