Buyers of the forthcoming $35,000 Tesla Model 3 will not receive free access to the company’s Supercharger network by default, unlike buyers of the more-expensive Model S, CEO Elon Musk revealed during an annual shareholder meeting.
The cost-saving move will force Model 3 buyers to pay for the electricity used to recharge their cars at Tesla’s Supercharger charging stations, Musk explained, unless they purchase a specific package.
“To date, we wanted to keep it really straightforward and easy. So that’s why the Superchargers are set up, at least to date for people who bought the cars, as free long-distance for life. Obviously that has, fundamentally, a cost,” Musk said.
“...the obvious thing to do is decouple that from the cost of the Model 3. So it will still be very cheap — and far cheaper than gasoline — to drive long-distance with the Model 3, but it will not be free long-distance for life unless you’ve purchased that package.”
Related: How the Model 3 could make or break Tesla's electric car revolution
Musk didn’t explain how much Supercharging could cost Model 3 owners, but, as part of an analogy comparing Superchargers to gas stations – “Would you really take your phone to a gas station [to charge it]?” – cited an example figure of “$5 worth of electricity” for “half an hour of your time.”
At the Model 3’s unveiling, Musk had said that “with respect to Supercharging, all Model 3s will come with Supercharging standard,” though it now seems he meant all cars would be Supercharger-capable.
Related: Video showing driver sleeping in Tesla Model S on Autopilot goes viral
Tesla had previously charged Model S owners $1,000 to $1,500 to enable unlimited access to Supercharging on their cars before making the service free for all owners. The chargers that make up the company’s proprietary Supercharger network recharge the car’s battery at a faster-than-normal rate.
