Tesla has expanded its program to give free Supercharging to EV owners trying to escape Ukraine. The company also told its Ukrainian employees that they will have three months of pay if they have to go back to fight.
Tesla also sent Powerwall battery units to Ukraine.
When regions of the world are hit by natural disasters, Tesla has been known to offer free Supercharging in those regions to give one less thing for people to think about when traveling away from danger.
For example, Tesla offered free Supercharging to owners on several occasions during hurricanes in the south of the US.
Last month, Tesla did it again, but this time it was due to the conflict in Ukraine. The automaker made some Supercharger stations in Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary free for all EV owners in order to give them one less thing to worry about if they were escaping the conflict.
This week, the automaker decided to expand the program to all Supercharger stations in Poland and Slovakia:
We are temporarily enabling free Supercharger in areas impacted by the recent situation in Ukraine.
Starting today, you can access free Supercharging at all Superchargers across Poland and Slovakia.
We hope that this helps give you the peace of mind to get to a safe location. As always, tap any site on your car’s touchscreen to see current pricing.
Safe travels,
The Tesla Team
Tesla doesn’t currently have Superchargers in Ukraine, but many electric car and Tesla owners in the country could use the stations in neighboring countries to get refuge in other European countries.
Even though Tesla doesn’t officially operate and sell cars in Ukraine yet, it is believed that there are more than 5,000 Tesla owners in the country who imported their vehicles themselves.
It’s not the only thing that Tesla announced this week regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
CNBC also reported that Tesla told Ukrainian employees in an email that the company would keep paying them for up to three months if they have to go back to their home country to fight:
“Ukrainian Tesla employees who are asked to return to defend their country will receive pay for at least three months, according to an e-mail the company sent on Monday to employees in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. It wasn’t clear from the email whether this benefit would be extended to employees in North America and elsewhere.”
After the three months, Tesla plans to reevaluate the situation.
In an email to employees, the automaker also thanked the team that helped SpaceX deploy Starlink satellite internet in Ukraine in record time.
The Tesla Energy team also donated Powerwalls to Ukraine.
Here’s the full email Tesla sent to employees today:
Date: March 7, 2022 [Time redacted]
Subject: Conflict Support
To: DL-EU-NO-All
From: Axel TangenHi Team,
Sharing this message from Joe Ward and Mariam Khalifa:
As you know, Tesla is committed to do the right thing. Whilst the situation in Ukraine is evolving, we wanted to share with you what actions are being taken to support those impacted by the conflict.
Many folks have reached to understand how they can contribute, which is awesome. It’s important we show them how we as a company are helping, what resources we have in place, and how they can also proactively support themselves. Big thanks to all of the teams that have contributed to these efforts so far – true Tesla spirit on display.
*As a priority HR EMEA team members have been connecting with employees impacted as well as their managers to ensure we check in. We will continue to ensure we provide meaningful and targeted support for our employees.
For any Tesla employees who is a Ukrainian national and has been asked to return to Ukraine for active duty as a reservist, we will maintain their employment and salary for 3 months, with a view to assessing after this period as needed.
*Tesla has opened free Supercharging at stations bordering Ukraine to support those impacted by the recent invasion. Within hours of implementation, Tesla emailed local owners announcing that several Supercharger stations near Ukraine could be used by Tesla and non-Tesla electric vehicles, free of charge. Although Tesla does not officially operates within Ukraine, any of the country’s estimated 5,000 Tesla owners can access free Supercharging at select stations in Poland, Hungary Slovakia.
*Tesla teamed up with SpaceX to provide coverage expansion for its Starlink services to help provide an alternative internet infrastructure.
*Volunteers across the Giga Berlin and Germany Service team responded quickly on Sunday to test, configure, pack and ship several hundred Starlink units which have already been gratefully received by Ukraine’s Digital Transformation Minister. In true Tesla fashion, the solution has been put together in less than 3 days.
*On top of this the Energy team supplemented the Starlink roll out with a fleet Powerwalls. The system included PV inverters given by our Certified installer network, pre-made DC cables given by one of our Supercharger Installation Partners and AC cables made out out of scrap from Giga Berlin. All of it assembled by a team of (40+) volunteers from across the EMEA organization, committed to doing what they can to support.
*In addition, we have reinforced Tesla EMEA Employee Assistance Programme. The Programme offers counseling and numerous resources and support for employees.
Lastly, employees can of course support by making cash donations to reputable relief organizations responding in Ukraine, this is not an exhaustive list and you can of course make donation to an organisation of your choice.
UNCHR
UNICEF
Red Cross
World Food Program
World Health OrganizationIf you have any further thoughts or ideas with regards how we can be supporting our employees and those impacted by the crisis, please do not hesitate to connect with us.
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