Tesla Introduces Supercharger Idle Fee, Charges Vary by Region

No, it’s not for boosting profits

Tesla says the newly adopted and announced Supercharger fee is here to increase the charging network's availability. We think they brought it to reinforce common sense.

Apparently, some of those who drive a Tesla don't give a rat's ass about their fellow owners.

And since the cars are not programmed to autonomously move once the battery is completely juiced up, owners have to do it. Except they don't, at least not all of them.

So to prevent that, Tesla came up with the Supercharger Idle Fee, which, naturally, doesn't apply to Destination Chargers.

And while it won't make up for the lack of common sense, the new fee will – hopefully – discipline those who leave their fully charged cars sitting for hours in a Supercharger while they're getting a haircut or whatever.

"For every additional minute a car remains connected to the Supercharger, it will incur a $0.40 idle fee. If the car is moved within 5 minutes, the fee is waived. To be clear, this change is purely about increasing customer happiness and we hope to never make any money from it."

The fee, however, doesn't hold a universal value. In the US, for example, wrongdoers are charged $0.40 per minute. In Europe, the fee is €0.35 and £0.30 in the United Kingdom.

Moreover, all Model X and Model S cars are subject to the fee which applies even if there are other free charging spots. Head here for more info.