Tesla is giving away free Supercharging this weekend to curb long wait times at chargers

• Tesla owners who travel early in the morning or late at night can get a sweet deal on charging.
• The company is making Supercharging free during off-peak hours throughout the holiday weekend.

Christmas is upon us. That means contending with bickering relatives, fruitcake, and, most likely, a whole lot of traffic.

Tesla wants to ease the stress of holiday travel this year by offering free access to its Superchargers along popular routes from December 23 to December 26. But there's a catch — you have to plug in before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. to take advantage of the deal.

Giving away charging during off-peak hours is Tesla's way of ensuring that Supercharging locations don't get jam-packed during peak times. The carmaker offered a similar incentive during Thanksgiving. The holiday deal is available at more than 70 locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.

Even amid surging cases of COVID-19, more than 109 million people plan to travel at least 50 miles during the holidays, according to AAA. That's 34% more than 2020 and could pose a problem for electric-vehicle owners looking to charge up at the limited number of high-powered EV charging stations that dot the country.

For years, Tesla owners have complained about long lines about Supercharger stations, especially in EV hot spots like California and especially during busy travel times. Tesla's charging network has grown to encompass more than 1,000 Supercharger stations, but they can still get overwhelmed when demand is high. Over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2019, Tesla deployed a mobile charging station between Los Angeles and San Francisco to deal with the rush.