Tesla Issues Refunds After Supercharger Pricing Glitch Hits Atlantic Canada

Tesla, Inc. has moved to correct a significant billing error that affected electric vehicle drivers in Atlantic Canada earlier this month. The company confirmed that a software glitch caused per-minute charging rates to spike dramatically at stations in Prince Edward Island and parts of New Brunswick, leading to erroneous charges for customers.

Reports from affected drivers indicated that the Tesla app displayed rates as high as $6.00 per minute for vehicles charging between 180-250 kW. Other tiers also showed inflated costs, with $3.57 per minute for the 100-180 kW range and $2.29 per minute for the 60-100 kW tier. These figures were substantially higher than the company’s standard regional pricing, which typically ranges from $0.25 to $0.60 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in Canada.

Under the faulty pricing structure, a standard charging session had the potential to become unusually expensive. Without the correction, a 20-minute session at peak power could have resulted in a bill exceeding $120, whereas standard rates generally cap the cost of similar energy transfer between $15 and $40.

Tesla addressed the situation through its official charging account on X, announcing that correct pricing was restored at midnight on July 13. More notably, the automaker stated that it would waive all fees incurred at the impacted locations since July 2. The policy covers stations in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, with automated refunds processed without requiring drivers to submit individual support claims.

Shares of Tesla, Inc. were trading at $398.45 during the current session, up 0.67% from the previous close of $395.80. The company, which operates in the Consumer Cyclical sector as an auto manufacturer, manages a vast network of Supercharging stations essential to its vehicle ecosystem.

What to watch

• Implementation of the automated refund process for affected customers.
• Future updates to Supercharger billing software to prevent similar errors.
• Upcoming quarterly earnings report for potential details on energy and services revenue.

Source: original release