Tesla bars Uber, commercial drivers from Superchargers

Restrictions were hastily rolled out for new cars purchased after mid-December, though Tesla promises to work out solutions for some commercial applications.

Tesla has changed its Supercharger "Fair Use" policy to prohibit commercial users, including Uber and Lyft drivers.

The new rules explicitly bar taxi drivers, ridesharing or ridesourcing operations, government use, delivery drivers or any other commercial venture.

"When Superchargers are used beyond their intended purpose, it negatively impacts the availability of Supercharging services for others," the company wrote in its policy update.

The new rules appear to have been hastily rolled out for all new or used vehicles sold after December 15. Tesla has asked any affected drivers to modify their behavior to comply with the new rules or face potential "limiting or blocking" of a vehicle's ability to use Supercharger stations.

"We encourage the use of Teslas for commercial purposes and we'll work proactively with these customers to find charging solutions that work best for them," the company said in a statement to Bloomberg.

Supercharger access was initially offered as a free perk with few restrictions. Some owners apparently began using the stations as free parking lots, however, prompting Tesla to begin charging fees.

The ban on commercial drivers arrives at an interesting time, coinciding with Tesla's unveiling of an all-electric semi that aims to revolutionize highway logistics, though the heavy-duty rigs are still a few years away.