Tesla is limiting the charging rate at its superchargers in order to improve battery longevity.

The move comes as the company looks to expand its vehicle fleet and battery production.

Superchargers are currently limited to a maximum of 120kW, but Tesla is planning to roll out an update that will cut that figure to just 80kW.

The decision has been made in order to "maintain a high battery pack throughput while giving customers the fastest possible recharge", according to a Tesla spokesperson.

It's not clear when the charging rate change will come into effect, but it's likely to be rolled out gradually as Tesla looks to avoid any potential customer backlash.

Potential drawbacks

The main drawback of the move is that it will lengthen the amount of time it takes to charge a Tesla vehicle.

At present, it takes around an hour to charge a Tesla Model S to 80%. With the new 80kW limit, that figure is likely to rise to around 90 minutes.

Tesla has been steadily expanding its supercharger network in recent years, and the company now has over 12,000 superchargers installed around the world.

The move to limit charging rates is likely to be seen as a way of managing demand on the network, as the company looks to avoid any capacity issues.

Find out more

For more information on Tesla's supercharger network, and the company's plans for the future, visit the Tesla website.