Tesla customers join EV queue, face seven month wait for Model 3 deliveries

The supply crunch that has seen electric vehicle customers forced to wait many months for new EVs as carmakers struggle to secure inventory for Australian drivers has now spread to Tesla.

It is not entirely clear why Tesla is delaying deliveries to Australia at this time, as new figures coming out of China indicate the EV maker’s Shanghai Gigafactory is making a new electric car every 43 seconds.

And the need to prioritise inventory to other markets that require them to meet strict vehicle emissions limits, coupled with while a global semiconductor shortage, has made it difficult for Australian arms of other carmakers to fill the demand for new EV models, this has not been the case with Tesla.

Tesla’s ability to supply as many EVs as it can sell to Australia (and for that matter in other markets) in part enabled it to maintain its market lead in 2021. Out of the 20,665 new EVs sold last year, 12,094 were Tesla Model 3s.

But drivers planning on buying a new Tesla Model 3 now will be waiting until the second half of 2022 to take delivery of their new vehicle after Tesla made changes to its deliveries times on its website on Monday.

The waiting time has increased substantially in recent months, with customers in October told they would have a 1-3 week wait. This was lengthened to 14-20 weeks in January, but now the wait could be as long as 28 weeks.

Read more: Supply crunch: Why it is so hard to buy an electric vehicle in Australia

What is known is that Tesla is continuing to build Model 3s and Model Ys by the bucketful in Shanghai, from where Australia’s inventory now hails.

According to new figures from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), Tesla sold just shy of 59,845 Shanghai-made Model 3 and Model Ys in January. Equating to 1,995 vehicles a day, it means a new Tesla electric car is rolling off the assembly line every 43 seconds.

Of those circa 60,000 vehicles, two-thirds were exported to other markets. Half of Tesla’s sales in Europe were filled with Shanghai-made vehicles in 2021, and while a seven-month wait for a car in Australia may seem a long time, it appears the wait times can be even longer in Europe.

A recent analysis by technology market research company Canalys notes that Europe now has the highest level of EV adoption.

“Demand for EVs continues to be strong in Europe. In fact, in many European countries EVs represented more than a quarter of new cars sold. but customers must be patient. A nine to 12 month wait time for a new EV is not unusual,” said Ashwin Amberkar, an analyst at Canalys.

Until Tesla can ramp up production at its Berlin gigafactory, it will continue to fill orders from Shanghai.

With Tesla unable or unwilling to deliver more new vehicles to Australia until July earliest and demand overseas so high, it doesn’t look good for other carmakers who see an opportunity to fill the major gap left by the EV maker, either.

Drivers who ordered a new Tesla Model 3 before mid-February should see their new vehicles sooner, however.

With the second ship bearing Tesla Model 3s landed in Port Kembla on Monday, cars have been spotted on trucks heading out of the port town towards Sydney. Word has it there are 1200-1400 vehicles on board, with some of those earmarked for New Zealand.