cars news 10: Report: Tesla Model 3 Owners May Have to Pay to use Superchargers

A new report from Automotive News revealed that Tesla may charge owners of the upcoming Model 3 to use its supercharger network. “Free supercharging fundamentally has a cost,” said CEO Elon Musk during Tesla’s annual shareholder’s meeting at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif.

However, despite admitting that Model 3 owners may have to pay to use Tesla’s supercharging stations, Musk insists that they will remain cheaper than gasoline especially when it comes to long-distance drives. In order for Model 3 owners to charge at supercharger stations without a fee, they must purchase an unspecified package for which Musk has yet to reveal pricing. Supercharger stations provide quick charging for Tesla vehicles and are able to give the cars 170 miles of range after 30 minutes of charging.

Tesla is currently investing heavily in its growth as the Model 3 gets closer to production. At its reveal this past March, Musk announced that the car will start at $35,000. Originally, Tesla had 400,000 preorders for the Model 3 but that number has since dropped to 373,000 due to cancellations and duplicates. Due to high demand, Musk has pulled forward a plan to build 500,000 cars per year to 2018, which is two years earlier than the original plan.

Model 3 deliveries are expected to start by late 2017 and the Gigafactory near Reno, Nev., is a critical piece in getting the car out on time with such a low price tag. Battery cell production at the Gigafactory starts in the fourth quarter of this year. Panasonic Corp., who is a supplier of battery cells for the Model S and Model X, and an investor in the Gigafactory, will collaborate with Tesla in manufacturing new cylindrical battery cells that are 20 x 70 mm, replacing the current 18 x 65 mm unit.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)