Tesla is implementing a new fee system to alleviate charging traffic at its stations. The company will introduce Supercharger idle fees globally, while congestion fees will specifically be rolled out in the US.
Under the new system, idle fees will be charged on a per-minute basis to drivers who leave their cars parked at a charging point after it has already been fully recharged. Tesla will notify drivers through its app when their charge is nearly complete and again when their cars reach full charging capacity. After these alerts, if an electric vehicle remains connected to a Supercharger and parked at the charging station, Tesla will charge the driver an idle fee of up to 50 cents per minute. When the charging station is at full capacity, this fee will increase to $1.00 per minute. The exact fees will vary depending on the country. However, if a car is moved within a five-minute grace period, the fees will be waived.
Tesla justifies these fees by comparing them to not leaving a vehicle parked by a gas pump at a gas station. In addition to idle fees, certain Supercharging locations will introduce congestion fees. These fees will be incurred when charging stations are busy and a vehicle’s battery level exceeds 90 percent. However, during the actual charging process, no congestion fees will be charged. US drivers will have to pay $1.00 per minute for congestion fees. The aim of this fee is to encourage drivers to charge their vehicles only as much as necessary for their trips, rather than fully topping off their batteries.
As more electric vehicle drivers gain access to the North American Charging Standard (NACS) used by Tesla’s Superchargers, the company is facing an increasing number of EV drivers charging at its Supercharging stations. Tesla acknowledges that congestion is becoming an issue and hopes that the new fee system will help address this problem. Additionally, these fees will contribute to Tesla’s financial performance. Analysts estimate that the Tesla Supercharger network will be worth between annually by the end of the decade.
