"The electric car has been cut leeks again!" "The main thing is to punish the unruly!"
On March 4, the well-known digital blogger "Technology New One" posted on social platforms, which once again triggered a hot discussion around Tesla. According to the pictures it took, the charging fee of Tesla's supercharger pile is only 1.85 yuan / kWh, but the maximum overtime occupancy fee is 6.4 yuan per minute, which translates to 384 yuan for one hour.
The overtime occupancy fee of 384 yuan / hour has scared millions of fans who own three cars at the same time (Porsche Cayenne, Tesla Model 3, Ideal ONE), which shows that this cost is indeed not low. First of all, the cost problem, according to as early as 2016, Tesla launched a parking space occupancy policy, when the charging standard was 2.6 yuan / minute. In 2019, the charging standard was increased to 3.2 yuan / minute for idle time (less than 50% of idle parking spaces) and 6.4 yuan / minute for busy time (no free parking spaces). Tesla's charging standards are basically the same around the world, charged according to the standard of $0.5/minute in idle hours and $1/minute in busy hours.
Considering that our domestic per capita income level is certainly not 6.4 times that of the United States, charging overtime occupancy fees at a uniform standard is indeed painful. Still, the $60-an-hour overtime charge isn't a small number for the average American with a minimum wage of $15 an hour.
As for the rationality of this charge, I think the comment of a netizen is more reasonable: "Overtime charging is fully supported, this is not only overtime charging, but mainly punishing unruly people." Tesla also mentioned in its Supercharging Station Overtime Occupancy Project Description: "Our original intention in designing the Supercharging Network was to provide Tesla owners with a perfect and enjoyable long-distance travel experience." Therefore, we understand the frustration of car owners when they arrive at the charging station and find that the parking space is occupied by a fully charged vehicle. In order to make the experience good for all car owners, we decided to increase the utilization of the charging station by charging a 'overtime occupancy fee'. ”
Although major manufacturers and service providers are vigorously building charging piles, compared with the oil trucks that can be filled with fuel in 3 minutes, the charging time of trams generally takes more than 1 hour. Looking for a charging pile outside, or waiting in line for a charge, is one thing that makes every tram owner feel pain. If a fully charged car occupies too much time in front of the charging pile, doesn't it exacerbate the shortage of charging resources? Personally, I think this overtime fee is very reasonable, after all, the outside charging pile is a public resource and should not be wasted or arbitrarily occupied. It's like being able to lie on the couch at home, but it's unreasonable for a park lounger to be occupied for bed, especially when there are other people around who need to rest.
Of course, in the process of rule making and enforcement, Tesla is also constantly improving. For example, Tesla's mobile phone application will monitor the charging status of the vehicle, remind once when the vehicle is about to finish charging, and remind again when the battery is full. If it is more than 5 minutes after full, it will be charged overtime occupancy fee. From this point of view, it is already more reasonable. Think about it, if you drive a car full of gas and then stop in front of the tanker for another 5 minutes, will you be "greeted" by other car owners waiting behind you to refuel?