Fast charging is now billed by the minute instead of by energy transferred
Tesla wants relaxed meter rules to allow kilowatt billing
Tesla is looking for owners to help push governments to allow metered charging of the cars in Canada, instead of the per minute rate that’s currently used, according to a new report.
Time-based billing means that you can see a different charge for the same amount of charge depending on the day. Battery condition, weather, and other factors can affect charging speeds while transferring the same amount of energy. An email to owners reported by Electrek shows that Tesla is reaching out to owners asking them to help lobby for a kWh meter and charging by the watt.
The email read: “With time-based billing, consumers run the risk of paying more to charge their EV one day compared to the next. Battery state of charge and temperature are just two of the factors that can affect charging speeds and thus cost — regardless of the amount of electricity delivered. For example, as an EV driver, you pay certain amount (sic) to charge your vehicle for 30 minutes on a fast (Level-3) chargers. If that 30-minute charging session is in the winter, you’ll be paying the same amount, but you’ll likely get less electricity for your money, since cold temperatures affect charging speeds. This is just one of the many scenarios in which the $/minute billing hurts you as a customer.”
In the email, Tesla blames Measurement Canada for the time-basis charges, because current standards require “a pre-approved and inspected utility-grade electricity meter” to be used. Tesla says that correctly monitoring the power being used would increase costs to build stations. They want charging station operators to be able to use the charger’s built-in electrical monitoring.
Measurement Canada says that it is “closely following how this technology is being used, both in Canada and internationally,” but the likelihood of them allowing measured charges through an uncertified meter seems slim. Imagine using a gas pump where the fuel dispensed was measured by the station’s own system rather than one that’s inspected and certified like they use today.
