Tesla will henceforth allow hotels, restaurants and other businesses to charge patrons for using the so-called 'Destination Chargers' at their premises. Until now, Destination Charging has been free for customers at all businesses, meaning they could only offer charging as a free perk to their patrons and could not charge Tesla drivers for using the facility. However, plans to monetize Destination Chargers have been in the works for some time now. Tesla updated its Destination Chargers with Gen 3 wall connectors back in 2020 and promised that the businesses hosting these facilities would be allowed to charge for them in the future.
Tesla is one of the leading electric vehicle companies in the world, with markets in the U.S., China, Canada, Japan, Australia and a host of European countries. Until recently, the company held the number one position in the industry globally, but Chinese auto major BYD surpassed it earlier this year to become the world's largest EV manufacturer. However, Tesla, which sold more than 936,000 cars last year, continues to see record customer demand worldwide. The company recently announced that it delivered more than 250,000 vehicles during the second quarter of this year as electric car sales keep soaring amid rising gas prices and increased environmental concerns.
As spotted by Electrek, Tesla has updated its Commercial Registration for Wall Connectors form to allow businesses to charge customers for using the Destination Chargers on their premises. However, the change comes with a caveat. According to the terms and conditions, only those properties that offer six or more wall connectors will be granted the provision of paid charging. The rest of the businesses will have to continue providing the feature for free.
Superchargers Remain The Fastest Charging Option
According to the report, Tesla's precondition of at least six wall connectors will rule out the option of paid charging for most of the Destination Charging network, including most hotels. That's because most of these properties reportedly offer between two to four wall connectors instead of six. However, Tesla is likely betting on the fact that the new rule will encourage some of these businesses to add a few additional wall connectors to their network to activate paid charging. If that happens, it will be a win-win situation for everybody, as Tesla drivers will get more charging options, and businesses will be able to monetize their chargers.
While wall connectors do not offer the fastest charging option, they can still add about 44 miles of range per hour of charging, which isn't half bad for folks dining at a restaurant or attending a business meeting in a hotel conference room. However, Superchargers remain the more convenient fast-charging solution as they can typically add up to 200 miles of range to a Tesla in just 15 minutes. Still, the automaker's latest decision promises to help Tesla drivers find more charging options soon, which is always welcome in every way.
Source: Electrek