Tesla, Inc. TSLA has drawn the ire of its loyal users following its decision to stop providing charging equipment as a standard feature in its vehicles.
What Happened: Given that charging is key for hassle-free travel in EVs, Tesla's vehicles thus far came with a mobile charging cable. The EV pioneer has apparently decided to remove the hardware as part of the standard features that come with its vehicles. On the Tesla Shop, the mobile connector, which previously used to be listed as "comes with vehicle" is now listed with a price of $400.
Tech giant Apple, Inc. AAPL made a similar move in 2020, when it stopped offering a power charger and earbuds along with its iPhone. Reports suggest, the company has saved roughly $6.5 billion following the move. Tesla's decision, however, came under criticism, with users sharing their disgruntlement on Twitter.
Musk Has An Explanation: Replying to a twitter handle by name @WholeMarsBlog, CEO Elon Musk said statistics showed the connector was infrequently used, and therefore it seemed wasteful to offer it as a standard option. He added that Tesla will instead provide "more plug adapters with the mobile connector kit."
Usage statistics were super low, so seemed wasteful. On the (minor) plus side, we will be including more plug adapters with the mobile connector kit.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 16, 2022
Based on the response, Musk followed up on this tweet and said the price of the mobile connector is being dropped to $200. The component will also be made easy to order with the car.
Musk said the mobile connector becomes superfluous if one owns a Tesla wall connector or plans to use Superchargers. He recommended installing a Tesla wall connector before the ordered car arrives.
Related Link: How Tesla Stock Can Be Overvalued And Substantially Undervalued At the Same Time
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