This provides a sense of security, but the vehicle's purchase or rental costs are now higher than they used to be.
- Tesla is providing complimentary Supercharging on new Model X purchases and leases.
- The company also increased the base price of the SUV by $5,000.
- It disqualifies the purchase from receiving the $7,500 federal tax credit.
The X electric SUV with free lifetime Supercharging is back on the table, having returned last week after being absent for several years. At first glance, this offer appears to be a significant perk for potential buyers of the sluggish-selling flagship electric vehicle, but upon closer inspection, the details become more nuanced.
And it's stated that the complimentary Supercharging is linked to the owner's Tesla account, and it cannot be transferred to another vehicle, individual, or order, even if the vehicle is sold. This is distinct from what some older Model S owners have experienced, where the complimentary Supercharging remains with the vehicle indefinitely, regardless of who operates it.
As a reminder, Supercharging involves utilizing Tesla's extensive network of DC fast chargers, boasting over 27,000 stations across North America.
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Was just a hair under the limit before the price increase.
Now, for eligible customers, Tesla's largest SUV is essentially $12,500 more expensive than it was last month. What's more, free Supercharging is unlikely to make up for the difference. As our analysis revealed when calculating the costs for the Model S, 83% of EV owners have a home charger and rely on it for their electric vehicle energy needs. But let's take a closer look.
Taking into account home charging, we can deduce that 83% of these miles–specifically, 11,182 miles–would be powered by a home charger. The remaining 2,291 miles would, in theory, be driven using energy from Superchargers.
In the meantime, the average cost for Supercharging is approximately $0.43 per unit.
To cover a distance of 2,291 miles, a Model X would require 827 kWh of energy, which would amount to an average annual cost of approximately $356. Therefore, to justify the $5,000 price increase, it would take around 14 years. In order to compensate for the entire $12,500 price increase, including the lost federal tax credit, it would take approximately 35 years.
Still, just for fun, let’s do the math for when an owner would exclusively use Supercharging and do without a home charger. That would entail an average energy use of 4,864 kWh, which would have an average cost of $2,091 if it would be paid out of pocket. In this case, it would take two and a half years to offset the $5,000 price hike and six years to offset the $12,500 effective price increase of the vehicle.
Is it worth it? It could be, but the owner would have to sacrifice one of the biggest advantages of driving an electric vehicle, which is charging at home. Furthermore, Tesla can revoke free Supercharging "in the event of excessive charging," a decision that is quite arbitrary and could disrupt someone's plans to use this benefit.