Tesla imposes $0.40/minute idle fee for Superchargers to encourage owners to move when charging is over

Within a week after Elon Musk said to take action against owners of parked Teslas at Supercharging points, the action has been taken and implemented right away. The complain of Supercharger abuse and leaving vehicles parked at the stations even after they were fully charged was ever growing and Tesla was forced to take action.

Now a $0.4/minute fee will incur after the vehicle has been fully charged. Since the owners are connected with their vehicles via the Tesla mobile app they are alerted promptly after their car is charged. This fee makes sense and hopefully will improve Supercharging availability accross the globe.

The fee differs from country to country (full list of country-wise fee below) but has a universal regulatory model. The fee will not be charged if the owner unplugs and moves the vehicle within 5 mins of charging.

In the future Tesla aims to automatically unplug and move the vehicles after they are fully charged. Until this future becomes a reality Tesla expects the customers to provide equal opportunity of Supercharging everyone.

This fee doesn’t apply to Destination Chargers. More questoins? Checkout the Frequently Asked Questions answered by Tesla Motors about the Supercharger Idle Fee below.

Update: Elon Musk just updated us on the pattern with his recent statement on Twitter that “We are going to modify this so that people only pay a fee if most bays are occupied. If the site is basically deserted, no problem to park.”

This sounds pretty reasonable if there is less chance of all the Supercharger bays getting busy at the same time.

Supercharger Idle Fee FAQs

How will I be billed?
You will be billed for any idle fees incurred at your next Service Center visit.

How do I know when I’ve incurred an idle fee?
The Tesla mobile app notifies you both when charging nears completion and again when fully done. Additional notifications will alert you when idle fees are incurred.

Which cars can incur idle fees?
All Model S and Model X cars can incur idle fees.

Does the idle fee charge anything while you’re still charging?
No, an idle fee is only applied once a charge session is complete. At this point, the car is no longer Supercharging and the spot should be made available for the next driver.

Do idle fees apply if there are Supercharger spots still available?
Yes, idle fees apply to any car occupying a Supercharger stall once the charge session is complete.

Is there an upper limit on the idle fee?
No, idle fees will continue to accrue if the car is not moved within five minutes after the charge session is complete.

Do taxes apply?
Supercharger idle fees include tax.

Do idle fees apply to Destination Charging locations?
No, idle fees only apply to Superchargers.

Supercharger Idle Fee by Country