Tesla offers free charging in China because of coronavirus

Tesla owners in China can now enjoy free charging for their electric cars, which the company said it’s providing during the coronavirus epidemic. The EV maker is earmarking 5 million yuan (US$720,800) to subsidize energy costs for owners using its Supercharger stations, the company posted on Weibo Thursday.

Tesla has recently been taking a hit because of the deadly virus spreading out from Wuhan that has killed more than 200 people and was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Chinese government ordered Tesla to shut down its Shanghai Gigafactory through the Lunar New Year holiday, which was extended due to the outbreak. The Gigafactory just started delivering Tesla Model 3 cars from the factory to consumers this month, with Elon Musk kicking off a charm offensive to win over the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) market.

Tesla also pledged 5 million yuan in assistance to the Chinese government to battle the novel coronavirus. It’s one of several tech companies donating funds, medical supplies, food and even AI computing capacity for genomic research to stop the spread of the disease.