Tesla To Offer Free Charging At Home... If You're Swedish

After an incredible uptick in sales of its Model S in Sweden, Tesla announced it was partnering with Swedish electric utility Skellefteå Kraft to provide the country's Supercharger network with 100 percent renewable power. In addition, the partnership also offers Tesla owners free in-home charging.

 

The automaker said it delivered close to 1,000 Model S's to Sweden last year. Now those lucky owners will be able to take advantage of free charging at their home for up to 45,000 km (or 28,000 miles) over a three year period. But how can Skellefteå Kraft afford to provide such an incentive to Tesla owners?

 

Well, it doesn't hurt that the partnership allows the utility to be the exclusive provider of hydro and wind power to Sweden's 14 Supercharger stations (the Tesla equivalent of a gas station, but with multiple chargers instead of multiple gas pumps).

 

In addition to that, Sweden is also bordered by the Baltic Sea. This enables the country to keep their electricity rates extremely low due to an abundance of hydro-electric power. So because Model S owners are able to recharge  at a Tesla Supercharger station for free, as well as recharge at home for free,  they will essentially be able to drive anywhere for just the cost of their car. 

 

This is arguably one of the best ideas to come out of Sweden since IKEA (and not only because the Model S comes pre-assembled). Electrek says that Tesla sales in Sweden were up 271 percent in 2015, so this model could serve as a blueprint for other electric car makers looking to boost sales there, as well as in other countries.