Tesla’s Elon Musk Makes It Clear, If You Buy A Model 3, No FREE Charging — Is This A Dealbreaker?

The Tesla Model 3 has seen unbelievable interest this year. Since the vehicle’s announcement earlier this year, the company has stirred a tremendous pot. While there are some issues that have risen from this, we’re waiting to see just how Tesla makes it through this storm of excitement.

One little thing just came out though. IF you thought you would own a Model 3 and be able to charge it up on the go for free as seen with the current Model S and Model X, you are wrong.

Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, said in an interview that there is a cost associated with free supercharging and that the company will not be allowing that for every Model 3 sold. There is a catch, however. Musk notes that there will be a “package.”

Now given the context of his words it could mean that Tesla will offer a package with the Model 3 that allows for access to free charging along the company’s infrastructure, or it could mean you have to step up into the Model S or X vehicles.

To me, not being a Tesla owner, it sounds like a bummer; however, how expensive could the charging be at one of the company’s superchargers should I decide to go on a long distance trip?

So, we just have to ask: Is THIS a dealbreaker for the Model 3?

“Free supercharging fundamentally has a cost,” Musk, 44, said Tuesday during Tesla’s annual shareholders meeting, held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. “The obvious thing to do is decouple that from the cost of the Model 3. So it will still be very cheap, and far cheaper than gasoline, to drive long-distance with the Model 3, but it will not be free long distance for life unless you purchase that package.”

Read Article

atc98092 - 6/2/2016 8:27:09 AM

+5 Boost

It will be as he said, you pay an additional fee and you have free access. What isn't known is if there will be anything in place to allow paying for access. I've never seen a supercharger station in person, so I don't know if they have a payment option available.

That said, no it's not a deal breaker. The vast majority of buyers never use supercharging now, and I doubt that would change for Model 3 buyers. It's only people traveling long distances (or live very close to a supercharger) that need and use them.

TheSteve - 6/2/2016 9:38:22 AM

+4 Boost

Agreed! Although I'm not an EV kind of guy, I perceive Musk's decision as a different way of saying "If you buy an $80,000 car, you get some perks that don't come with the $35,000 car." Should that a surprise to anyone?

MDarringer - 6/2/2016 8:44:37 AM

-4 Boost

The flaw is that this is a slap in the face for customer relations. If you buy the expensive model, Musk will give you a freebie, but if you buy the entry level, Musk says go to hell and pay your own way.

Ironically, that should be flipped given that the buyers of the entry-level model have less money. Being the Liberal Socialist that Musk is, he should be stealing from the rich to enslave the not so rich.

The obvious solution is to make everyone pay.

HenryN - 6/2/2016 12:22:07 PM

+2 Boost

The current owners of the Roadster/S/X already paid into this lifetime service in the purchase price. There is no rich versus poor here, don't try to propagate the Liberal agenda.

The "free" supercharge was never intended for the Model 3. It was announced as "available" at the unveil, and no one but the media claimed it as "free". The vast majority of the TM3 prospects never assumed this service as free. As a reservation holder myself, I would prefer it as an option as intended and keep the base price as low as possible.

MDarringer - 6/2/2016 4:29:54 PM

-3 Boost

@HenryN there most decidedly IS a rick versus poor issue here because (1) the Model 3 will pull in people who cannot afford the S or the X, but (2) they will know that those models get "free" supercharger use. That is the PERCEPTION that Tesla be up against and YES it will look like they are treating their wealthy customers better.

This is a PR stumble for Tesla.

hangtime010 - 6/2/2016 2:00:26 PM

+2 Boost

Ultimately I would like to know what the cost would be to charge my TM3 (if I owned one) using the SC network? From what I understand, it would take no more than an hour to get a full charge.
I don't think it would be more than $5/day to get close to 200 miles of range.
Yes it will take more time than getting gas, but it'll be a lot cheaper than cars at the end.

mre30 - 6/2/2016 2:10:00 PM

0 Boost

When is the press release being released that says something to the effect of

"...the possibility of a Model 3 wait-list customer actually being able to purchase a Model 3 for the entry level price is virtually nil. The likelihood of any person with $80,000 buying a loaded Model 3 a couple of months from the actual launch date is virtually 99%. The wait list is called the "wait list" because if you want a cheap one you will have to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait..."

SanJoseDriver - 6/4/2016 5:06:05 PM

+1 Boost

This was obvious from the start, Musk never said it would be included at no cost. He only said the hardware to support supercharging would be in every car. My guess is it will be a $2,000 option (like it was on the Model S), $2,500 if you want to add this after delivery, or free if you upgrade to a larger battery or performance edition.