As an increasing number of Tesla’s are hitting the roads owners have started to notice increased waiting times to pump fresh electrons into their cars at Supercharger stations. This is thanks to Tesla owners leaving their car in the Supercharger equipped parking bay once fully charged.
Early adopters of Tesla vehicle’s were actually urged by the company to kick up their feet and grab a bite to eat while their car’s sat and charged away but now the tables have turned and efficient use of the Supercharger stations is now the name of the game.
To improve the customer experience for all Tesla owners a new idle fee of $0.40 USD will be added when cars are not moved within 5 minutes of hitting full charge.
“We designed the Supercharger network to enable a seamless, enjoyable road trip experience. Therefore, we understand that it can be frustrating to arrive at a station only to discover fully charged Tesla cars occupying all the spots,” Tesla said in a statement. “A customer would never leave a car parked by the pump at a gas station and the same thinking applies with Superchargers.”
Tesla stated that even if there are free spaces available next to the occupied spot, the fee will remain in place. Once the Tesla lineup is fully autonomous it’s expected that the new fee will be no longer enforced as the cars will be able to remove themselves once full charge has been achieved.
