Tesla has announced that it is bringing back free Supercharging for life, an incentive abandoned long ago, to move some Model S cars at the end of the quarter.
Model S and Model X sales have declined for years, but they are hard to track as Tesla is one of the rare automakers that doesn’t break down deliveries per model.
In a report earlier this year, we highlighted the fact that by bundling its sales with the Cybertruck, it was hard to tell how many of its flagship models Tesla is selling:
However, some Cybertruck recalls gave us a pretty good idea of how many trucks Tesla delivered during Q2, and by subtracting that from Tesla’s reported numbers, we were able to estimate Model S/X sales of around 12,000-13,000 units.
That’s 31-37% down from the same period last year.
Last quarter was even worse. Tesla reported only 22,915 vehicles delivered other than Model 3 and Model Y. When considering that Tesla most likely delivered between 12,000 and 15,000 Cybertrucks last quarter, Model S and Model X sales were likely at an all-time low of fewer than 10,000.
Now Tesla has brought back free Supercharging for the life of the Model S. The automaker wrote on its website:
Customers who purchase or lease a new Model S are eligible for free Supercharging during your ownership of the vehicle. Order must be placed on or after December 13, 2024. Offer is tied to your Tesla Account and cannot be transferred to another vehicle, person or order, even in the case of ownership transfer. Used vehicles, business orders and vehicles used for commercial purposes (like taxi, rideshare and delivery services) are excluded from this promotion. You are still responsible for Supercharger fees, like idle and congestion fees, when applicable. Stackable with other promotions. Tesla reserves the right in its sole discretion to remove the free Supercharging from your vehicle in the event of excessive charging or unpaid fees related to Supercharging. Promotion subject to change or end at any time.
Tesla used to offer free Supercharging for life as a perk on Model S and Model X vehicles.
In 2018, Tesla ended the perk after claiming that it was unsustainable – though it did temporarily bring it back as a sale incentive at times.
Lately, the automaker only brought it back for shorter periods of times, from a few months to a few years, but this is the first time in a while that Tesla brought back free Supercharging for life.
However, this time is making it clearer that it’s only for while the owner own or lease the Model S and it can’t be transferred to another owner. Therefore, it doesn’t add value to the vehicle. It is only worth how much you ended using Supercharger stations, which can vary greatly per driver.
Tesla also states that it can’t be used by taxis or ridesharing like Uber.
Electrek’s Take
This can be a significant incentive, but it’s mainly symbolic. People like the idea of driving for free, but for most people, this is worth a few thousand dollars.
Charging at home is way more convenient and most EV drivers ends up going to a charging station only a few times a month.
However, this varies greatly depending on the driver and some people rely more heavily on the Supercharger network. For those people, it might be worth much more.
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