Andrew Heinzman
To avoid long lines (and bad press) at its Supercharger stations, Tesla is offering free charging to customers through the Christmas weekend. But there are a lot of weird rules here, and many Tesla owners won’t get the chance to charge their car for free.
The promotion runs from December 23rd to 26th (that’s Thursday to Sunday) and is limited to just a handful of stations across the United States, primarily those on the west coast, where Tesla has more customers. Also, Tesla will only offer free charging between the hours of 7 PM and 10 AM.
All models of Tesla can cash in on this promotion, including the Model Y, Model 3, Model X, and of course, the Model S. Remember, Tesla originally sold the Model S with free charging (something that was discontinued early this year), so I guess you Model S owners are in for a bit of nostalgia.
Personally, I’d like to see Tesla extend this promotion past the Christmas weekend. Long Supercharger lines are an obstacle for Tesla owners, and they generate a ton of (fully justified) bad press. (Tesla could give customers a discount during off-peak hours, at the very least.)
Tesla has a full list of participating Supercharging stations on its website. Your car’s Trip Planner should help direct you to these locations, though I suggest reviewing your travel route by hand to make sure you don’t miss out on a free charge.
Source: Tesla via Road Show (CNET)
