A Tesla motorist claims the corporation broke a promise to guarantee free charging for the electric vehicle for the rest of their lives by charging those who leave their car at a charging station for an extended period of time.

Kevin Shenkman filed a lawsuit against Tesla Inc. in California state court, claiming to represent all early Tesla adopters in order to recoup costs, as well as punitive damages and an injunction barring Tesla from enforcing the fees.

Tesla offered early customers free Supercharging for the rest of their lives in order to get them to buy its electric vehicles. However, in order to alleviate congestion at the Supercharging stations, Tesla slapped a "Supercharger tax" on customers who did not return to their vehicles almost immediately after being charged, according to Shenkman's case filed in Alameda County state court.

“To make matters worse, when a client, like plaintiff, who was promised free Supercharging for life, refuses to pay such ‘Supercharger costs,' Tesla disables Supercharging completely, thereby disconnecting a function for which customers paid thousands of dollars extra,” Shenkman stated.

Tesla began charging for use of its Supercharger network in 2017, although owners of vehicles purchased between 2012 and 2016 were exempt.