'Congestion' fee at Tesla chargers
Tesla is adding a $1-a-minute “congestion fee” at some of its Superchargers after an EV owner hits the 90% charge threshold. Credit: AP / NurPhoto / Jakub Porzycki
As electric vehicle owners take to the roads this holiday season, they may find that topping off their batteries is more costly.
Tesla is adding a $1-a-minute “congestion fee” at some of its Superchargers. The fee kicks in after an EV owner hits the 90% charge threshold. The move is not aimed at adding revenue to Tesla but to reduce long waits at Superchargers, a sore point for some EV owners. Tesla says charging a congestion fee “increases the availability of Superchargers so that everyone has access when they need it.”
Because of the nature of EV batteries, it can take almost as long to charge from 90%-100% as it takes to charge from 10%-90%.
Apple says the true-crime podcast “Crime Junkie” was 2023’s most popular podcast on iTunes this year. Credit: Getty Images / Savusia Konstantin
‘Crime Junkie’ top 2023 podcast
The true-crime podcast “Crime Junkie” was 2023’s most popular podcast on iTunes this year, according to Apple. Rounding out the top five: “The Daily,” a political show from The New York Times; “Dateline NBC,” a spinoff of the long-running TV documentary; “Smartless,” an entertainment podcast hosted by actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett; and “This American Life,” a podcast version of the venerable radio show hosted by Ira Glass.
Microsoft is selling an ugly holiday sweater with a Windows XP design. Credit: Microsoft
Windows XP soft wear
Continuing what has become a yearly tradition, Microsoft is selling a proudly ugly holiday sweater. This year’s design features the “sky” wallpaper that came bundled with Windows XP, the operating system from 2001. The sweater sells for $70 (gear.xbox.com/pages/windows), with proceeds going to charity. Some sizes may be sold out, but there’s a box you can click to be notified when your size is back in stock.
SEC: $5B returned to investors
The Securities and Exchange Commission said its enforcement actions during fiscal year 2023 led to almost $5 billion in fines and money ordered to be reimbursed to investors, as the agency sued Wall Street brokerages and many of the largest players in the crypto industry. Specifically, the SEC highlighted its actions involving digital assets, cybersecurity and Wall Street brokerage employees using unapproved communications platforms to conduct business. —BLOOMBERG NEWS
