Tesla Model 3 - No Free Supercharging - Option only

[FrostyCanada]

It seems that there's going to be no free supercharging with Tesla model 3.

Though no price was mentioned I'm thinking that it will be a 3 to 5K option to be taken when buying the car new (life time charging).

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/31/11825636/elon-musk-tesla-model-3-superchargers-not-free

So what will be a reasonably equipped (entry level) model 3 ... 45k - 50k?

Brian

 

[Benjamin Nead]

I'll be interested to see how they go about doing this. First, I think it's very smart of Tesla to separate the "free" charging from the base price of the Model 3. Some of the buyers who are mostly city dwellers may not travel all that much and will charge mostly at home, opting to buy charging as needed for the occasional road trip. Other who are road warriors will purchase the optional charging, as it will pay for itself over time.

I guess the only question I have is if the charging options are tied to the car or to the owner. If a first generation Model 3 owners decides to trade in that car a few years later on a newer Tesla, does the owner simply keep the contract active on the new car? Or, if that same used Tesla goes on the market, does the new owner of that used one have to take the car with or without the unlimited charging contract that the previous owner bought into? It would seem to make sense to unbundle the free charging option from the car itself. If the buyer of a new Model 3 invests in that option once and Tesla says it can stay with that owner, it's incentive for that owner to stay with the Tesla brand for the next car, and the next car after that . . . buy the charging for the lifespan of the driver and use it on a succession of new Tesla auto purchases across the decades. We'll see how it works out.

And, yes, it's my guess that the first Model 3s to hit the streets will be the more well-appointed ones, in the $45K to $50K price range. The folks who put their down payments on the base sticker ones will get theirs later. This, apparently, is how Tesla did it on the Models S rollout.

 

[mdbuilder]

Buy charging for the lifespan of the DRIVER? "Over the DECADES" :shock:

Son, what are you smoking or what planet are you on?

 

[PV1]

Supercharging follows the car for the S and X. Supercharging for the life of the car, unless it is wrecked. At which point, Tesla disables Supercharging on that car until it is repaired and certified by Tesla.

What about a tiered subscription model? If you opt to sign up, it doesn't cost anything unless you use the Supercharger twice or more (you get one free Supercharge a month). Each tier above the $0 base represents 5 Supercharges. This subscription follows the owner and can be cancelled at any time, although simply not using the Supercharger doesn't cost anything.

I know Elon didn't want a pay per use system, so if he doesn't go for this, then maybe pre-paid monthly access would work as well. Basically, if you are planning a road trip, you pre-pay for a month of access to the Superchargers. Of course, discourage routine local usage (ie. the infamous letter to S owners a while back). Otherwise, during normal everyday local driving, you aren't paying for something you aren't using.

"Free for Life" Supercharging should remain a premium option for the more expensive S and X.

 

[siai47]

Free Supercharging for life was always an option for the Model S. When I bought my S85 in 2014, Supercharging at the time was included in the $10,000 85 KW upgrade package over the S60 model. The package included the larger battery, different tires, a couple of other minor things and free Supercharging. I am not sure the S40 model could be equipped with Supercharging at any price but the S60 could be upgraded at the time of ordering for $2000. I seem to remember it might have cost a little more if added after the sale. In any event, the Supercharging option stays with the vehicle for its life. So, free Supercharging has always been either a stand alone option, part of an upgrade package or included as part as an up-level vehicle. I am not sure how Supercharging is handled on the newer models or the Model X but this is how it was handled early on. Sounds like something similar is going on with the Model 3. BTW--the intent of the $2000 option was to provide money to build the Supercharger network in the first place. As more and more vehicles are added that are Supercharger enabled, more and larger stations will also need to be added. I think access will always be based on a one time full price upgrade to get it, not a tiered system or a pay as you go system. I would think that if you bought a non-Supercharger enabled Model 3 and changed you mind later on, it could be enabled with an over the air upgrade after you paid Tesla for the upgrade. As Musk said, all the Model 3's will be Supercharger capable. I don't think he made it very clear that capable (hardware) and enabled (software/firmware) are two different things at different price point.

 

[PV1]

I believe it is standard across the S and X on all models now. Interesting to note that the Model S 60 is now available again, and it sounds like it is actually a 75 kWh battery that is software limited because the upgrade can be enabled after delivery. Supercharging is standard equipment.

I think that even the Model S 40 can be upgraded to 60 kWh and Supercharging, as it was really an S60 that is software limited to 40 kWh. The Supercharging hardware (thick cables and bypass contactors) was built into every car, and the option is simply a software parameter sent over the air. I don't remember if Supercharging was known at the launch or not. At the Supercharger event, Elon did say that the 85 kWh cars had it included, and the 60 kWh cars could be enabled by a software update for $2,500 ($2,000 when ordering the car).

It'll be interesting to see how they set it up for the Model 3. Like the S, the hardware will likely be built into every car and simply be a software switch to enable/disable it.

 

[Benjamin Nead]

Buy charging for the lifespan of the DRIVER? "Over the DECADES" :shock:

Son, what are you smoking or what planet are you on?

Actually, not as bizarre a concept as you accuse. There are business models with electric cars where the vehicle is owned, but the battery pack is perpetually leased. Others here who own Teslas or know more about the purchase process of those cars have provided insight. But "outside the box" ways of owning, leasing or having warranties drawn up on electric cars is going to be different than with ICE vehicles we've been used to up 'til now. Tesla's Supercharging business model as applied to their first generation luxury cars is just one such example . . . and it's going to be different on these less expensive ones, where
the service isn't built into the purchase price. But I suppose you would have had to spend a little time observing EV marketing trends to comprehend that.

Again . . . it gets more complex when the vehicle is sold used and the next buyer may or may not want to incur this extra expense that the original new vehicle owner chose. Or, the original owner may have opted out and the new owner of that same used Model 3 might want to opt in. Unlike a a conventional vehicle ad-on that's a physical piece of hardware, this basically IS a contract with driver and manufacturer. It doesn't involve something that can be bolted or unbolted on the car itself.

 

[mdbuilder]

Well, Elon is at root a capitalist. No matter what he says now, there is no way in hell he's going to give free charging for 30, 40 or 50 years based on a piece of a sales price at the beginning.

If you are going to pay a monthly battery lease forever fine. But that's not what they are doing at the moment, they are selling you a car.

 

[Don]

Well, Elon is at root a capitalist. No matter what he says now, there is no way in hell he's going to give free charging for 30, 40 or 50 years based on a piece of a sales price at the beginning.

I believe that's exactly what he did with the Model S - You can buy a used S85 (second or third owner) and you have free Supercharging for as long as the car 'lives' . . . . even if it *is* 30, 40 or 50 years The free charging goes with the car

Don

 

[mdbuilder]

Life of the CAR yes, the suggestion I was astounded by was the life of the DRIVER - biological unit which might live to 100 you know

 

[Benjamin Nead]

Yes, but not to beat a dead horse, average life expectancy in the US is closer to 78 years than 100. Even if they're in relative good health in their later years, many chose to give up driving well before they pass on. Also . . . people aren't of legal driving age most places until 16 and they're probably not financially predisposed to buy a new Tesla (if, indeed, they ever will be . . . even one of the upcoming "cheap" ones) until they're at least their mid 20s and, more often than not, maybe not until their mid 30s.

So, a "lifetime for driver" contract in regards to time isn't really all that different from one you would get from buying one or two examples of a Tesla over a period of long ownership. We'll see if early adopter Model S owners really do hold onto their cars for multiple decades. But many have said they will.

 

[Don]

Life of the CAR yes, the suggestion I was astounded by was the life of the DRIVER - biological unit which might live to 100 you know

Yes, but . . . . you don't recharge the DRIVER - You recharge the CAR!

Don

 

[PV1]

Official update on changes to Supercharging. Affects all new Tesla vehicles ordered after January 1, 2017.

https://www.tesla.com/blog/update-our-supercharging-program

 

[kiev]

For Teslas ordered after January 1, 2017, 400 kWh of free Supercharging credits (roughly 1,000 miles) will be included annually so that all owners can continue to enjoy free Supercharging during travel. Beyond that, there will be a small fee to Supercharge which will be charged incrementally and cost less than the price of filling up a comparable gas car. All cars will continue to come standard with the onboard hardware required for Supercharging.
*************

Most early adopters are not hangers-on-ers, they don't keep stuff once a newer version comes out. Some tesla owners are on their 3rd car or 4th car, S->P->D->90->100, etc...

Battery packs won't last 20 or 30 years, 10 if you're lucky.

 

[mdbuilder]

WHAT? :lol:

Oh the humanity, life time charging traded for a $40 per year allowance. :shock: :?

 

[PV1]

The value of older Teslas just went up a bit :lol: .

 

[jray3]

Most early adopters are not hangers-on-ers, they don't keep stuff once a newer version comes out. Some tesla owners are on their 3rd car or 4th car, S->P->D->90->100, etc...
Battery packs won't last 20 or 30 years, 10 if you're lucky.

But i-MiEV early adopters are a different breed, and not the stereotypical gadgetitis-infected early adopters. Many on this forum bought rather than leased, and I expect to have MR BEAN in the family when he's 20 yrs old- barring a collison (he was purchased to replace a collision-totalled '92 Civic)... The simple rebuildability and likely longevity of our battery was a prime selling point, as was the simple styling that would've looked just as innocuously quirky in the early 90's as it will in the 2020's.

Back on topic; a used Model S with lifetime supercharging will be carefully compared to the Model 3 when my time comes..

 

[JoeS]

As someone very much in favor of charging for L2 charging, I was wondering how Tesla was going to address the massive influx of the Model 3.

Having put on 20,000 zero-fuel-cost miles since May on my 'Classic' MS85 I'm quite happy to be grandfathered-in. The only use I have for the Tesla is very long trips which means I only charge at home at the beginning and end of our typically long journeys.

Only seven weeks left to get your AP2 Tesla with unlimited charging, as it will become a rare bird, indeed. :|