A row of new Tesla Superchargers are seen outside of the Tesla Factory on August 16, 2013 in Fremont, California. Tesla Motors opened a new Supercharger station with four stalls for public use at their factory in Fremont, California (Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Tesla will now be charging $0.40 per minute for overstaying company-made electric vehicles on their charging facilities. This is to ensure that every traveler can charge their EVs when the previous car is fully charged.
Tesla car owners have been complaining for a while about several irresponsible car owners who do not move their cars when their batteries are fully charged. The situation presents inconveniences to other motorists who are waiting for their turn to juice up their electric vehicles. Thus, the company decided to impose the Supercharger Idle Fee, not to make money but to make every EV owner happy.
"We envision a future where cars move themselves once fully charged, enhancing network efficiency and the customer experience even further," according to the company blog. "Until then, we ask that vehicles be moved from the Supercharger once fully charged. A customer would never leave a car parked by the pump at a gas station and the same thinking applies with Superchargers."
Tesla car owners will receive notifications via the Tesla app that their vehicle's charging process is nearly complete and also when it is completed. Owners will also be notified once they have started to incur the $0.40 idle fee charges. The statement also mentioned that an initial 5-minute grace period is given to an owner to move their vehicle out of the charging bay. If the car is moved within the grace period, the timer will stop and any fees incurred will be waived.
The company's support page also provides answers to some common questions that customers may ask. Drivers will be billed once they visit Tesla's Service Centers. Model S and Model X cars are included in the program. Fines will only start to take effect once the charge session is complete and only at Superchargers and not on Destination Charging locations.
The new scheme is being implemented not only in North America. It will also affect EV owners in other countries such as Austria (0.35 €), Croatia (HRK 2.70), Denmark (kr. 2.60), Germany (0.35 €), U.K. (£ 0.30), Hong Kong (HK $3.10) and several more countries where the EVs are available.
Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk clarified on Twitter that fines will only incur if the charging bays are all occupied, according to The Verge.
