What's the status of this? Has this functionality rolled out beyond the one destination charger at the apartment complex in the original post?
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Getting billed for using a normal looking wall connector?
- Thread starter techzelle
- Start date
I drove around to a bunch of other locations, 90% were older V2 chargers that cannot bill. There one one singular V3 charger - did not appear to be billable.
Also drove by original location - still no signs have been put up are there.
That is a very good question. From the Tesla pages it looks like a work in progress and progress is really slow.
Commercial Charging | Tesla
Tesla Wall Connectors instantly upgrade any commercial property by providing convenient charging to tenants and guests.
Can’t believe nobody has come back with “2 weeks” yet. I guess this responsibility falls to me.
No physical sign next to every supercharger..
And remember Tesla now has 50+ superchargers in Europe open to others. Price is listed in app only, that you also need for authentication.
Surprised OP hasn't provided an update on this thread in last six months
@techzelle are you still using this Wall Connector and if so, is it still billing you? Inquiring minds want to know. 
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This is only for destination chargers - And more specifically, those that are identical to the Tesla Store Wall Connectors you buy for your house. They give no clue whether you are being billed or not.
Not those obvious Tesla superchargers..
They probably have a bowl of candy at the reception desk. Then, only after you finish eating the kit-kat, they inform you that it is 25 cents.
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I stopped using that wall connector after it billed me once because I have free supercharging - which does not apply to these destination chargers.@techzelle are you still using this Wall Connector and if so, is it still billing you? Inquiring minds want to know.
They still have no signage or any other indication that these are billing-enabled wall connectors. I find that to be a shady practice.
I did go back once and saw a non-Tesla car plugged into the Tesla wall connector via a 3rd party adapter. While all the cabling looked ok, the wall connector was blue light, not the flowing green light associated with charging. I think it was connected okay but would not charge because there is no billing info extractable from the non-Tesla.
This entire thread is depressing. No one is asking for unlimited access to a charger or free energy. They're just asking for notification that they will be charged and how much. That's more than fair. A better analogy for the you go to a coffee shop that used to be free, get a cup, then you're charged for it later. It's not about the amount, it's about the notification. It's pretty anti-consumer to charge someone without their consent for a service where it's ambiguous that it is for charge and is more often than not free. If they put up a sign or even a sticker on the thing saying. "You will be charged for usage. Visit Tesla.com for the rate." Then I got no problems. Then the consumer can make an informed decision.
Also, if they're charging you for charging, it's no longer a "destination charger" in my book. It's the exact same as Chargepoint or any other for-profit charger. A "destination charger," in my opinion, is a place where you can receive complementary charging for purchasing a good or service. If it's not complementary, then I'm less likely to choose you for my goods or services when planning a trip. Less likely to waste time browsing, buying their tchotchke, less time with my eyeballs on any advertising you have, and fewer times staying in their establishment. Companies should think about that before they switch from complementary charging to charging for charging.
Also, if they're charging you for charging, it's no longer a "destination charger" in my book. It's the exact same as Chargepoint or any other for-profit charger. A "destination charger," in my opinion, is a place where you can receive complementary charging for purchasing a good or service. If it's not complementary, then I'm less likely to choose you for my goods or services when planning a trip. Less likely to waste time browsing, buying their tchotchke, less time with my eyeballs on any advertising you have, and fewer times staying in their establishment. Companies should think about that before they switch from complementary charging to charging for charging.
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I have zero issues if a place will be offering electricity for break-even, it's less than a supper charger. Allowing places to add L2 chargers that allow people to top off has fewer downsides if they break even. It would be great to have many many more L2 spots and if businesses aren't losing $'s they will be more willing to install them. I do agree that we need to know that a charge is involved and what the cost is upfront.
Last week I charged at a Chargepoint that charged $1 an hour. This is less expensive than charging at my house. It was great to be able to change and the town that installed it was breaking even. I was thrilled to be able to charge as we were staying at a hotel down the street, it saved me a drive to a supercharger.
I don’t think it’s depressing at all. I’m excited that Tesla is working on allowing establishments to make charging available for their customers without having to offer unlimited free power and without having to subject themselves to crazy charging network and maintenance fees (ChargePoint, SemaConnect, etc). This is clearly still a pilot program; once it’s rolled out, billing information will be available on your navigation system.
Another question for OP: does the pin for this location have any information about billing? Do you mind sharing the location with us so we can keep an eye on it ourselves to see if and when anything changes?
I am sure he was referring to the turn the thread took, with someone ranting and blaming and accusing the OP of just wanting freebies, when that wasn't the point at all.
Teslu
Member
There are a few chargers in my building I've been using for a month, starting today I got the notification on the app I would be charged 0.25 per kWh. Still very cheap, I just didn't know they could charge for using a destination charger, then I found this forum thread.
Location: Mountain View, CA.
Location: Mountain View, CA.
Teslu
Member
And no, there were no signs with pricing on site, just the app notification.
sleepydoc
Well-Known Member
At least there was an app notification. I agree there should be signs but that's the responsibility of whoever installed/maintains the charger and is really out of Tesla's control.
I like that they're addressing this. I'm curious to know how much Tesla will charge the apartment owners.
Aside: Plug and Charge will ultimately come to AC charging as well as DC. After all, the comms are all across pins in the J1772/Type 2 socket.
Just to be clear,
Did you get a notification BEFORE you charged the car?
My notification was AFTER charging. There was no indication beforehand.
This location does not appear on the Tesla navigation map.
To appear on the map, the charging station owner must apply for a public listing and meet some criteria on staffing, services,..
There was recently a new Tesla owner who bought a used Tesla that did not yet have billing ability because he had to wait for the title to transfer, and he ended up having to have the car towed to his out of town destination because he could not supercharge. I wonder what would happen if he had tried to use this charger.
This hit on one of my thoughts and suspicions. The tenants probably were informed about the chargers, but even if not, have the ability to enquire and complain on behalf of their guests, assuming the OP was actually a guest of someone living there.
It might be that the intention was for it to be free for guests, but got used by the general public as word spread about the free charger, so the apartment owner reacted by charging for it out of self-defense without thinking about consequences, probably regretting the decision to put it up in the first place. Is it possible to somehow provide the guests with a way to communicate with the charger to enter some code to make it not charge?
