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Tesla Raises Prices At Its Supercharger Stations
Tesla is increasing the cost of the paid Supercharger access, but a spokesperson for the company says that it "will never be a profit center." Electrek reports: When introducing the program, Tesla said that it aimed to still make the cost of Supercharging cheaper than gasoline and that it doesn't aim to make its Supercharger network a profit center. Instead, they want to use the money to keep growing the network which now consists of over 1,180 stations and close to 9,000 Superchargers. But this week, the rates were updated across the U.S. Some states saw massive increases of as much as 100 percent -- though most regions saw their rates increase by 20 to 40 percent. For example, Oregon saw an increase of $0.12 to $0.24 per kWh, while California, Tesla's biggest market in the U.S., got an increase from $0.20 to $0.26 kWh and New York's rate went from $0.19 to $0.24 per kWh. A spokesperson for Tesla said in a statement: "We occasionally adjust rates to reflect current local electricity and usage. The overriding principle is that Supercharging will always remain significantly cheaper than gasoline, as we only aim to recover a portion of our costs while setting up a fair system for everyone. This will never be a profit center for Tesla."
esla said that it aimed to still make the cost of Supercharging cheaper than gasoline and that it doesn't aim to make its Supercharger network a profit center. Instead, they want to use the money to keep growing the network which now consists of over 1,180 stations and close to 9,000 Superchargers.
So they're just reinvesting their profits back into the business then. I don't have a problem with that, and I think it's the appropriate thing to do in their case, but don't piss in my face and tell me it's raining.
This site https://www.fueleconomy.gov/fe...
says that the Tesla Model S AWD gets about 98MPGe, or if you want less "equivalents"and more hard numbers - 35kWh/100miles.
So cost per mile:
ICE: $3/gallon * (1 gallon / 25 miles) = $0.120/mile
Tesla: $0.24/kWh * (35kWh/100miles) = $0.084/mile
Ignoring purchase and maintenance costs of course.
And of course the superchargers are intended for occasional, rushed charging with the assumption that most of the people most of the time will use home/work trickle chargers paying market rates of closer to $0.12/kWh. or about $0.042/mile.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
"I haven't driven a car that got as low as 25mpg in thirty years or so."
Why is it about you?
The latest hard data from the EPA states: "The MY 2016 adjusted fuel economy is 24.7 mpg..." (for "new personal vehicle[s]", so obviously lower than that if all operational vehicles are considered).
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
I drive a 2008 Toyota Rav4 (4-Cyl, 2.4 Liter) and track all of my fill ups using Fuelly. Over the past 10 times I filled up I averaged 21.0 MPG and since I started using Fuelly (176 fill ups ago) I have an average of 22.8 MPG.
Never has a term been so apt.
"Plus gas is really $2.50 per gal. So assuming a 30mpg car it is $2.50/30 = 0.08. For Tesla you get 3 miles per kWh so it is .26/3 = $0.08/mile."
Of course price of fuel is only part of the equation. Servicing costs for an EV should be much lower than for an ICEV too although I believe Teslas are a little pricey for servicing, but when you take a more normal EV like my Nissan LEAF versus my BMW MINI the cost differences are stark.
Last year I charged my car at home or on free chargers at carparks mostly and I also had the 30,000Km full dealer service done. Total running cost for the LEAF over the year works out at $300 including servicing. My MINI covered about the same distance last year and here the price of fuel is $2 per litre so around $8 a US gallon (NZ$) and it costs me $100 to fill that car which will do 750km per tank. That's $4000 in fuel alone this last year, plus there was some fairly serious servicing that needed doing such as new brakes and discs, clutch, drive shaft and tyres, plus all the usual fluid changes and that lot adds up to another $3500.
The LEAF likely won't need new discs or pads for a long long time due to regenerative braking but the tyres are close to needing done so we could add say $800 for a new set of boots on the LEAF and still be over $6000 cheaper to run in the last year than the MINI which is a fuel efficient little car. Having both certainly brings home the marked difference in costs and while the cost of entry to the LEAF was higher, the annual running costs bring it to parity within three years of purchase and after that the LEAF is much cheaper.
"I have the attention span of a strobe lit goldfish, please get to the point quickly!"