Tesla to impose congestion fees for certain Superchargers in the United States
Almost every charging networks have a policy which aims to discourage electric motorists from leaving their car fully charged, or about to be, connected to a charging station. The Electric Circuit does this, by doubling its prices when the vehicle battery charge level has reached 90%. Tesla has a similar approach when a vehicle is fully charged, but will now impose congestion charges which will come into play depending on the utilization rate of certain stations Superchargers in the USA.
Currently, Tesla charges a fee of $0.50/minute for each fully charged vehicle (100% charge level) that occupies a fast charging station. By replacing it with the congestion charge, Tesla will impose a double penalty of $1.00/minute on all vehicle owners whose battery state of charge exceeds 90%, when a charger station is highly demanded. Note that Tesla has not yet revealed at what congestion level the fees will come into effect.
This new policy has only one goal: to encourage recalcitrant people who monopolize fast charging stations in non-optimal situations to give up their place to other motorists who need the charging station.
Remember that the higher the battery charge level, the slower the charging speed. Motorists whose vehicle remains connected to the charging station even though their battery is almost full therefore do not benefit from the full charging performance in addition to preventing other users from using it. They would benefit from continuing their journey, at the risk of having to plug in their vehicle later, to encourage harmonious and fair coexistence among electric motorists.
Tesla adds that each Tesla owner can know the charging status of their car through the manufacturer’s mobile application. There is therefore no reason to be surprised by these costs, which are also explained in the vehicle’s central display. Tesla has not provided a precise date or location for the first applications of these fees.
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Even if, for the moment, only certain charging stations in the United States will be affected by this policy which will arrive shortly, this new way of operating will undoubtedly eventually arrive in Canada. It is all the more important to worry about this as the opening of Tesla’s charging network to other brands is due to begin at the beginning of 2024. All electric motorists are therefore concerned.
We are in favor of such a policy since public fast charging stations are made to be used occasionally, but above all, intelligently. It is better, in any case, to avoid recharging your vehicle to more than 80% at a fast terminal, given the inefficiency of recharging once a high charge rate is reached.
