Tesla will soon implement fines to vehicle owners who leave their cars at the charging station for more than the needed time. The supercharger idle fee is to prevent some Tesla car owner to use the charging stations as parking spaces.
In a recent press release, Tesla announced that the vehicle owners who leave their cars in the docks will receive an idle fee of $0.40 cents for every minute when the battery gets nearly or fully charged. The said fee is aimed at discouraging these drivers to use the stations as parking lots, which is reportedly a clear misuse of the intended purpose.
The vehicle owners will be able to track their car's battery status through the Tesla smartphone app. As explained by Tesla, the plan is not a profiteering scheme, but a way to increase the customer satisfaction.
Meantime, Tesla also aims at enabling vehicles to unplug itself from the charging stations in the future, as the company continues to develop and move to completely autonomous the vehicles. Such ability is expected to be both time and cost-efficient for the vehicle owners. For now, Tesla car owners who will be fined are reported to be notified through alerts and will be billed when a visit to the service center is required.
Tesla supercharger idle spots are reportedly free in some areas, but the "idle-free" will still be implemented. A completed list of fees can be found on the official website of Tesla, according to report.
Meanwhile, Tesla has another rival coming in 2017. While no longer new to Tesla, the rival company is reported to be more aggressive in the run-up to the launch of its first electric vehicle. Faraday Future, which is the stealthy electric vehicle startup from California, has reportedly released a teaser video, creating anticipation for the rumored debut next month.
Based on the new video, Tesla's rival electric SUV model vehicle is believed to beat Tesla Model X in a drag race with much ease. In fact, Faraday Future's EV is rumored to be a high-end luxury vehicle and likely aimed at competing with Tesla Model X, Techno Buffalo reported. Watch Supercharger hog penalty - $0.40/min