Elon Musk trucking companies to hasten Tesla Model 3 deliveries

Originally, Tesla suggests that buyers who wanted to take advantage of the full $ 7,500 EV federal tax incentive would need to order their vehicles by Oct. 15. Last-minute goal Tesla shopping spree of spells has reopened that window and extended it to fair bit.

Elon Musk announced today in a thread on Twitter (where else) that Tesla has "acquired trucking capacity" that will ensure Model 3 deliveries before December 31 for orders placed by Nov. 30. That amounts to an extra six weeks of ordering time to take advantage of the $ 7,500 tax incentive before the phase-out begins for deliveries starting on Jan. 1.

Musk explained that the automaker had "bought some trucking companies" and "secure contracts with major haulers" to avoid future logistical complications that have plagued Tesla as Model 3 deliveries rise dramatically. Tesla spokesperson Revised Roadshow 's request for additional information, including the names of the companies with which Tesla has secured contracts.

At least some of Tesla's newfound logistics will be used to replace, not complement, shipping by train. Musk noted in his tweet that using trucks over trains saves "over a month" for deliveries in the eastern US. However, it's unclear what the net pollution gain, if any, would be from a fleet of trucks.

As long as an owner's new Tesla is delivered on or before Dec. 31, 2018, that will be eligible for the full $ 7,500 federal tax incentive. For deliveries between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2019, the incentive will be halved to $ 3,750, and it will be halved for another six months before disappearing entirely. Those waiting for the fabled $ 35,000 Model 3 will miss the full incentive, as the vehicle is on the first half of 2019.

It is worth noting that this is a dollar-for-dollar reduction of an author's federal tax liability, and not a do-whatever-with-it check in a mailbox – in all likelihood, some of the Tesla's buyers will not pay enough federal tax to realize the incentive's full benefit.

Tesla Model 3 Long RangeIf you can shell out the dough, we think it's worth it.

Tesla Model 3 Performance: Holy hell, this thing is quick.