Free Supercharging : Now you see it...now you don't

[alcibiades]

So basically you feel Tesla has no ethics when they feel they can get away with it?

I actually think I was saying something much worse. Tesla's deception in these matters seems structured to limit the impact to small groups -- only those who were induced to purchase during a small period of time. This way, the majority of other owners are unaffected and Tesla can rely on these unaffected owners still to extol the company (see, reality). The complainers look like a small whiny subset -- EVEN THOUGH this subset has legitimate claims.

It'll be interesting to see what happens to the EAP class action.

If I bought a Tesla during this latest shenanigan promotion, I'd for sure demand unlimited SC on my next purchase even after end of year.

What was it they said of good people just standing by and looking away from bad things happening...

I don't know, but in high school the back of my guitar had a sticker that read "silence is the voice of complicity"! Edgy!

 

[mmanner]

To me, the primary benefit of supercharging is having access to the supercharger network. Having it for free or having to pay for the electricity is pretty far down the line for me. I bought a 100D in early April, was happy to have access to the network, am happy now its free, but it wouldn't have affected my buying decision either way, and won't in the future. When I was buying the car I ended up concluding that the free part I was (I thought) going to miss was actually not economically significant for me when buying a car as expensive as the MS. Even for someone using the SC network for 100,000 miles of supercharging, the cost is only a few thousand dollars, and is significantly less than the cost of gas. I am not defending Tesla's less than ok communication skills here.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Except that "promise" was not made to them by Tesla before purchase. They were promised free supercharging for their referral purchase, which they got. Until they committed to that purchase they did not have a my Tesla account in which to see the pomise. At most they could have heard about it 2nd hand which cannot be false advertising.

To me your rationalizing reads like Bill Clinton saying he didn't have sexual relations with Lewinsky.

I'm sure we can agree to disagree on this one.

 

[Nevek]

To me, the primary benefit of supercharging is having access to the supercharger network. Having it for free or having to pay for the electricity is pretty far down the line for me. I bought a 100D in early April, was happy to have access to the network, am happy now its free, but it wouldn't have affected my buying decision either way, and won't in the future. When I was buying the car I ended up concluding that the free part I was (I thought) going to miss was actually not economically significant for me when buying a car as expensive as the MS. Even for someone using the SC network for 100,000 miles of supercharging, the cost is only a few thousand dollars, and is significantly less than the cost of gas. I am not defending Tesla's less than ok communication skills here.

I have to agree, supercharging access and its ongoing expansion is, for me, one of the greatest benefits overall. I simply would not have bought a Tesla otherwise, as it would not have met my needs.

But I also have to admit, when first aware of what I thought was grandfathered personal supercharging for future Tesla S and X purchases, what went through my mind was:
-man, I like this company,
-when the tech updates are irresistible, there is one less negative,
-road trips will continue to be compelling.

There is something sweet about "free" road trips that isn't rational economically but plays into the Tesla story. I'll miss it when it's upgrade time, and I'm disappointed in a small way.

 

[AndrewTX]

There's a better than even chance that you'll be able to get 'free' supercharging whenever you buy your next car. Why would we think Tesla won't change their policy many times going forward?

 

[brkaus]

I just saw today that they revised the thing online to say you get free supercharging for any new car purchased by years end. I too was under the impression that it would be free supercharging for life on any future Tesla you bought.

#shrug oh well.

It was any future S/X. Not any Tesla.

I was happy before they added it to my car. Even happier once added. But now I'm a bit bummed. Still better off than when I initially purchased. But somehow now left sad.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

I was happy before they added it to my car. Even happier once added. But now I'm a bit bummed. Still better off than when I initially purchased. But somehow now left sad.

It is the sadness of realizing what @Canuck preaches, Tesla is just another company. And not really a very ethical one even at that.

The company is not worth the glee some of us felt about it.

 

[sandpiper]

Oh good grief. You'd think we were talking about $10,000 per year of electricity. Most people will use a few hundred dollars per year from superchargers - at best.

Telsa is doing their best to figure out what matters and doesn't matter to customers. And yes they're trying to sustain S/X sales in a turbulent time. That doesn't make them somehow evil. If they don't turn a profit, they won't be around to support us.

 

[brkaus]

It is the sadness of realizing what @Canuck preaches, Tesla is just another company. And not really a very ethical one even at that.

The company is not worth the glee some of us felt about it.

Oh good grief. You'd think we were talking about $10,000 per year of electricity. Most people will use a few hundred dollars per year from superchargers - at best.

Telsa is doing their best to figure out what matters and doesn't matter to customers. And yes they're trying to sustain S/X sales in a turbulent time. That doesn't make them somehow evil. If they don't turn a profit, they won't be around to support us.

I agree that they are trying to figure out the line, keep sales moving, and I'm not angry.

But they could have played it a bit better. Had they only added unlimited charging to my car as long as I own it I it would have been a huge mental win. And yes, I agree it isn't much real value. I've been the first to say that. Then they added it for all future S/X I purchase. That is also a mental win. Again, not much real value to me, but feels good. At the time, I was even thinking that had an end date as they would probably phase out the S/X over time and replace with something new. Had they put the 12/31/17 limit on it at the same time it would be a better approach.

 

[ecarfan]

There is something sweet about "free" road trips that isn't rational economically

Agreed.

Oh good grief. You'd think we were talking about $10,000 per year of electricity. Most people will use a few hundred dollars per year from superchargers - at best.

Agreed.

Many of us who have been driving a few years now with a Tesla that has free unlimited Supercharging have gotten into the mindset of assuming that our road trip energy cost will always be zero. I include myself in that group. The price of gasoline has become a distant memory for me. But if I had to start paying for Supercharging in the future it would only be a modest expense, since on average it is likely to be no more than a third the cost of what I used to pay for gas.

 

[cpa]

We do not purchase vehicles that frequently. When we bought our S in 2014, it was our first purchase since 2005, and it replaced our '95 Mustang purchased new in '95.

When Tesla announced last month that we early buyers would receive free, unlimited SC usage on all future S/X purchases, my wife and I were quite pleased knowing that when we were in the market to buy another new car in another 10 years or so (not counting the M3 we have on order) that we would get another Model S.

So, our dreams were dashed--not because of the electricity cost for travel--but rather the recanting of a "reward" for us early birds.

It is more of a disappointment than anything else.

 

[johnnyS]

I sold my 2012 model S and bought a new 90D model S at the end of 2016 with the motivation that it would be one of the last free supercharger cars. Without that incentive I probably would have waited a year. I will pay no attention to Tesla promises in the future.

 

[Canuck]

It is the sadness of realizing what @Canuck preaches, Tesla is just another company. And not really a very ethical one even at that. The company is not worth the glee some of us felt about it.

The goals of the company are admirable and the products are amazing -- so there's glee in that.

I sold my 2012 model S and bought a new 90D model S at the end of 2016 with the motivation that it would be one of the last free supercharger cars. Without that incentive I probably would have waited a year. I will pay no attention to Tesla promises in the future.

But this sums it up nicely where Tesla fails. It doesn't really matter if Tesla intended all along to bring free SC back, or decided after they eliminated it to bring it back -- @johnnyS would still feel the same way and his complaint is no less legitimate.

The best thing to do is to have very low expectations of corporations, especially large ones. Understand that it's all about their bottom line. They may try to please you but it's only superficially. In reality, you're simply an income generating unit to them. They understand those units need ego stroking so they do that to you but only because it's part of the game. They don't really care about you because they can't -- in reality, there is no such thing as a cooperation. It's something we humans created on paper and even gave them "person" status at law. But unlike people, they have no emotions and no capacity to care. That's not what a corporation is all about. It's like asking a shark to feel remorse after it bites you.

 

[AndrewTX]

I sold my 2012 model S and bought a new 90D model S at the end of 2016 with the motivation that it would be one of the last free supercharger cars. Without that incentive I probably would have waited a year. I will pay no attention to Tesla promises in the future.

This is the right approach. Judge them only on what's tangible today and fully discount any forward-looking statements.