Free Tesla Supercharger Credit Program Ends

Tesla’s free Supercharger access was a big perk for early adopters of the company’s electric automobiles. The program has slowly been phasing out since early 2017, reduced to an annual credit for Model S and Model X buyers. Now, free Supercharging is gone.

The automaker’s first phase-out of free unlimited Supercharger access happened at the beginning of 2017. Instead of unlimited Supercharger access, buyers of the Model S and Model X were given 400 kilowatt-hours per year of charger credit. Telsa said at the time that this would cover the annual needs for the majority of drivers. It was enough for four to five charges, so annual needs referred more to the occasional road trip than daily driving.

“We carefully considered current Supercharger usage and found that 400 kWh covers the annual long-distance driving needs of the majority of our owners,” the company said in a blog post at the time.

SEE ALSO: Here’s How Much It Will Cost To ‘Supercharge’ a Tesla

Now, the free annual charging credit program has been quietly phased out as well. It actually ended at the beginning of this month. On the Supercharging FAQ page, Telsa said that “certain Model S and X sold before November 2, 2018, receive 400 kWh of Supercharger credits annually.”

So all new Telsas will see a fee to Supercharge. In North America, the price is fixed within each state or province. Internationally, it’s the same across the country. Billing per kWh is most common, but some areas require a per-minute fee.

Some buyers will still get free Supercharger access, but only for a limited time. The charging is for a limited time, that is. Current owners can give five referrals that give the buyer six months of unlimited access to Supercharging. After the initial phase-out, with the credit replacing unlimited access, unlimited charging was still available through the referral program. Last September, that was changed to a year of free access.

From HybridCars.com