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Tesla Supercharges the Supercharger Fees, Charging Is Now As Expensive as Pumping Gas

California energy prices are going through the roof, and it was just a matter of time before EV charging stations would start charging more for their services. Tesla Supercharger network changed the pricing tire structure and hiked the fees accordingly.
Tesla supercharges the Supercharger fees, charging is now as expensive as pumping gas 6 photos
Photo: @SawyerMerritt via Twitter
Tesla supercharges the Supercharger fees, charging is now as expensive as pumping gasTesla supercharges the Supercharger fees, charging is now as expensive as pumping gasTesla supercharges the Supercharger fees, charging is now as expensive as pumping gasTesla SuperchargerTesla Supercharger
Tesla owners in California have received a mysterious message from Tesla announcing them that “charging rates and off-peak hours will change at select Superchargers.” The message did not offer any more clues, but Tesla owners discovered for themselves soon enough what it meant. Specifically, Tesla introduced more time-of-use tiers affecting off-peak hours, so there are now as many as four price tiers. Many users reported price hikes, but surprisingly, not all fees have increased.

The off-peak hours used to last between 9 pm and 11 am the following day, but there are now three off-peak time-of-use tiers. The rates and the hours vary from station to station. For instance, the Calabasas Supercharger now has peak hours during most of the day, from 8 am until 8 pm. The charging fee is $0.65 per kWh, up from the previous peak rate of $0.58 per kWh. There are three off-peak tiers, the cheapest being between 12 am and 4 am, at $0.21 per kWh.

The situation is similar at the Santa Barbara Supercharger, which also has four tiers. The most expensive is during the peak hours from 8 am to 9 pm, at $0.53 kWh. In this case, the fee has actually dropped from the previous $0.58 per kWh. Also, the least expensive tier is between 4 am and 8 am, at $0.21 per kWh.

Rising energy costs have forced Tesla to adjust Supercharger fees several times this year. Earlier this month, Tesla announced an increase of their Supercharger fees in Europe by as much as 30%. The same happened in Canada earlier this year, while a few months ago, California saw another fee adjustment, including new off-peak hours.

At these rates, charging a Tesla at a Supercharger (or even at third-party charging stations, thanks to the $250 CCS adaptor) becomes almost as expensive as pumping gas in an ICE vehicle. And before saying that most Tesla owners charge their cars overnight at home with much favorable pricing, consider that many people still care about the increased Supercharger fees. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have complained about them on social media.

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About the author: Cristian Agatie
Cristian Agatie profile photo

After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
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