Tesla has jacked up the prices of its Superchargers around the world, having last week cut its workforce and ended its long-running referral program.
Discovered by Electrek and confirmed by the company, fee increases of 33 per cent are being reported on Superchargers in some American states. In Australia, the average price for charging will jump from $0.35 per kWh to $0.47 per kWh.
UPDATE, 22/01/2019: Tesla has revised its pricing again, confirming Supercharging will cost $0.42 per kWh. The company says the decision was driven by customer feedback.
Speaking with CarAdvice today, a Tesla spokesperson confirmed pricing is being adjusted to "better reflect differences in local electricity costs and site usage".
"As our fleet grows, we continue to open new Supercharger locations weekly so more drivers can travel long distances at a fraction of the cost of gasoline and with zero emissions," the statement says.
"As has always been the case, Supercharging is not meant to be a profit centre for Tesla.”
Tesla ended free Supercharging in 2017, but some owners who bought their cars before November 2018 were given 400kWh in annual charge credits for free.
There are two potential ahem, charge rates, for using a Tesla connector to fill your battery in Australia: Tier 2, when a vehicle is charging at 60kW or faster, and Tier 1, which is all other times.
According to the Tesla website, the average price of supercharging in Australia is $0.47 per kWh, meaning it'd cost around $42.30 to fully replenish a Model X with a 90kWh battery.
The news comes after Elon Musk emailed staff to tell them seven per cent of Tesla's full-time workforce is being laid off and the customer referral program is coming to an end, as the brand looks to lower the cost of entry to its vehicles.
"While we have made great progress, our products are still too expensive for most people," the email said.
"Tesla has only been producing cars for about a decade and we’re up against massive, entrenched competitors. The net effect is that Tesla must work much harder than other manufacturers to survive while building affordable, sustainable products."
