Tesla Gift Card: Give KWh and Miles

In China, Tesla is testing the sale of a gift card to recharge within its Supercharger network. All business opportunities are good right now.

From January 17 to 26, 2025, on the occasion of “Spring Festival reunions“, Tesla China is selling 10,000 gift cards. These cards are sold for 149 yuan (about 19.5 euros) each, and allow charging of 100 kWh within the Supercharger network.

Strangely, Tesla specifies that this card offers “the equivalent of about 500 kilometers of driving“. With 100 kWh, yes, certainly. Afterwards, the homologation tests for range are so optimistic in China that it’s actually better to anticipate and clarify this.

Furthermore, the terms and conditions are very restrictive, demonstrating that Tesla is trying to fully understand the scope of this new business.

General Conditions for the Tesla Recharge Card

• The recharge card can be activated within 10 days of purchase. The recharge is valid for 20 days from the activation date. Once the recharge is used at any charging station within the validity period, the system will automatically deduct the corresponding power quota from the recharge card without any further requirement.
• Use of the recharge card: available at supercharging stations in mainland China.
• Please purchase the recharge card via the vehicle owner account linked to the Tesla vehicle. After purchase, it can be used by any vehicle under the account. One order is limited to 2 units. Each account can purchase unlimited quantities.
• This product is non-transferable and cannot be extended.
• This service only covers charging fees during the service period and does not include additional charges for occupancy beyond the hours of use.
• If there are other miles on the account, the miles from the recharge card will be deducted first; if multiple recharge cards exist, the one closest to expiry will be deducted first.

Is the Tesla recharge card too expensive in France?

What would be the price of an identical recharge card in France? At about 0.30 euro per kWh, this solution would cost around 30 euros. In reality, this card could be interesting to smooth out Tesla’s variable rates depending on the time and day of the week. Tesla actually has dynamic pricing— similar to the Oasis concert ticket scandal—that can quickly explode the bill.

Charging from 10% to 80% has no fixed price, and owning a gift card would help mitigate this issue. And if Tesla wants to attract more customers, it will need to quickly allow charging by competitors. Currently, Tesla’s narrative and its CEO Elon Musk are heading toward a more isolationist approach, with the most likely hypothesis being increased self-sufficiency and limits on open access in the coming months.

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