Times are changing for Tesla drivers and the cost of Tesla Supercharger stations. Over the weekend, Tesla updated the pricing for the Supercharger network, and the changes are apparent. What does this mean for EV drivers planning on plugging into the charging network sometime soon?

How much does a Tesla Supercharger cost?

Tesla has the new Supercharger network pricing listed on the website. The pricing update has been done because Tesla plans on opening the network to non-Tesla vehicles. On the old charging system, pricing was split in two. That was chargers charging under 60 kW and 61 kW and above.

Previously, the Tier 1 (Charging at or below 60 kW) charging cost $0.12 per minute. That has increased to $0.17 per minute. Tesla notes that this is the lowest price per minute option, but it is also the slowest.

Tier 2 charging (Charging above 60 kW, at or below 100 kW) is the second-lowest price. This used to cost $0.24 a minute for 61 kW and up, now $0.45 a minute. 100 to 180 kW is $0.84 a minute, and the fastest charging (180-250 kW) is $1.35 per minute.

The changes to the Tesla Supercharger network are necessary

On the one hand, opening up the Tesla Supercharger network is a good thing. It means more people will have access to the extensive network. That also means more people need to charge. Tesla has already noted it would charge vehicles an idle fee for sitting at the charger while not in use.

It also gives people the opportunity to choose how much and how fast the electric vehicle needs to charge. Drivers can choose to charge cheap and slow, but this will take a lot longer. If someone is in a rush, quick and expensive will have to do.

But if many drivers want to use the slow charging tier at once, won’t this create a long line for chargers? Slow charging slows down the entire process for everyone. As more and more drivers switch to electric vehicles, these changes might become more commonplace.

More electric vehicles will be able to utilize the network

One thing to be aware of is that you won’t see sustained charging throughout the entire charge cycle. The initial charging speed usually drops down after the first few minutes. Will the Tesla Supercharger be able to adjust for that automatically?

With only two tiers previously, the math was a bit easier. However, not all states charge in this manner. Some states charge by the minute while others charge by the electricity used. On the website, Tesla says “Whenever possible, owners are billed per kWh (kilowatt-hour); in other areas, owners are billed per minute.”

Some people might not notice much of a difference, depending on specific driving habits. Those who use a home charger won’t be impacted by the pricing at a Tesla Supercharger, either.