Updated Supercharger Rates

[Big Earl]

I think the rate increase is reasonable. It looks like they're charging just under double what the average price of power is in most areas. Hopefully this will encourage people to charge at home whenever possible rather than just relying on the Supercharger network for all of their power (unless, of course, they don't have the ability to charge at home).

 

[Brando]

I tend to agree that it is reasonable for the area, but it is a 30% increase so that might be the hat holding part. For where I live, 8 cents KWh, that price is considered outrageous.

What is your monthly connect fee - min. you pay even if you don't use any electricity?
My area was about $5 now up to $7.50 near by doubled to $16 and top price I think $40.
So this connection fee (and all the government fee and taxes can add up) are often used to "hide" actual rates you pay - see how little we charge you per Kwh - hide margins in the connect fees.

 

[FlyF4]

What is your monthly connect fee - min. you pay even if you don't use any electricity?
My area was about $5 now up to $7.50 near by doubled to $16 and top price I think $40.
So this connection fee (and all the government fee and taxes can add up) are often used to "hide" actual rates you pay - see how little we charge you per Kwh - hide margins in the connect.

Good question. My Feb bill was $11.40 in service and fees. A LOT cheaper than what I paid in California and the electric rate is only 30% of what I paid there. Interesting how rates can be so different by just going across the state line. Oh, and that 30% cheaper rate is on a bigger home where I am using almost the same amount of electricity as I did in California.

 

[TexasEV]

Don’t forget there’s more than electricity as an ongoing expense. The superchargers require regular maintenance. Lots of posts here about the slow supercharging when a supercharger or stall needs service.

 

[AMPd]

Early adopters were given free charging in the beginning, but obviously that is unsustanible long term. As long as electricity costs remain lower than gasoline/diesel it could be considered reasonable.

Well that’s simply not true, when I purchased my first tesla AFTER the superchargers were introduced I was told the price of supercharger access was already added to the price of the vehicle.
So although you weren’t being charged per kWh or time, you were charged a fee that was supposed to go toward the build out and maintenance of the network

 

[SucreTease]

According to the eletrek.co article, a Tesla spokesperson sent the following statement (emphasis mine):

We occasionally adjust rates to reflect current local electricity and usage. The overriding principle is that Supercharging will always remain significantly cheaper than gasoline, as we only aim to recover a portion of our costs while setting up a fair system for everyone. This will never be a profit center for Tesla.

It is no longer cheaper than gasoline. With my S100D, I get 335 miles of range with 100 kWh of electricity. According to the new rates, that would now cost $26 to fully charge my vehicle at a supercharger in California. To go 335 miles of with my previous gasoline car, a Toyota Avalon Hybrid, which got 40 mpg, that range would require 8.4 gallons of gasoline, which, according AAA (at $3.38/gal in California) would cost $28.31.

Conclusion: Supercharging is no longer "significantly cheaper than gasoline".

[I chose California rather than my own state because electricity cannot be sold by the kWh in my region, and because California is Tesla's biggest market.]

 

[pdx3181]

According to the eletrek.co article, a Tesla spokesperson sent the following statement (emphasis mine):

It is no longer cheaper than gasoline. With my S100D, I get 335 miles of range with 100 kWh of electricity. According to the new rates, that would now cost $26 to fully charge my vehicle at a supercharger in California. To go 335 miles of with my previous gasoline car, a Toyota Avalon Hybrid, which got 40 mpg, that range would require 8.4 gallons of gasoline, which, according AAA (at $3.38/gal in California) would cost $28.31.

Conclusion: Supercharging is no longer "significantly cheaper than gasoline".

[I chose California rather than my own state because electricity cannot be sold by the kWh in my region, and because California is Tesla's biggest market.]

I went from a Toyota Tundra to a Tesla. So my math is, um, slightly different.

Even at the supercharging rate (which I don't pay since my X came with free supercharging), the Tesla rate is just under 70% cheaper than gas . . .

 

[pjoseph]

So in general, on par in fuel costs with an average ICE car. With the hassle of routing and waiting at Superchargers.

Unless gas prices in the US rise significantly (to $4 to $5, per gallon*) the cross country EV trip makes less sense now.

A bit less of a Tesla fan today.

* Yes, i realize that is a steal compared to much of the rest of the world.

 

[Big Earl]

So in general, on par in fuel costs with an average ICE car. With the hassle of routing and waiting at Superchargers.

Unless gas prices in the US rise significantly (to $4 to $5, per gallon*) the cross country EV trip makes less sense now.

A bit less of a Tesla fan today.

* Yes, i realize that is a steal compared to much of the rest of the world.

I planned out a cross-country trip this morning from DC to Seattle. 2,900 miles in a Model 3 LR would cost about $75 if I charged overnight at four destination chargers. The same trip in my 2012 Passat TDI at 38 MPG would cost $200 in diesel fuel at $2.70 per gallon.

 

[BerTX]

My assessment of the situation is that Tesla initially looked at residential rates in the various areas, intending to keep the amount they charged at or around those rates. Then they discovered that, in most areas, they were paying much higher rates being a commercial user. They were not recovering their electricity costs. Now they have corrected the rates being charged to align with what they are paying for the electricity.

I think in most areas they are still undercharging for the power used at the commercial rate. Sorry that the rates increased, but the Superchargers are still not a profit center -- far from it. But they can't continue with them being a big loss center, either.

 

[siai47]

Does anybody know if the "KW" of electricity we pay for from the supercharger is the AC KW's that went into the supercharger or the DC KW's that were output from the supercharger into the car? It does make a difference in calculating the true cost as some energy is lost in the conversion from AC to DC. This loss is always there when using the internal charger in the vehicle. If we are being charged for actual DC KW's delivered then we are paying somewhat less (several %) then if we charged using the internal charger. Just a question.

 

[arg]

Does anybody know if the "KW" of electricity we pay for from the supercharger is the AC KW's that went into the supercharger or the DC KW's that were output from the supercharger into the car?

I don't know for absolute certain, but it appears that the billing is being done from the car side (and the car is displaying a kWh figure on the dash), while there's no indication that they have any hardware to meter the AC side (it would have to be per-module inside the supercharger to get the numbers right when two cars are connected).

So it's almost certainly the DC side.

 

[bro1999]

I don't know for absolute certain, but it appears that the billing is being done from the car side (and the car is displaying a kWh figure on the dash), while there's no indication that they have any hardware to meter the AC side (it would have to be per-module inside the supercharger to get the numbers right when two cars are connected).

So it's almost certainly the DC side.

It's likely the amount that the station pumps out. That's how Chargepoint stations bill that I've used.

 

[BerTX]

I agree. It pretty much has to be the number the car owner sees on the screen, not some hidden number known only to Tesla. Think about it -- they are setting the price, so it is pretty easy to build a correction for charging inefficiencies into that price.

 

[Big Earl]

Does anybody know if the "KW" of electricity we pay for from the supercharger is the AC KW's that went into the supercharger or the DC KW's that were output from the supercharger into the car? It does make a difference in calculating the true cost as some energy is lost in the conversion from AC to DC. This loss is always there when using the internal charger in the vehicle. If we are being charged for actual DC KW's delivered then we are paying somewhat less (several %) then if we charged using the internal charger. Just a question.

The car does the communicating with the mothership, so it makes sense to me that it is reporting kWh (it’s kWh, not kW) into the battery, not kWh from the grid. You bring up a good point that the energy lost in conversion isn’t getting accounted for in billing, so Tesla needs to factor that into supercharger fees.

 

[PDFS]

I guess the value of my 2016 with free supercharging has gone up. The free supercharging on my car stays with the car if I sell it.

 

[bkmatise]

Colorado rate went from 13 cents to 22 cents per kWh - that's much more than our local electric company charges (about 13 cents). So they are apparently adding some overhead costs in the price now...

 

[Yanquetino]

Colorado rate went from 13 cents to 22 cents per kWh - that's much more than our local electric company charges (about 13 cents). So they are apparently adding some overhead costs in the price now...

Yes, that's the same increase as next door to you in Utah. And Chargepoint's CHAdeMO/CCS stations here charge 25¢ per kWh, i.e., only 3¢ more. While I am disappointed with such a hefty price hike, I can understand it. What I don't understand —yet again— is why Tesla didn't issue an announcement to owners and reservation holders that it was coming before implementing it.

 

[CBPfromTN]

According to the eletrek.co article, a Tesla spokesperson sent the following statement (emphasis mine):

It is no longer cheaper than gasoline. With my S100D, I get 335 miles of range with 100 kWh of electricity. According to the new rates, that would now cost $26 to fully charge my vehicle at a supercharger in California. To go 335 miles of with my previous gasoline car, a Toyota Avalon Hybrid, which got 40 mpg, that range would require 8.4 gallons of gasoline, which, according AAA (at $3.38/gal in California) would cost $28.31.

Conclusion: Supercharging is no longer "significantly cheaper than gasoline".

[I chose California rather than my own state because electricity cannot be sold by the kWh in my region, and because California is Tesla's biggest market.]

Hi there! I just wanted to say hello and tell you that I finally got my Model S 75D around the 23rd of February and I do love it. I do miss my Avalon Hybrid a bit, only because it was so nice inside and really a great car. Of course, I wouldn't trade my Model S for it but it was a very nice car for half the price of my Model S. I really love driving my Model S and am glad I have it. It is a LOT of fun to drive and I am glad I have the lifetime free unlimited Super Charging even though I rarely use it because I rarely go on road trips. I just returned from a trip to Memphis from Nashville, round trip 450 miles. I did use the Super Charger in Jackson, TN and the one in Memphis on the way in and on the way home, used the one in Jackson again. My only issue is I am not that great at backing into the space to charge. I never seem to get close enough to the charger and always have to get back in the car at least once, sometimes 2 times to back in close enough. I'm not the greatest at backing up, anyway and then always worried I will bump into the charger. I know I can use my backup cam and all that but I am still not comfortable with my judgement and haven't done it enough to do it well. But I will! Hope you're doing well. C.

 

[blkpantha]

Hi there! I just wanted to say hello and tell you that I finally got my Model S 75D around the 23rd of February and I do love it. I do miss my Avalon Hybrid a bit, only because it was so nice inside and really a great car. Of course, I wouldn't trade my Model S for it but it was a very nice car for half the price of my Model S. I really love driving my Model S and am glad I have it. It is a LOT of fun to drive and I am glad I have the lifetime free unlimited Super Charging even though I rarely use it because I rarely go on road trips. I just returned from a trip to Memphis from Nashville, round trip 450 miles. I did use the Super Charger in Jackson, TN and the one in Memphis on the way in and on the way home, used the one in Jackson again. My only issue is I am not that great at backing into the space to charge. I never seem to get close enough to the charger and always have to get back in the car at least once, sometimes 2 times to back in close enough. I'm not the greatest at backing up, anyway and then always worried I will bump into the charger. I know I can use my backup cam and all that but I am still not comfortable with my judgement and haven't done it enough to do it well. But I will! Hope you're doing well. C.

Quick question in Free Lifetime Supercharger
I am about to take delivery of my model S.
How can I know for sure it has it... does it have to be listed in the specs ( Like PUP, AP, etc) before delivery?