Elon Musk is a man full of surprises. At the cusp of significant changes that Tesla is making towards their current product line, Musk is able to find a way to bring an assured shipping date for those wanting a Tesla Model 3 for in time for Christmas. But an end of year Tesla Model 3 delivery is not the only good news that Elon Musk is bringing.
Tesla just acquired trucking capacity to ensure Model 3 can be delivered in US by Dec 31 if ordered by Nov 30 https://t.co/npmPuSXNWC — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2018
Skipping rail saves over a month for East Coast deliveries. All things considered, it's better to use trucks. Single load/unload & direct to owner location. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2018
Elon Musk posted on Twitter about how Tesla has acquired multiple trucking companies to ensure that any Tesla Model 3 orders by Nov. 30 within the U.S. are delivered by Dec. 31. In another tweet, Elon Musk mentions that Tesla has also secured major contracts with major hauling companies to avoid the trucking shortage they had experienced in the last quarter.According to the Tesla CEO, not having to rely on rail transportation allows Tesla to cut out at least a month of delivery time for East Coast deliveries.
Will also be using dedicated roll-on, roll-off fast ships for transporting cars to Europe & Asia in Q1. Major focus on minimizing time from factory to new owner. Did not fully appreciate the working capital impact until recently. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2018
We bought some trucking companies & secured contracts with major haulers to avoid trucking shortage mistake of last quarter — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2018
While the news seems to focus just on American orders, it also seems that Elon Musk has also though about how to cater to his offshore clients. In a follow-up reply to his tweet, Elon Musk states that Tesla customers in Europe and Asia who have ordered Tesla Model 3s can expect their orders to arrive within the first quarter of 2019. But Elon Musk's suprise move to increase Tesla's delivery capacity has some positive effects on other factors for those hoping to order a Tesla Model 3 within the month.
According to Cnet, Elon Musk's latest move to improve Tesla's delivery methods also means that customer who orders their Tesla Model 3 within the month will be eligible to take advantage of the electric vehicle federal tax incentive in full. This option would not be possible if Tesla had to rely on the Oct. 15 cutoff prior to Elon Musk's decision to improve the company's delivery services.
The publication notes that customers who receive their vehicle by Dec. 31 due to Elon Musk's transportation change decisions can take advantage of the tax incentive at a value of $7,500. By the first half of 2019, the electric vehicle federal tax incentive will be halved to a value of $3750 and halved again after six months. With a less than a month left before the Christmas season, potential Tesla customers now have more of an incentive to order their Tesla Model 3's as soon as possible.
