Tesla sends Powerwall to Ukraine, extends free supercharging, and pays up to 3 months' salary to employees who go back to fight

Tesla has expanded its program to offer free supercharging to EV owners trying to escape Ukraine. The company also told its Ukrainian employees that they would have three months’ salary if they were to return to fight.

Tesla also sent Powerwall battery units to Ukraine.

When regions of the world are affected by natural disasters, Tesla has been known to offer free supercharging in those areas to give people one less thing to think about when traveling away from danger.

For example, Tesla offered owners free supercharging on several occasions during hurricanes in the US South.

Last month, Tesla did it again, but this time it was because of the conflict in Ukraine. automaker made something Supercharger stations in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary are free to all EV owners so they have less to worry about whether they are avoiding conflict.

This week, the automaker decided to expand the program to all Supercharger stations in Poland and Slovakia:

We are temporarily enabling free superchargers in areas affected by the recent situation in Ukraine.

Starting today, you can use SuperCharging for free on all Superchargers in Poland and Slovakia.

We hope this gives you peace of mind to reach a safe place. As always, tap any site on your car’s touchscreen to see the current price.

safe journey,
Tesla Team

Tesla does not currently have a Supercharger in Ukraine, but many electric cars in the country and Tesla owners can use stations in neighboring countries to seek refuge in other European countries.

Even though Tesla does not officially operate and sell cars in Ukraine, it is believed that there are more than 5,000 Tesla owners in the country who have imported their vehicles themselves.

It’s not the only thing that Tesla announced this week about the conflict in Ukraine.

CNBC also reported that Tesla told Ukrainian employees in an email that the company would keep paying them for three months if they had to return 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, the company said on Monday in an e-mail sent to employees in Europe, the Middle East and Africa region. It was not clear from the email whether this benefit would be extended to employees in North America and elsewhere.

After 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 Tangen

hi team,

Sharing this message from Joe Ward and Maryam Khalifa:

As you know, Tesla is committed to doing the right thing. While the situation in Ukraine is developing, we would like to share with you what action is being taken to support those affected by the conflict.

Many people have reached out to understand how they can contribute, which is awesome. It is important that we show them how we are helping as a company, what resources we have, and how they can actively support themselves. Many thanks to all the teams that have contributed to these efforts so far – the true spirit of Tesla on display.

*As a priority, HR EMEA team members are engaging with affected employees as well as their managers to ensure we check in. We will continue to ensure that we provide meaningful and targeted support for our employees.

For any Tesla employee who is a Ukrainian citizen and has been asked to return to Ukraine for active duty as a reservist, we will retain their employment and salary for 3 months after this period to assess as needed Will keep

*Tesla has introduced free supercharging at stations bordering Ukraine to support those affected 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 for free. Although Tesla doesn’t officially operate within Ukraine, any of the country’s estimated 5,000 Tesla owners can access free supercharging at select stations in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia.

*Tesla worked closely with SpaceX to provide coverage expansion for its Starlink services to help provide alternative Internet infrastructure.

*Volunteers from GIGA Berlin and the Germany service team responded quickly to test, configure, pack and ship several hundred Starlink units on Sunday, which have already been gratefully received by Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation. In true Tesla fashion, the solution is put together in less than 3 days.

* On top of this the Energy team complemented the Starlink roll out with Fleet Powerwall. The system consisted of PV inverters supplied by our certified installer network, pre-fabricated DC cables supplied by our Supercharger installation partners, and AC cables made from scrap from Giga Berlin. It was all assembled by a team of (40+) volunteers from the EMEA organization, who are committed to doing what they can to support.

*In addition, we have strengthened the Tesla EMEA Employee Assistance Program. The program provides counseling and many resources and support for employees.

Finally, employees can certainly support reputable relief organizations responding in Ukraine by donating cash, this is not an exhaustive list and you can certainly donate to the organization of your choice.

UNCHR
UNICEF
Red Cross
world food program
World Health Organization

If you have any further thoughts or ideas about how we can support our employees and those affected by the crisis, please don’t hesitate to connect with us.

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