Tesla increases Australian charging prices by 20 per cent

Tesla’s Australian arm has confirmed national fee increases for use of its charging infrastructure, citing a rise in electricity and operational costs.

From this week, the pioneering electric car-maker from California will increase the average price of charging at any of its Australian and New Zealand supercharger stations from $0.35 per kWh to $0.42 per kWh, or 20 per cent.

Tesla initially confirmed a fee increase of 34 per cent with carsales.com.au, to $0.47 per kWh. However, it's understood the car-maker reviewed the move following customer feedback earlier today, before updating prices on its website.

"We’re adjusting Supercharging pricing to better reflect differences in local electricity costs and site usage," a Tesla Australia spokesperson explained.

"As our fleet grows, we continue to open new Supercharger locations weekly so more drivers can travel long distances at a fraction of the cost of gasoline and with zero emissions."

In reality, the price hikes mean it will cost an additional $5.25 to fully replenish a Tesla Model S with a 75kWh battery (claimed 490km range), or $31.50. That compares with a home electricity price about $0.30 kWh around Australia (where most charging occurs) – which equates to $22.50.

The Australian increases coincide with similar revisions in the US.

While Tesla is eager to point out that "supercharging is not meant to be a profit centre", the maths behind the car-maker’s supercharger network has changed markedly since it began charging for use of the infrastructure in 2017.

So, too, has the footprint of Tesla's supercharger network, which now spreads to 26 sites dotted across Australia, according to the manufacturer's website.

Tesla currently offers some owners 400kWh of annual credits, depending on when their cars were purchased. That equates to roughly 1600km worth of range.

Considered a pioneer of the mainstream electric car, Tesla faces renewed competition from global car-makers including Jaguar, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and Nissan.

The price increases come just days after Tesla confirmed it was downsizing its workforce by 7 per cent.

In a leaked email to Tesla employees, founder Elon Musk explained the car-maker was struggling to develop its pure-electric cars as cheaply as a conventional car – and that resulted in a vehicle "too expensive for most people".

To help lower overheads and reduce the cost of its new core car, the Model 3, Musk said 3000 of its workers must go.

For more information on Tesla’s supercharger network and its charges, visit the Tesla website.