A row of Tesla charging stations. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Tesla is using a new fee to encourage people not to charge their cars to 100 percent at busy Supercharger locations. In the US, the Supercharger Congestion Fee kicks in after a car hits 90 percent charge, at which point drivers will be hit with a $1 fee for each minute they continue to charge their vehicles. The company’s support page says the fee will apply at “certain Supercharging locations” when they’re busy.
The launch of the fee arrives ahead of Thanksgiving in the US, which is traditionally a time when lots of people travel to see family. But it also comes as Tesla is opening up its Supercharging locations for use with non-Tesla EVs, which has the potential to increase demand for its charging network (though in the longer term…