Tesla’s referral program may return, but don’t expect free Roadsters
Tesla could soon reinvigorate its popular referral program, but it won’t be as generous as it once was.
A Twitter account by the name of Teslascope recently dug deep into the recently updated Tesla app and found strings referring to redeeming referrals for supercharged miles, as well as official products and vehicle accessories.
Read: YouTuber wins next Tesla Roadster for free after referring 50+ buyers and $5M in sales
It’s unclear when Tesla’s revived referral program might launch, but news of its return will certainly be welcome news for many Tesla enthusiasts.
Tesla’s referral program could be back very, very soon!
The latest update to the mobile app has some new text strings that refer to redeeming referrals for supercharged miles and even official merchandise and vehicle accessories.
— Teslascope (@teslascope) October 19, 2022
Good morning everyone, version 4.14.1 has been released and while we were hoping this was just a bug fix update, we actually have some substance here.
Looks like the referral program is getting some love again. Interested in seeing what new items are available. pic.twitter.com/K225lMGeYd
— Tesla App (iOS) updates (@Tesla_App_iOS) October 19, 2022
In addition to mentioning supercharge miles and merchandise available in the Tesla store, the text discovered by Teslascope mentions “benchmark challenges” that could form some kind of game.
The referral program has been a shell of itself for the past two years, offering only a handful of sun products. Prior to this, Tesla had already reduced incentives, offering 1,000 free supercharge miles on both sides of the transaction. Electrek notes When it was in its heyday, the program was extraordinarily generous, so much so that Tesla was giving away $250,000 Roadsters to owners who generated enough sales for the brand. No fewer than 80 owners were eligible for a free Roadster before this incentive was removed from the program due to the exorbitant costs involved.
Reports last year suggested that Tesla planned to modify the referral program to eliminate or reduce the use of referral links and thus limit the number of people spamming them via social media. Instead, it is understood that Tesla was moving to an app-based referral program that promoted in-person referrals.
Photos of the Tesla’s referral program may return, but don’t expect free Roadsters
