Tesla may be looking to tax drivers who want to charge to 100 per cent using the company’s Supercharger network.
Known Tesla hacker Green took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to reveal new code Tesla has added for its next software update, which includes this Supercharger penalty.
Currently Tesla Superchargers automatically adjust the vehicle charge limit to 80 per cent to reduce long charge times at popular locations.
Peeked a bit into 2023.38, lots of stuff seems to be in motion.
— green (@greentheonly) October 20, 2023
Congestion fees added (if you charge above 80% on a congested supercharger)
“object on road” pushed by map service (waze-like, but detected by (other tesla) car visions?)
option to autodial 911 on airbag deploy
Drivers can, however, manually adjust the charge limit to 100 per cent through the touchscreen or Tesla app if they require a 100 per cent charge. This new fee would impact drivers who do this.
Charging speeds typically decrease when going from 80-100 per cent, which can mean longer wait times for other drivers in the charger queue.
Tesla already charges its drivers an idle fee if their cars are left at charging stations once they reach full charge.
The company’s Australian website claims “Supercharger idle fees help ensure a frustration-free charging experience for all Tesla drivers.”
Idle fees start from 50 cents per minute for charging stations that aren’t fully occupied and $1 for drivers who overstay their welcome when the charging station is 100 per cent occupied.
It’s unclear when the congestion fees will be implemented, but with increasing EV adoption in Australia plus Supercharger locations opening up to other brands’ vehicles, this could help disincentivise people from staying plugged in longer than necessary.
