Tesla Supercharging stations in 76 locations across the United States will offer free charging before 10 AM and after 7 PM. The promotion will run from December 23 to December 26.
For the holiday season in the United States, Tesla is providing free Supercharging for electric vehicles during off-peak hours to assist reduce traffic at charging points. The free plan was launched by the EV manufacturer because the holidays are traditionally a difficult period for its Supercharger network.
Between December 23 and December 26, Tesla Supercharging stations in 76 locations across different US states will offer free charging before 10 AM. and after 7 PM. The majority of these sites are along major highways that connect big cities with substantial concentrations of Tesla owners.
This is particularly true in California, which is one of Tesla's greatest markets per capita and where the brand's electric vehicles are concentrated the most globally. During the Thanksgiving holiday in 2018, and following the arrival of the Model 3 sedan, several Model 3 owners along famous California roads faced exceptionally long lines to receive a charge at Supercharger stations.
Queues at Tesla's Supercharger Stations over Thanksgiving 2018
The electric vehicle manufacturer trialed discounted Supercharging rates to promote customers to drive at off-peak times during the holidays. While the program has had some success, there are still occasions when some Supercharger stations have large queues of people waiting to receive a charge. This adds to the difficulty of owning an electric vehicle and is bad for the auto industry.
Now, Tesla is bringing back its off-peak charging program, but instead of being discounted, it is now free. The EV maker hopes that by doing so, more EV owners will travel during off-peak hours on holidays, easing the strain on its Supercharger stations. This year, the program will be expanded to include more states in the United States for Christmas travel days.
A $10 billion injection into Tesla Texas
The Tesla factory in Austin is expected to be the world's largest, measuring 1.21 kilometers in length. The Tesla plant in Texas will produce goods such as the Model 3 and Model Y, among others, and will employ 20,000 people directly.
The Tesla factory in Austin is on track to be the company's largest and most ambitious plant anywhere in the world, with CEO Elon Musk announcing that the Texas site will see a $10 billion investment over time.
Tesla's Gigafactory in Texas
Tesla has already relocated its headquarters from California to Texas, with the Austin facility claiming to be the company's largest base anywhere in the globe. Musk tweeted, "Giga Texas is a $10B investment over time, generating at least 20k direct & 100k indirect jobs."
Tesla had previously stated that the Austin facility will create 10,000 jobs, but Musk claims that the number has now increased to 20,000. The Travis County plant will include general assembly, paint, casting, stamping, and body shop facilities. The facility will also be the world's largest building, measuring 1.21 kilometers in length and powered entirely by renewable energy. The current structure has a footprint of more than 1.9 million square feet, with 5.3 million square feet of operational area spread out over numerous floors.
Most of the critical facilities are slated to be finished this year, and Tesla is expected to get almost $65 million in tax credits.
A number of key Tesla models will be manufactured at the Austin plant like Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck and Tesla Semi. With an eye on pushing output even higher, Musk recognizes that increasing manufacturing might help his firm maintain or even expand its dominance in the field of electric vehicles, even as competitors demonstrate their tenacious resolve to catch up. This comes after Toyota's announcement to increase their EV investment from US$13.6 billion to US$17.6 billion.
