Tesla Brings Back Free Supercharging in Attempt to Boost Model S and Model X Sales

From Car and Driver

• Tesla will now include free unlimited charging credits for its Superchargers with the purchase of any new Model S or Model X.

• The company had previously ended its policy to offer 400 kilowatt hours of free Supercharging credits for Model S and Model X buyers in November 2018.

• Current Tesla owners will still have to pay per kilowatt hour or per minute; the current rate stands at 28 cents per kWh or 13 to 26 cents per minute.

Tesla tweeted that it will offer free unlimited Supercharging credits for new Model S and Model X buyers. The company had previously offered free unlimited supercharging a few years ago, then reduced that number to 400 kilowatt-hours of electricity credits each year for Model S and Model X orders; that policy ended for orders placed after November 2, 2018. The new free unlimited credits will apply for orders placed starting August 3. Tesla claims it has 1604 Supercharger stations globally.

Model S and Model X sales have been in a slump recently. We reported last month that these two models have 18 days' worth of unsold inventory, so this new offering strikes us as an attempt to boost interest in these vehicles.

Tesla Model 3 owners and existing Model S and Model X buyers who ordered their vehicles when free Supercharging was not included in their purchase will still have to pay. The current rate in the U.S. stands at 28 cents per kilowatt-hour. Some locations charge by the minute, where the rate stands at 13 cents per minute under 60 kilowatts and 26 cents per minute above 60 kilowatts.

We don't know how long these free unlimited Supercharger credits will last, as Tesla changes its charging policies frequently. Tesla also recently rejiggered the Model S and Model X lineups, cutting prices and simplifying the trim levels to include only Long Range and Performance configurations. All Model S and Model X trim levels include free unlimited Supercharging, according to the company's website, while no version of the Model 3 includes the credits.

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