Hacker uncovers controversial feature included in new Tesla software update: ‘I can see this coming up often’

A notable Tesla hacker has done some digging and found a controversial new addition in the company’s latest electric vehicle software update.

When looking at the 2023.38 code, the hacker, known as Green, found that Tesla intends to add a fee when people continue charging beyond 80% at busy Supercharger sites.

This “congestion charge” would prevent drivers from taking up time and space at Supercharger spots, as the final 20% of battery charge takes a lot longer than other periods of refueling.

Green’s discovery was picked up by Electrek, and the outlet noted Tesla had taken steps in 2019 to shorten charging times at Supercharger stations during peak times, limiting users to an 80% charge.

Electrek said Tesla then changed the feature to allow customers to tweak the settings to allow them to go all the way to 100%. But now, it seems Tesla is taking the policy a step further.

It’s not yet clear what the fee will be, but Tesla already applies extra costs for idle cars at Supercharger stations, so it’s not out of the ordinary for the brand.