Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has revealed that the electric automaker will end its popular referral plan on February 1 due to costs.
In a since-deleted tweet, Musk asserted that the referral program was “adding too much cost to the cars, especially Model 3.” He then urged owners to refer friends they know who are interested in purchasing Teslas and enjoying 6 months of free Supercharging before the calendar clicks over to February.
The Tesla referral program was launched in 2015 and rewards owners with a selection of prizes every time someone uses their referral code to purchase a brand new Tesla. Among the prizes available is a Powerwall home battery, launching personal photos into deep space thanks to SpaceX, and providing invitations to Tesla events. The most notable prize is a free next-generation Tesla Roadster Founders Series worth $250,000 for any current Tesla owner that makes 50 successful referrals.
It’s not entirely surprising to discover that the referral program has been affecting the automaker, perhaps in ways it didn’t expect.
The end of the referral program comes shortly after the car manufacturer announced just the second quarterly profit in its short history during the final three months of 2018.
It remains to be seen how many Tesla owners will be receiving free Roadsters but we know of a few YouTubers that hit the 50 referral mark.
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