Tesla Price Rise on Supercharger Network. Now More Expensive than Average Petrol Vehicle to Fill up

pegaxs on 15/11/2020 - 00:24

Well, got to reading some interesting news over the last few days and surprised it wasn’t already posted about…

Tesla have lifted the price of their supercharger networks to a point where it is currently more expensive to fill up your Tesla than what it would be to fill an average petrol powered vehicle up at a fuel station.

https://www.whichcar.com.au/car-news/teslas-now-more-expensi…
(Plus plenty of other websites reporting it. Google it.)

This only applies to the Tesla supercharger network and not to charging your vehicle at home/elsewhere. If you are a majority user of the supercharger network, it kind of kills the “iT’z cHeApEr tO cHaRgE tHaN a PeTrOL cAr! PaYz fOr iTsELf iN a YeAr” mantra.

Does this make a difference to you? How often do people use the supercharger network? Do most owners just charge their Tesla at home? Do you pinch it for free from work/office/shopping centre/neighbour’s fuse box? Does this price rise put you off buying into Tesla?

And a poll, because we love clicking buttons… How do you charge your Tesla?

Poll Options

  • 4
    Majority of charging from Tesla network. :(
  • 5
    Majority of charging from home. :)
  • 3
    Majority of charging from free sources. :D
  • 8
    From a petrol bowser at a fuel station. ;)
  • 116
    I don’t own a Tesla and wanted something to click.
Automotive Tesla Inc

Comments

  • ozisaver on 15/11/2020 - 00:28
    +2

    Home solar so 90% of the time it's free to charge. only use a supercharger when travelling a long distance outside the city

    • Quantumcat on 15/11/2020 - 08:35
      +9

      Not free, costs what you would have made by exporting to the grid

      • Euphemistic on 15/11/2020 - 08:44
        +5

        With current export rates you are better off using it yourself. Especially if you import when the sun don’t shine.

        • Quantumcat on 15/11/2020 - 08:57
          +8

          True, doesn't make it free though

          • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2020 - 12:47
            -1

            @Quantumcat: That is a stupid argument.

            If someone gives you a free PlayStation 5, are you going to say that its not free because you could have sold it instead of playing it yourself?

            • Gotchas on 15/11/2020 - 13:11
              +1

              @[Deactivated]: Original comment never said anything about anyone giving him free solar panels

            • Quantumcat on 15/11/2020 - 13:34
              +2

              @[Deactivated]: No, it is more like you bought a Playstation 5 and you rent it out to other people to have a play. If you play it yourself you are missing out on the payments from the other people, so that's the cost of playing it yourself.

      • RockyRaccoon on 15/11/2020 - 08:59
        +7

        Not only that, you have to charge in the day and drive at night to use Solar.

        Unless of course you have free batteries at home to store the daylight power, then charge the Car at night. But wait that wouldn’t have been free.

        The mind boggles that these people have no idea of the concept of

        opportunity costs.

        the loss of other alternatives when one alternative is chosen

        • pegaxs on 15/11/2020 - 09:08
          +7

          “I uSe SoLaR, sO mY pOwEr iS fReE”… charges car up at night time, using grid power, or from their $20,000 power wall, or during the day from their $10,000 solar system…

          It’s a human condition to do this and marketing companies know it. Install big expensive something, to get a small trickle of something “for free” and the pay off time to make it worth it is often 10+ years just to break even.

        • Anakie on 15/11/2020 - 10:13
          -1

          I thought solar basically reverses the power consumption and you have that day to use it.

          20kw generated should be 20kw usable for the rest of the day.

          Use more power in the early off peak and the sun starts shining till start reversing what you already used.

          • brendanm on 15/11/2020 - 11:00
            +3

            @Anakie: U wot m8?

          • nizzkid on 15/11/2020 - 11:33
            +3

            @Anakie: You thought wrong.

          • Quantumcat on 15/11/2020 - 13:32

            @Anakie: It works like that for a few days after getting your solar system before they install a smart meter, if you started with an analogue spinning dial power meter (as when the sun is shining the dial spins backwards).

            But after that, when the sun is shining you can use the power it is generating as it is generating, anything above this gets exported and you are paid for it. When the sun is not shining or shining weakly, you pay to pull power from the grid.

        • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2020 - 12:48
          +1

          Dont forget that the house isn't free either!

          So really, your electric car costs like $800,000

          • pegaxs on 15/11/2020 - 14:33

            @[Deactivated]: Gotta have something to hold the solar panels up off the ground…

  • SF3 on 15/11/2020 - 00:36
    +8

    Looks like we are seeing another company gained critical mass and is now showing their “bait and switch” hand.

    • watwatwat on 15/11/2020 - 01:20
      +4

      There is very little reason to fill up at a supercharger except the very rare occasion you'd go on a roadtrip. Otherwise just charge at home and you are unaffected.

      • pegaxs on 15/11/2020 - 09:13
        +1

        See, that’s the type of information I am interested in. A price rise on a supercharger is negligible if you use it maybe once a month.

        Just wanted to gain an idea of just how often the average Tesla owner actually used these supercharger stations. Is the price rise a big deal because so many people use it, or is it a non-event because most top up at home?

        I’m surprised that Tesla even let you charge at home and didn’t put something in place that their cars could only be charged at Tesla supercharger outlets. (Maybe in the next OTA update…)

        • Baysew on 15/11/2020 - 11:58
          +5

          Good thing Apple has dropped plans to produce a car.

        • watwatwat on 15/11/2020 - 13:02
          +1

          Uh Tesla encourage people to charge are home. I'd think they'd prefer to not build chargers at all but they have to to combat range anxiety for customers.

  • leiiv on 15/11/2020 - 01:30
    +3

    I thought the superchargers are free??

    • dust on 15/11/2020 - 07:44

      They do say you learn something new each day.

      • MS Paint on 15/11/2020 - 09:47

        They do say you learn something new each day.

        TIL

        FTFY

      • Anakie on 15/11/2020 - 10:16

        Free for like any Tesla before 2017 or something. But if it changes owner I think it's void.

  • bloom on 15/11/2020 - 08:50
    +10

    I’m here for the uppercase lowercase statements and wasn’t disappointed

  • ozbargainsam on 15/11/2020 - 08:54
    +1

    It looks like the article is recommending me to buy a 330i over a Tesla.

    All the reasoning I needed.

  • ESEMCE on 15/11/2020 - 09:08

    Most will charge at home/office cause that's where the car spends most of its sedentary time.
    Has anyone actually used the alleged "it'll pay for it itself" argument anyway, cause it's fairly easy to prove otherwise.

    • pegaxs on 15/11/2020 - 09:42

      Has anyone actually used the alleged "it'll pay for it itself" argument anyway

      That's usually the biggest trump card the EV owners collective throw out each time someone questions them on why they suggested someone buy a $80,000 Tesla when they wanted a $20,000 Camry.

      "I need a medium sized sedan, low km, newish and between $20k and $25k"
      "Get a Tesla Model 3"
      "What?? That's like $60,000 over my budget!!"
      "Yeah, but you don't have to service it, and power is free/only cost me 19c to fill up, so it pays for itself in like, 2 years…"

      Obviously this all changes if someone is a predominate user of the supercharger network, because now their car is effectively more expensive to charge there than if they bought a dinosaur slime burning planet wrecker. Just trying to gauge how this affects most Tesla owners. If 90% of Tesla charging is done at home, then this "news" is a non-thing.

      • JIMB0 on 15/11/2020 - 12:14
        +1

        Depreciation is a much larger cost than fuel. These electric cars are so much more expensive and as such will depreciate much more than the amount you'll save on fuel. Although you do get some intangible benefits you'd probably find it cheaper overall to drive a normal car even if it has high fuel consumption.

    • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2020 - 11:11

      Except it's not. You charge at home 99.99% of the time, and the equivalent Tesla costs less than the equivalent Mercedes or BMW. So you are saving from the initial purchase and then running costs are much lower.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2020 - 09:10
    +3

    As much as I like the idea of a Tesla, it isn't viable until Tesla has a toe to toe competitor.

    This is true of any product.

    • brendanm on 15/11/2020 - 11:03

      Have you not seen the mg zs ev?

      • pegaxs on 15/11/2020 - 11:44
        +1

        I am keen to go and look at one, but from that standpoint, I think it is more of a Hyundai Kona competitor than it is against anything Tesla makes. While I welcome this introduction to the market of cheaper EV's, it is more likely to start a pricing war against vehicles like the Kona/Ionic, Leaf or Zoe before it even bothers Tesla.

        Oh, and added to the fact that the MG is a Chinese made car, I don't think Tesla fanbois are going to convert any time soon…

        • mapax on 15/11/2020 - 12:09

          Oh, and added to the fact that the MG is a Chinese made car, I don't think Tesla fanbois are going to convert any time soon…

          Does that mean they won’t like the model Y? Isn’t it going to be produced in Shanghai?

        • brendanm on 15/11/2020 - 13:28
          +2

          Yeah I was being sarcastic. It is good to have cheaper electric options, but a Chinese made electric mg isn't my idea of a good time.

          • pegaxs on 15/11/2020 - 13:42

            @brendanm: I tell you what, I’m not a huge fan of Chinese made cars (yet), but the cousin has a new MG and I got to go for a drive with her, and for what she paid for it, it’s a pretty impressive vehicle.

            Would I buy one? Not at the moment, but I think that the quality is quite good for the price point and hope it gets better. They are about where Hyundai were when they were trying to get a foothold in the market.

            If nothing else, I hope it kicks off a price war for EV’s, because when the family car needs replacing in 5 or so years from now, I’ll be happy t pay much less for an EV than what they are currently.

            • brendanm on 15/11/2020 - 13:50

              @pegaxs: Definitely. A lot more people would be interested if you didn't have to pay a minimum of $60k for something with tragic range and performance.

              • pegaxs on 15/11/2020 - 14:11
                +1

                @brendanm: As much as he is a (fropanity) head, John Cadogan had a decent video about cheap EV’s recently and made a valid point about having an EV as a second vehicle that is used to take stress on your touring vehicle. An electric town car, basically. 150km range, light weight, and cheap. The Hyundai Getz of electric cars. Used for basic mule duties, drop off/pick up kids, shopping, post office, work commute, etc…

                If I could buy a $25,000 EV that was very basic and just to be used around town for all the mundane driving, I would happily have one as a second vehicle and keep the bigger family sized petrol guzzler for inter-city or freeway travels, would be ideal for that.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2020 - 11:13
    +1

    Almost no one exclusively charges on the supercharger network. It's not convenient, and it damages the battery. Do it everyday and your charge rate and power output will be reduced. It's chemistry, there's no way around it. It applies to every other EV and fast charging too.

  • tanksinatra on 15/11/2020 - 11:32
    +1

    Sure the official Tesla superchargers might be expensive (52c/kwh), but you'd only use them on interstate trips when youre in a rush
    .
    Controlled load power at home costs about 16c/kwh. And other charging stations (i.e. the queensland electric super highway) cost about 20c/kwh. Much cheaper than petrol.

    Just charge at home.

  • Euphemistic on 15/11/2020 - 13:05
    +1

    Looked for the bikies option in the poll. Luckily there was a secondary selection available.

  • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2020 - 17:55
    +1

    I'm surprised at the blasé response about a price hike.

    If I was told that my vehicle purchase is justifiable because my concerns can be addressed by the supercharger, I expect that those justifications will be relevant after the purchase.

    It is supposedly cheaper to charge at the supercharger than the gas station but now I'm being told it'll actually cost me more but that's not a bad thing because I shouldn't use it anyway as it damages my battery. That's some seriously f-ed up way of breaking bad news.

    • whooah1979 on 15/11/2020 - 18:10
      +3

      Tesla owners are loaded. They can afford a few more dollars per charge.

      • mapax on 15/11/2020 - 20:19

        You’re both missing the main point of being a Tesla owner, they still get to act smug about how green they are…

        • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2020 - 22:48
          -2

          They probably sniff their own farts.

      • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2020 - 22:50

        It's not the dollar issue. It's about buying something because you are told it can do something efficiently just to be told actually, it is going to be less efficient (in this case it is cost) but it's good news because that efficiency was going to damage your product.

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