Here is the language from the online info about roadside assistance:
For vehicle malfunctions, transportation services are free-of-charge to the nearest Tesla Service Center, or toyour home, provided these locations are within 50 miles (80 km) of the vehicle location. You are responsible fortransportation costs beyond this distance or from such locations to any additional location.
The way I read this, the Tesla flatbed will charge you for extra miles beyond 50. As far as your own situation - you may have different language in your contract (this seems to have been in flux lately) - or perhaps your car hasn't been transported by Tesla at their expense simply because you have never requested this.
Well, that's asinine on the part of Tesla. More reason for people to NOT buy Teslas. It's very easy to be a huge distance from a service center, with Tesla's anemic, minimalist network of service centers.
I have the old contract which will tow you, for free, from anywhere, for a warranty issue which makes the car undriveable.
There have actually been very very few cases where Teslas have become undriveable due to warranty issues -- less than 10 that I've heard of -- but they were big issues. Excluding flat tires (which can be fixed anywhere) and collisions (where towing is normally covered by insurance and Tesla can't do the body repairs in-house anyway), Tesla should pay at its own expense to tow undriveable cars from anywhere in the lower 48 to the nearest service center. They'll probably have to do it less than 10 times a year.
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It is hard for me to imagine that Tesla will ever open a service center in Alabama. (But then I'm surprised all the time). I gather that you (neroden) have been bitten by this?
I haven't been bitten by it *directly* because I bought the prepaid "8 year unlimited ranger service" contract. Back when it was a mere $4800. (Plus a mere $2500 for the 'extended service contract').
Having sent the car down for service, IIRC (this might be off slightly) 4 times plus 2 ranger visits, at the "new" $3/mile each way I would have paid $8136 in transportation costs alone by now -- but I prepaid, so I pay nothing more.
I have been bitten by it *indirectly* because Tesla aren't selling that contract any more. Which means I can
never buy another Tesla, at least not until they open a local service center. I was considering buying a second one. I was recommending it to friends, family, and strangers who have the means to buy Teslas. Now I'm telling them not to buy the car, and solely because of this.