Supercharging may not be free for Model 3 owners

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has suggested that free access to Tesla’s supercharging network may not be available to owners of the Model 3.

The Model 3, unveiled earlier this year and set to hit UK roads in 2017, is designed to be a more affordable option from the pure electric manufacturer, with an expected price tag of around £30,000.

The car has already attracted more than 400,000 pre-orders since it was unveiled, but at Tesla’s shareholder conference in California, Musk suggested that these prospective buyers may not have the benefit of free access to the Supercharger network that current owners of the Model S enjoy.

Tesla owners currently have access to the Super Charging network, enabling them to charge their cars at a number of locations across the UK - and a number of other countries - at no extra cost.

At the conference Musk said: "Obviously, [free use of Superchargers] fundamentally has a cost… The obvious thing to go is decouple that from the cost of the Model 3. So it will still be very cheap, and far cheaper than gasoline, to drive long-distance with the Model 3, but it will not be free long distance for life unless you purchase that package. I wish we could, but in order to achieve the economics, it has to be something like that."

Musk’s comments imply that the cheaper Model 3 may not come with this added benefit, although he did suggest that a package of some sorts allowing Supercharger access to Model 3 drivers, although it isn’t clear if this would come in the form of a subscription service or a one off payment.

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