Tesla owners in Canada have been waiting a long time for the implementation of kWh billing at Supercharger stations. After a longer than expected wait, Tesla looks like it is about to launch the new billing method.
Tesla and other EV charging providers worked with Measurement Canada to implement kWh billing for over two years. This method bills customers for the amount of energy they actually consume at an EV charging station, rather than the current standard which is based on how long they are plugged in. kWh billing is akin to how gas cars owners are billed by how much fuel they put in their cars, not for how long they are at the pump.
After years of consultations and back and forth Measurement Canada in February granted a temporary dispensation order to owners of DC fast charging stations already in use in the Canadian marketplace to bill customers per kWh. We were expecting Tesla to make the switch quickly, but as we reported exclusively in April, a complicated government process delayed the launch of kWh billing even further. Now it looks like Tesla is finally ready to deploy the new billing method.
Last week Tesla updated their mobile app to version 4.21.5, and while the release notes made no mention of it, a new message has appeared when you view a Supercharger station in the app. The message reads, “This device is temporarily authorized to be used for the purpose of obtaining the basis of a charge for electricity under the terms and conditions established by Measurement Canada.”
The reason for this message is that Tesla is allowed to use their existing infrastructure, namely the mobile app, to let customers know how much their charging bill is, rather than having to go to the expense (and added time) to add credit card readers, displays, or any other devices at their Superchargers that are necessary to bill owners.
With this message now in place in the mobile app, we will hopefully see kWh billing appear at Canadian Superchargers very soon.
