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New Tesla Deliveries Won't Include the Mobile Connector

Tesla customers that haven’t yet taken delivery of their new vehicles won’t receive the mobile connector. A Sales Advisor confirmed the situation for a person that has an existing order and a delivery date. Future owners are justifiably upset with what’s happening, but some may be lucky. Here’s why.
Tesla's Mobile Connector 6 photos
Photo: Terry Lee White on YouTube
Elon MuskElon MuskElon MuskElon MuskElon Musk
Secretly making the 110V mobile connector a $400 option sparked a lot of Twitter outrage. Price hikes for new cars like the Model S Plaid have been understood and accepted by fans and customers, but eliminating this cable and the adaptors it came with from the standard package caused a lot of anger and dissatisfaction in the Tesla community. Elon Musk listened and confirmed the new price for the accessory will be $200.

But the plot thickens. While almost everyone thought this product strategy change would apply only to new Tesla vehicle orders, it appears that Elon Musk’s company is taking the charger out from the package that was usually available for buyers up until now. Keep in mind that customers that are not next to a Supercharger or don’t have a charger installed at home already won’t be able to charge their EVs. It looks like Tesla pulled an Apple here, even though it’s hard to imagine what would a $200 option mean for the financial results of the carmaker at the end of the fiscal year.

The Tesla Sales Advisor contacted by a person that’s in line to have their car delivered to them also answered the following question “So the answer is that I won’t get the mobile connector even though it was supposed to be included when I placed the order?” with “As it appears that’s correct.”

Tesla’s not stopping here. Model S and Model X customers from the UK and other markets can’t lock in a certain price for the vehicle they want. The ordering process says, “pricing and options will be finalized as delivery approaches.” The American automaker considers the order as a pre-order for which the deposit can be refunded until the final price has been discussed and agreed upon by both parties.

It looks like Tesla is facing some supply chain issues, and its profit margins projection might not look that good considering recent price hikes for raw materials and international transport of goods. Musk previously said his car company might be forced to enter the mining game for raw materials.

Now it seems that GM’s President Mark Reuss was right about Tesla being forced to raise prices to levels not liked by existing or potential customers. It’s happening already, even though his comments were made in February this year.

But there’s still hope that there are some mobile connectors put aside for several customers that are scheduled for deliveries this month. The situation may vary across the board, so you should contact Tesla to figure this out.
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About the author: Florin Amariei
Florin Amariei profile photo

Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one.
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