Tesla implementing surge pricing?

[Maineiac12]

Reading between the lines here, but this seems to me like they’re piloting a surge pricing model which is going to suck. Can you imagine if gas stations raised their prices when the pumps were crowded? They already arbitrarily raise prices on holidays or because a camel farted in the desert… but at least the prices are advertised better. Most of the time when I use a DC fast charger it’s because I’m road tripping and I have no choice. And it’s not like there’s much competition either.

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[Henry Ford]

More capitalism in the system seems like a good thing to me. If you are price sensitive you'll figure out when charging is cheaper. If you are time sensitive you'll be able to charge faster but you'll pay up for the privilege.

If course, what I said above matters not to the folks with lifetime free charging. Hard to put that horse back in the barn.

 

[RickLightning]

Reading between the lines here, but this seems to me like they’re piloting a surge pricing model which is going to suck. Can you imagine if gas stations raised their prices when the pumps were crowded? They already arbitrarily raise prices on holidays or because a camel farted in the desert… but at least the prices are advertised better. Most of the time when I use a DC fast charger it’s because I’m road tripping and I have no choice. And it’s not like there’s much competition either.

I'm confused at the confusion. They clearly state "Today, we are PILOTING..."

 

[Maxx]

And that is how a new breed of road warrior is born.

 

[swajames]

They already vary price by time, all this seems to be saying is that rate variability by time is going to be dynamic and based on current usage rather than fixed as it has been but still netting out to the same average effective rate overall. Assuming that's what they actually do it's probably a good thing.

 

[Heliian]

F tesla.

"we had more people trying to charge at the lower off peak rate times so we changed it so that it's always on peak."

 

[Maineiac12]

I'm confused at the confusion. They clearly state "Today, we are PILOTING..."

There’s no confusion. I know what a test means. They’re piloting the tech and then eventually it rolls out to the entire network.

I’m not excited at Uber-style surge pricing coming to another aspect of the economy. It’s not like people on road trips are just going to park and wait for a cheaper rate. It’s going to make summer road trips even more expensive relative to gas, which is unfortunate.

 

[RickLightning]

We have used Tesla Superchargers in maybe a dozen states. Based on our experience, where no location was ever full, this should result in lower pricing, not higher.

We'll see.

 

[MidAtlanticLightningClub]

More capitalism in the system seems like a good thing to me. If you are price sensitive you'll figure out when charging is cheaper. If you are time sensitive you'll be able to charge faster but you'll pay up for the privilege.

I guess in the future when I pull my travel trailer on long trips I'll have to drive overnight to keep from getting hosed by surge pricing?

 

[Heliian]

lower pricing, not higher.

At this station, people don't charge as much when it's at peak, with the new pricing they will catch more people at the higher rates. It's 100% an attempt at increasing revenue.

 

[B177y]

Transformers are expensive. Copper is expensive. Real estate is expensive. Engineers are expensive. Labor to install all of these wonderful chargers is expensive. Depending on where chargers are located, the electricity can be very expensive.

Is surge pricing a revenue grab? Possibly. But if we want good reliable charging available in more places, it will need to be funded somehow.

 

[MidAtlanticLightningClub]

Is surge pricing a revenue grab? Possibly. But if we want good reliable charging available in more places, it will need to be funded somehow.

Someone has to pay Elmo's salary while he runs DOGE for free, right?

 

[Henry Ford]

It’s going to make summer road trips even more expensive relative to gas, which is unfortunate.

It might. But in theory, the locals who were clogging up charging stations won't be there and you'll get to your destination faster.

I guess in the future when I pull my travel trailer on long trips I'll have to drive overnight to keep from getting hosed by surge pricing?

Maybe, if it's so busy all day long that higher prices kick in. Or you could just pay more for the convenience and get there sooner.

That said, it's all about implementation. The devil is in the details. It might work great or it might just be a revenue grab.?

 

[gheron75]

Reading between the lines here, but this seems to me like they’re piloting a surge pricing model which is going to suck. Can you imagine if gas stations raised their prices when the pumps were crowded? They already arbitrarily raise prices on holidays or because a camel farted in the desert… but at least the prices are advertised better. Most of the time when I use a DC fast charger it’s because I’m road tripping and I have no choice. And it’s not like there’s much competition either.

With a company like Tesla, it’s never about what’s best for the consumer. This is a publicly traded company which means all pricing changes are about increasing shareholder profit.

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

I have no problem with surge pricing. All I care about is availability on the rare times when I need to use SC. If surge pricing gives me more availability I am all for it.

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