Tesla Raises Rates at Supercharger Stations
Tesla has recently raised the prices at its supercharger stations.
According to reports, the electric vehicle company quietly increased the rates in its charging stations across the U.S. by roughly 20 to 40 percent. This happened amid the company's recent statement that its supercharger stations "will never be a profit center."
The report says rates have been increased in various states. In California, the price went up from 20 cents per kWh to 26 cents. In Oregon, the price doubled from 12 cents to 24 cents. In New York, it went up by five cents from 19 to 24 cents per kWh.
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Owners of new Model S and Model X vehicles still have 400 kWh of credit per year, while Model 3 drivers remain to have no credits, making them the most affected of the price hike.
When the program was first introduced, the Elon Musk-owned company said it intends to use the money gained from supercharging stations to keep growing the network. As of press time, Tesla has over 1,180 stations and close to 9,000 Superchargers. The company insists its main goal is to keep the cost of supercharging much less than that of gasoline.
When asked for comment about the rate increase, Tesla said, "We occasionally adjust rates to reflect current local electricity and usage. The overriding principle is that Supercharging will always remain significantly cheaper than gasoline, as we only aim to recover a portion of our costs while setting up a fair system for everyone. This will never be a profit center for Tesla."
Those using Tesla cars can check out the rates on their respective states here.
With more Model 3 cars expected to be released later in the year, these supercharging stations could only get busier. As more smart cars require more supercharging stations, users can expect that their vehicles' electricity use could get even more expensive in the coming months.
