Tesla Inc (TSLA) To Ban Commercial Drivers From Supercharger Usage

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is making a major change about who it allows to access its Supercharger stations.

As The Verge reports, the company will prohibit new commercial car owners from using the stations, amid overcroding concerns:

Tesla has been working to expand its network of charging stations, announcing in April that it hoped to have more than 10,000 Supercharger stations by the end of 2017. The expansion is needed to alleviate heavy traffic at the stations, which have become a congestion point for drivers. Last year, the company announced fees for charging, and said that it will begin charging drivers an additional fee if they leave their cars at the stations after they’ve finished charging.
Tesla says that the stations are intended for drivers who don’t have ready options for charging at home or at work, and that when they’re not used for this purpose, “it negatively impacts the availability of Supercharging services for others.”

The new policy says for any vehicles purchased after December 15th of this year, drivers that plan to use them as taxis, for ridesharing, governmental work, delivery or transportation, or any other for-profit reasons, won’t be allowed to use the free charging stations.

The company made it a point to say that they still “encourage the use of Teslas for commercial purposes,” and that they’ll try and help affected drivers find other places to charge up.

Tesla Inc shares rose $2.54 (+0.74%) in premarket trading Monday. Year-to-date, TSLA has gained 62.16%, versus a 21.61% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

TSLA currently has a StockNews.com POWR Rating of B (Buy), and is ranked #12 of 24 stocks in the Auto & Vehicle Manufacturers category.

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