Superchargers are about 35% more expensive for non-Teslas unless you pay a monthly fee
Tesla has opened up its Supercharger network in the US to non-Tesla vehicles using CCS to NACS adapters. Basically the entire industry in North America announced a switch over to the Tesla-developed NACS connector over the past few months, and yesterday Ford was the first company to start shipping adapters for its existing models.
So now a lot of Ford owners can grab a free adapter and go to a Supercharger. But there's a catch. Supercharging rates are about 30-35% higher for non-Tesla vehicles at Superchargers. Pricing is dynamic and varies based on location, time of day, and load, so we can't give you exact numbers, but that's the ballpark difference. There's also a solution.
If you have a non-Tesla vehicle and want to get the exact same prices for Supercharging that Tesla owners have, all you need to do is subscribe to the Supercharging Membership. This costs $12.99 per month. Given the price differential, it will pay for itself with less than 100kWh of charging pretty much anywhere, which means it's probably a must have if you plan on using Tesla Superchargers more than a few times each month.
It's an interesting strategy on Tesla's part - charge people with non-Tesla vehicles more but give them this subscription option too, one which undoubtedly can become more expensive in the future. Superchargers in North America are going to get a lot more crowded in the next few years because of all of this opening up to all other brands, we'll have to wait and see how they manage to cope. Not to mention that, depending on where a vehicle's charging port is, a non-Tesla charging could actually take up two Supercharger ports.
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Reader comments
- regulatory failure
In many places, the true cost per mile of electricity continue to rise, even to the same as or more than gasoline. Utility commissioners are becoming corrupt appointments approving bogus fees, complex pricing schemes, and deceptive math.
- 03 Mar 2024
- qyn
- Anonymous
It's Tesla's charging network though. You're not obligated to pay the subscription fee. Maybe if competitors can improve their garbage charging networks people won't need to resort to using Tesla's.
- 03 Mar 2024
- i{q
- recurring fee
Corporations enjoy recurring revenue models. Consumers scr-wed as usual.
- 02 Mar 2024
- qyn