Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed during the company's annual shareholder meeting that the mainstream Model 3 sedan will not receive free, unlimited access to its nationwide network of Supercharger charging stations.

One of the many perks of owning a Tesla, at least up through the new Model X, is unfettered access to Supercharging stations. If you play your cards right, it means you'll never have to pay for electricity to power your vehicle. According to Musk, however, that's not really the right way of looking at it.

When asked how Tesla plans to deal with the flood of new Tesla owners once the Model 3 arrives, Musk revealed that those owners won't have unlimited access to Supercharging stations unless they purchase the perk as part of a separate package.

The executive explained that their motivation is to make electric transport as affordable as possible. So if they do something or charge for something, it's not because they want to make things more expensive; it's simply because they can't figure out how to make things less expensive.

Later in the chat, Musk said the best thing to do with an electric car is to charge it where you charge your phone (which is at home for most people). Driving to a Supercharger to save $5 in electricity and spending half an hour of your time likely equates to making minimum wage on your time. Instead, Musk views Superchargers as a free long-distance travel option.

Musk didn't reveal how much the add-on, unlimited Supercharger package would cost Model 3 buyers.