Sanity Check - Free Supercharging

[bemental]

Greetings everyone.

Currently in the process of purchasing a new-to-us CPO vehicle and we are selling our 2014 Model S (Pre-AP) with free supercharging in the process.

My head tells me that it’s just a trick of the mind, that free supercharging truly is a gimmick for most people and isn’t worth the $4,000 upgrade that the original owner paid...

My heart says otherwise though. I feel like, to the right buyer, free supercharging could be a huge boon - whether it’s a retiree who wishes to drive the vehicle into the ground and see the country in the process, or perhaps someone who’s a transient and doesn’t have access to local fast charging regularly.

Considering Tesla is removing the free supercharging option from any and all traded in vehicles before they return them to the market, I wanted to get a sanity check from the forums before I trade in our vehicle to Tesla.

Appreciate some perspective, thanks in advance.

 

[jimbo69ny]

To me its worth a lot. Mostly mental though, not really financial. Like many others, I have done the math. A couple road trips a year is only a few hundred dollars worth of free electricity. I just like knowing that I didnt pay anything. Coming from a car that relied on Chademo chargers (which the price varied wildly) I am just happy to be on the Tesla network more than anything else. The fact that my new raven model X will give me free power for the life that I own the car is a bonus, a big bonus though.

 

[Iceh8r]

I’ve had my car for 5 months/ and 8000 miles and used it 3 times all on the first day. I think it’s a total gimmick. Even if you pay per use it’s still cheap. You’d have to charge a lot to make up for huge outlay upfront. Most people that can afford these cars don’t Care about $4.68 they saved per stop.

 

[aaronkalb]

It’s entirely emotional. I currently pay 10 cents a kWh so doing the quick math... $4,000 / $0.10 /kW = 40,000 kW. 40,000 kW / 300 W/mile = 133k miles of energy when charging from home. Even at 4x the cost of power at a SC compared to home charging that is still A LOT of miles.

 

[brkaus]

Sure, it may be worth a few hundred $$/yr to someone. But for the vast majority of the Tesla drivers it really doesn’t matter. For example I’ve supercharged 4x in 2 years / 50k miles.

There are enough cars out there that it isn’t worth a premium. IMHO.

 

[ewoodrick]

First, there are no CPO vehicles anymore.

Free Supercharging is anywhere from invaluable in locations like LA, to worth a few dollars in most of the rest of the country. I haven't spent over $200 in 18 months and 25,000 miles. Charging at home or work tends to reduce the needs and is a much better EV experience.
You can always add some cost for it, you may get what you want, you may have to drop the price.

 

[HankLloydRight]

e and isn’t worth the $4,000 upgrade that the original owner paid...

Do you have a 60kWh Model S or 85kWh?

The original price for supercharging for 60s was only $2,000. It was included on all 85kWh Model Ss.

 

[ryanwassi]

I just bought my used late 15 p90dl from Tesla Fremont and drove it to San Diego yesterday. I supercharged twice.

I see nowhere that showed a cost, nothing in my account says anything about supercharging credits, my credit card hasn't been charged.

The listing for my car on Teslacpo.io showed that my car has free supercharging though. But I did not see this on the tesla site itself.

How do I know if I have it?

 

[AMPd]

I’ve had my car for 5 months/ and 8000 miles and used it 3 times all on the first day. I think it’s a total gimmick. Even if you pay per use it’s still cheap. You’d have to charge a lot to make up for huge outlay upfront. Most people that can afford these cars don’t Care about $4.68 they saved per stop.

In California, $4.68 at a supercharger will get you about 14kWh ... what’s that, about 45 miles

 

[jimbo69ny]

I see quite a few people saying that the value isn’t really there but try to consider this, imagine not having a Tesla and not having access to the network. CHAdeMO stations are significantly slower, there are fewer of them, and they rarely work reliably. All of those things make the UFSH so worth it!

You should also consider your time while charging. Because superchargers are so much faster you’re spending half as long charging. What is three hours of your time worth? Especially if you have a screaming baby in the car or if you absolutely have to get somewhere. CHAdeMO is slooooow.

Lastly, for the people that compare the cost of their electricity at home, you don’t have access to your home electric outlet while on the road. So a fair comparison would be to compare it to CHAdeMO fast chargers. I have taken a lot of road trips and it seems like the average rate is around $.49 a kilowatt hour

 

[thefortunes]

I see quite a few people saying that the value isn’t really there but try to consider this, imagine not having a Tesla and not having access to the network. CHAdeMO stations are significantly slower, there are fewer of them, and they rarely work reliably. All of those things make the UFSH so worth it!

You should also consider your time while charging. Because superchargers are so much faster you’re spending half as long charging. What is three hours of your time worth? Especially if you have a screaming baby in the car or if you absolutely have to get somewhere. CHAdeMO is slooooow.

Lastly, for the people that compare the cost of their electricity at home, you don’t have access to your home electric outlet while on the road. So a fair comparison would be to compare it to CHAdeMO fast chargers. I have taken a lot of road trips and it seems like the average rate is around $.49 a kilowatt hour

Unless you have a blackballed Tesla, you ALWAYS have access to the SuC network.

It's just a matter of whether you have to PAY for the kWh or not.

 

[gigawatt1010]

Just completed a 7,300-mile road trip on our MX. 52 Superchargers. The trip would've cost us over $500 according to abetterrouteplanner.com. It cost us $0. I love our free SC capabilities. We have it on the 2016 MS and now have it on the 2019 MX as well. It's one of the main reasons we pulled the trigger on the MX back in June.

It maybe emotional and the math doesn't always work for everyone. But for us, it's perfect. While I know it's not a realistic expectation, I can't imagine owning a Tesla without it.

 

[jimbo69ny]

Unless you have a blackballed Tesla, you ALWAYS have access to the SuC network.

It's just a matter of whether you have to PAY for the kWh or not.

You didnt read what I wrote. I said "imagine not having a Tesla"

 

[jimbo69ny]

Just completed a 7,300-mile road trip on our MX. 52 Superchargers. The trip would've cost us over $500 according to abetterrouteplanner.com. It cost us $0. I love our free SC capabilities. We have it on the 2016 MS and now have it on the 2019 MX as well. It's one of the main reasons we pulled the trigger on the MX back in June.

It maybe emotional and the math doesn't always work for everyone. But for us, it's perfect. While I know it's not a realistic expectation, I can't imagine owning a Tesla without it.

I totally agree! I am going to be in the same boat. I love to travel and I think it will be very useful for me.

 

[bemental]

I totally agree! I am going to be in the same boat. I love to travel and I think it will be very useful for me.

Well, if you’re looking to get into a well-loved 2014 Model S with free supercharging hit me up

 

[bemental]

Appreciate all the replies and perspective, it’s why I love this place.

Unless you fall headfirst into a trust or a pile of money, from my perspective people accumulate wealth by not spending more than they have to and saving pennies where they can.

While free supercharging isn’t going to send your kids to college, it helps recoup some of the costs associated with owning a luxury vehicle. As our family doesn’t have the means to purchase a new Tesla, the CPO/used market is a great place for us to save some money and still get into a Model S.

Thanks again!

 

[Qbenjamin]

Total gimmick. In three years of ownership and owning the S, 3 and now X, I've SC'd less than 10 times total.

 

[gigawatt1010]

Total gimmick. In three years of ownership and owning the S, 3 and now X, I've SC'd less than 10 times total.

In the last 2 weeks, I've SC'd 52 times!

Like most folks stated, it's not for everyone. If you like taking road trips longer than your range allows, it's a god send. If you're driving to and from work and mostly staying local, and not consuming your 250-300-mile range in your day to day drive, it's not important to you.

 

[iqless]

It is a GREAT deal to me. I live downtown and that's the only way I can charge. It works out pretty well for me since I do my grocery shopping while it's charging

 

[KSilver2000]

Depends on where you live.

Near me, there are SC stations literally everywhere people would shop and eat.
So, if you’re out to lunch/dinner or for shopping/groceries, why not charge while inside the stores?