Elon Musk says Tesla to pay customers for missed tax credits

The tax credit is reduced by 50 per cent every six months until it phases out


Reuters December 24, 2018
Tesla founder Elon Musk speaks at the unveiling event by "The Boring Company" for the test tunnel of a proposed underground transportation network across Los Angeles County, in Hawthorne, California, US December 18, 2018. PHOTO: REUTERS

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said the electric car company will reimburse customers if delays to car deliveries cause them to miss out on a significant tax credit.

Under a major tax overhaul passed by the Republican-controlled US Congress late last year, incentives in the way of tax credits that lower the cost of electric vehicles are available for the first 200,000 such vehicles sold by an automaker. The tax credit is then reduced by 50 per cent every six months until it phases out.

Musk says LA Hyperloop tunnel to be unveiled in December

Earlier this year, Tesla said orders for cars placed by October 15 would be eligible for the full tax credit of $7,500 and that customers would receive their cars by the end of the year. From January 1, 2019, the tax credit drops to $3,750.

With only a few days of 2018 remaining, some customers still waiting for their vehicles have used social media to complain about the delays and what they called a lack of communication by the company.

Twitter CEO to testify before House panel on September 

Responding on Saturday to a Twitter user who asked what will happen if cars did not arrive in time, Musk replied: “If Tesla committed delivery & customer made good faith efforts to receive before year end, Tesla will cover the tax credit difference.”

Also on Saturday, Musk said on Twitter that the company should have all orders for the mid-range Model 3 - a mass-market sedan that Tesla hopes is its key to success - delivered by the end of the year.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ