Teslas are allowed to charge for free during the winter sports period – end of charging station traffic jams?
Black charging station Saturday
Around every holiday season, photos and videos surface online of long lines of waiting Tesla owners who want to charge their cars. They are widely shared on social media and anyone who does not own a Tesla – or any other electric car – seems to enjoy the traffic jams on black charging station Saturday.
Thousands of Teslas
Of course, it is also not useful if at practically the same time a few thousand Teslas choose the same route to the snow and all have run out of battery around the same place and are ready for fresh electrons. Tesla can hardly install hundreds of extra chargers for those busy few weeks. Although the brand does place extra mobile charging stations at certain Supercharge locations during extra busy periods.
Free charging Tesla
Tesla has come up with something smart this year in the fight against charging traffic jams. The brand has sent European owners a message in the Tesla app with an attractive offer. At a large number of locations you can charge for free between 11 February and 6 March, as long as you come outside peak hours. The American car manufacturer knows exactly when the peak hours are at the charging stations along the popular holiday routes in France, Germany, Norway and Sweden. If you arrive a few hours earlier or later, you can charge your battery for free.
So if you’re a little smart about it, you’ll drive a Tesla to your winter sports destination and back for free this year. Please note, however, that periods and times vary by country and these are a select few Supercharge locations , all of which are located along routes that focus on the snow. A free city trip to Berlin or a visit to Bordeaux is therefore not possible. All locations and times can be found below:
Germany
Days: Friday to Sunday between February 18 and March 6
Times: before 8.00 and after 19.00
Locations:
- Bernau am Chiemsee, Germany
- Bispingen, Germany
- Bruchsal, Germany
- Brunnthal, Germany
- Busdorf, Germany
- Eching, Germany
- Erftstadt, Germany
- Gensingen, Germany
- Hamburg – Stillhorn, Germany
- Hamburg, Germany
- Hirschberg, Germany
- Irschenberg, Germany
- Kaltenkirchen, Germany
- Karlsruhe, Germany
- Leonberg, Germany
- Leonberg, Germany – Glemseck
- Lutterberg, Germany
- Malsfeld, Germany
- Mogendorf, Germany
- Oberhonnefeld, Germany
- Pfaffenhofen, Germany
- Pfalzfeld, Germany
- Rade, Germany
- Rauenberg, Germany
- Rhuden, Germany
- Rosenheim, Germany
- Schweitenkirchen, Germany
- Waldlaubersheim, Germany
- Weiterstadt, Germany
- Weyarn, Germany
- Wiesbaden, Germany
France
Days: Friday to Sunday between February 11 and February 27
Times: before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m
Locations:
- Aire de Châteauvillain, France – Orges
- Aire de Châteauvillain, France – Val Marnay
- Aire de l’Abis, France
- Aire de Manissieux, France
- Aire de Reims, France – Champagne-Nord
- Aire de Reims, France – Champagne-Sud
- Aire de Saint-Priest, France
- Aire du Granier, France
- Aire du Jura, France
- Aire du Poulet de Bresse, France
- Aire d’Urvillers, France
- Archamps, France
- Auxerre, France – Appoigny
- Avallon, France
- Beaune, France
- Châlons-en-Champagne, France – Matougues
- Chambery, France
- Chambery, France – Barberaz
- Dardilly, France
- Dijon, France
- Grenoble, France
- La Lechere-les-Bains, France
- Macon, France
- Reims, France – Tinqueux
- Sallanches, France
- Troyes, France – Saint-Parres-aux-Tertres
- Val-de-Meuse, France
Norway
Days: Friday to Sunday between February 18 and March 6
Times: before 12.00 and after 19.00
Locations:
- Brumunddal, Norway
- Eidfjord, Norway
- Fåvang, Norway
- Lillehammer, Norway
- Maurset, Norway
- Øyer, Norway
- Rudshogda, Norway
- Voss, Norway
Sweden
Days: Friday to Sunday between February 18 and March 6
Times: before 11 a.m. and after 6 p.m
Locations:
- nge, Sweden
- Borlange, Sweden
- Enkoping, Sweden
- Gavle, Sweden
- Hudiksvall, Sweden
- Jonkoping, Sweden – Kompanigatan
- Kristinehamn, Sweden
- Malung, Sweden
- Mariestad, Sweden
- Mora, Sweden
- Odeshog, Sweden
- Sweden
- Sundsvall, Sweden – West