Free charging for Tesla owners is getting phased out

For Tesla owners, the free fuel is about to end.

Every Tesla owner so far has enjoyed free access to the company's supercharging stations, the network of quick battery chargers that pepper highways throughout the world. But come 2017, using these supercharging stations will no longer be free for new Tesla owners.

If you order a Tesla after Jan. 2017, or if you've pre-ordered a Tesla that won't arrive by April 2017 (likely the Model 3), you may want to save some money for fueling. Tesla said in a blog post the new refueling fee will be "less than the price of filling up a comparable gas car." Still, it's a pretty significant change that may affect a potential customer's decision to invest in a Tesla.

Nevertheless, this deal does promise that new Tesla owners will be given "400 kWh of free Supercharging credits (roughly 1,000 miles) ...annually." So supercharging is still free if you won't be traveling a whole hell of a lot.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk had already warned Model 3 owners that supercharging would no longer be free, and today's news makes it official. Tesla says it's creating the new fee so it can reinvest in its network of supercharging stations -- not so that it can boost its profits:

Today, more than 4,600 Superchargers allow over 160,000 Tesla owners to drive across the continental U.S., from the Arctic Circle to the south of Spain, and across all of the population centers in China and Japan, among many other places.... Our intention has always been for Supercharging to enable long-distance travel. That’s why today we’re announcing a change to the economics of Supercharging -- one that allows us to reinvest in the network, accelerate its growth and bring all owners, current and future, the best Supercharging experience."

But if you already own a Tesla, congratulations, you lucked out. You will be able to use Tesla's network of supercharging stations for free, for as long as your Tesla operates.