Tesla is streamlining the Model 3 delivery process. Over the weekend, the firm held a two-day delivery event at its Fremont center to hand over one of around 400 vehicles to buyers that could make it with short notice. It’s part of a wider drive to make sending cars to consumers faster than ever, with the pickup offer set to extend to more customers.
Electrek claims that residents of the San Francisco Bay Area waiting for their reservations received invites to pick up a car between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on the weekend. The company produced a large number of Model 3 vehicles with popular order options, before inviting consumers to come and pick out one they like. The shift meant that buyers with an expected delivery date of the next few weeks could take a sudden immediate delivery, transferring their $1,000 deposit into a car with prices starting from $53,000 for the 310-mile-range version with premium extras — with deliveries yet to start on the base $35,000 version.
See more: Elon Musk Debuts an Eco-Friendly Tesla Model 3 Fast-Delivery System
The company has been working hard to fulfil deliveries of its cheapest ever electric car, after it entered production in July 2017 with a projected production rate of 5,000 cars per week by December to fulfil a backlog of around 400,000 reservations. The company reached this target by June 2018, while continuing to produce 1,000 Model S and 1,000 Model X cars per week at the same time. It’s aiming to produce over 50,000 cars in the third quarter.
Tesla has coupled this business expansion with new delivery processes. A new car delivery system shared in July showed how the car was moving from factory to buyer in a sealed trailer, cutting back on plastic. Tesla is also aiming to streamline repairs from over 30 days to same-day results with pre-stocked parts. Another idea floated by CEO Elon Musk is using the smartphone to sign contracts, cutting back on delivery appointment durations.
Tesla now plans to extend its offer of picking up a Model 3 immediately to further consumers, starting from Monday. The change means those that have placed a reservation but not yet configured their final order may receive an invite to come to a center and receive a rear-wheel-drive car immediately.
As for the factory itself, Tesla has been working hard to expand production through the use of a tent in a general assembly line.
