LFP battery in Model 3

[TexaCali]

I think this is good advice. Apple’s own email to customers with SR+ orders suggests that those interested in the LFP battery should check inventory. Unfortunately, the inventory vehicles disappear in minutes. I did not realize how lucky I was until after I had snagged one. I do know someone, however, whose sales rep actually did scour the inventory for them and called them when a vehicle became available.

Yep, just hit refresh on the inventory page and saw a SR+ had appeared. I immediately hit "show details" to see what was up and it was already gone.

Something else I've noticed, the 3's on the inventory page seem to only be offered with FSD. That's a $10k premium for getting one out of inventory.

 

[martinmac85]

Yep, just hit refresh on the inventory page and saw a SR+ had appeared. I immediately hit "show details" to see what was up and it was already gone.

Something else I've noticed, the 3's on the inventory page seem to only be offered with FSD. That's a $10k premium for getting one out of inventory.

Yeah, I've noticed the FSD additions as well. It's a sneaky way for Tesla to make more money. The hardware required for FSD is installed in every new Tesla. You just need the $10,000 software upgrade to unlock and it's yours. Well, Tesla of course can upgrade the cars for free...

 

[3sr+buyer]

Has anyone been able to successfully ask for an LFP battery pack through custom order and then by asking their SA to put in a request?

So I got a phone call from a Tesla representative today asking if I would be interested in possibly getting a 3 SR+ at the end of the month (i.e. end of the quarter for sales / financial reporting) instead of the expected January delivery from my order. Confirmed that it was the LFP versus LNCA battery difference (though the representative used terms "lithium ion" versus "lithium iRon").

I did not go for it now (see below), but I did ask how to switch the order to an LFP battery if I wanted to later in the year. The representative said that such an order change is best done at a Tesla store.

The reason for not going for it now is waiting to see if the bill with the EV incentives passes later this year. The EV incentives in the current bill will make cars under $55,000 (SUVs under $69,000) purchased starting in 2022 eligible for a $7,500 credit, and remove the per-company limit, so Tesla (and GM) vehicles become eligible again. I can wait until January for $7,500 off. (There is also an additional $500 credit if the car has >= 50% US parts content including the battery.)

 

[martinmac85]

So I got a phone call from a Tesla representative today asking if I would be interested in possibly getting a 3 SR+ at the end of the month (i.e. end of the quarter for sales / financial reporting) instead of the expected January delivery from my order. Confirmed that it was the LFP versus LNCA battery difference (though the representative used terms "lithium ion" versus "lithium iRon").

I did not go for it now (see below), but I did ask how to switch the order to an LFP battery if I wanted to later in the year. The representative said that such an order change is best done at a Tesla store.

The reason for not going for it now is waiting to see if the bill with the EV incentives passes later this year. The EV incentives in the current bill will make cars under $55,000 (SUVs under $69,000) purchased starting in 2022 eligible for a $7,500 credit, and remove the per-company limit, so Tesla (and GM) vehicles become eligible again. I can wait until January for $7,500 off. (There is also an additional $500 credit if the car has >= 50% US parts content including the battery.)

If the bill gets passed with Tesla's being applicable again, I think I'm going to switch my order from the SR+ to the LR Model 3!

 

[SaintMickey®]

So I got a phone call from a Tesla representative today asking if I would be interested in possibly getting a 3 SR+ at the end of the month (i.e. end of the quarter for sales / financial reporting) instead of the expected January delivery from my order. Confirmed that it was the LFP versus LNCA battery difference (though the representative used terms "lithium ion" versus "lithium iRon").

I did not go for it now (see below), but I did ask how to switch the order to an LFP battery if I wanted to later in the year. The representative said that such an order change is best done at a Tesla store.

The reason for not going for it now is waiting to see if the bill with the EV incentives passes later this year. The EV incentives in the current bill will make cars under $55,000 (SUVs under $69,000) purchased starting in 2022 eligible for a $7,500 credit, and remove the per-company limit, so Tesla (and GM) vehicles become eligible again. I can wait until January for $7,500 off. (There is also an additional $500 credit if the car has >= 50% US parts content including the battery.)

Will Tesla's qualify for the new EV incentives? They have been shut out of the current ones. I'd hate to wait and not have the car (and LFP) and not get the tax credits.

Also don't they "off set" taxes owed? I don't think we "get the cash". Someone smarter and/or who has gotten the tax credit will chime in and let us know...

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Federal and State Laws and Incentives

Here's every electric vehicle that currently qualifies for the US federal tax credit

Here's a comprehensive guide to help you figure out if your electric vehicle still qualifies for any federal tax credit and state incentives.

electrek.co

Tax Incentives

Find out how you can save money through Federal tax incentives on your purchase of a new plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle!

www.fueleconomy.gov

 

[TexaCali]

Will Tesla's qualify for the new EV incentives? They have been shut out of the current ones. I'd hate to wait and not have the car (and LFP) and not get the tax credits.

Also don't they "off set" taxes owed? I don't think we "get the cash". Someone smarter and/or who has gotten the tax credit will chime in and let us know...

The way it currently works is you get a $7500 tax credit toward your tax liability for that year. Let's say your total tax liability for the year was $10,000, that would be reduced to $2500 with the credit. If you had already paid $10k in estimated taxes then you would see a refund of $2500. But if your tax liability was only $5000 for the year, it would only take your tax bill down to zero.

Again, this applies to your total tax liability....not to be confused with the amount you have to send in when you file because there wasn't enough withholding or you didn't pay enough estimated tax.

But all that said, there has been talk of changing this with the new bill to be a rebate at point of sale. Will it pass? How will it work? That's anyone's guess at this point.

 

[martinmac85]

The way it currently works is you get a $7500 tax credit toward your tax liability for that year. Let's say your total tax liability for the year was $10,000, that would be reduced to $2500 with the credit. If you had already paid $10k in estimated taxes then you would see a refund of $2500. But if your tax liability was only $5000 for the year, it would only take your tax bill down to zero.

Again, this applies to your total tax liability....not to be confused with the amount you have to send in when you file because there wasn't enough withholding or you didn't pay enough estimated tax.

But all that said, there has been talk of changing this with the new bill to be a rebate at point of sale. Will it pass? How will it work? That's anyone's guess at this point.

This info is correct. How the bill is written as of today is a rebate at the point of sale. Congress votes 6 days from today on the bill as a whole which not only includes EV "rebates" but a host of other things as well. From what I've read, it has a high probability of passing because of pressure from the U.N. to have less pollution by 2031.

 

[VTShaggy]

This info is correct. How the bill is written as of today is a rebate at the point of sale. Congress votes 6 days from today on the bill as a whole which not only includes EV "rebates" but a host of other things as well. From what I've read, it has a high probability of passing because of pressure from the U.N. to have less pollution by 2031.

This was a good summary of the latest released bill language.

 

[martinmac85]

This was a good summary of the latest released bill language.

Awesome table! Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[TexaCali]

This info is correct. How the bill is written as of today is a rebate at the point of sale. Congress votes 6 days from today on the bill as a whole which not only includes EV "rebates" but a host of other things as well. From what I've read, it has a high probability of passing because of pressure from the U.N. to have less pollution by 2031.

My guess is it will pass the house no problem, but get hung up in the Senate. Remember, this is only a small piece of a much larger bill that has become highly political. Anything could happen though....

 

[martinmac85]

My guess is it will pass the house no problem, but get hung up in the Senate. Remember, this is only a small piece of a much larger bill that has become highly political. Anything could happen though....

Anything can happen and I'm sure there will be some last minutes changes to the budget plan, so we'll just keep our expectations low so we're surprised. lol

 

[TexaCali]

I saw a few more inventory vehicles pop up today that didn't have FSD - a LR and a SR +. Both were gone before I could click the "Details" or "purchase" button. I saw the SR+ appear after some back to back page refreshes, hit "purchase" right away, but it was already gone. Insane. Didn't even get a chance to verify if it was a NCA or LFP battery.

I'm guessing there must be another mechanism than the Tesla site people are using to snag these.

 

[pipp]

Unless something has changed very recently, snagging a car with fsd should not be a big issue. Probably less of an issue than a second order that needs to be merged somehow with a first order. This is because you can usually remove the fsd option yourself on your web account Page. But even if you can’t remove the option yourself a Tesla rep will do it for you. So as long as you have some kind of line of communication with Tesla they will take the fsd option off for you without any issue.

 

[SaintMickey®]

This info is correct. How the bill is written as of today is a rebate at the point of sale. Congress votes 6 days from today on the bill as a whole which not only includes EV "rebates" but a host of other things as well. From what I've read, it has a high probability of passing because of pressure from the U.N. to have less pollution by 2031.

WHY was Tesla phased out of the current tax credit then?

 

[pipp]

They weren’t phased out, they still get the $7500 for each EV. What they don’t get is an extra $4500 for building the cars with union labor. And, as I understand it, a consideration for LFP cars, there is supposed to be a further $500 credit for cars with batteries made in the United States, which I suppose will leave out the Tesla LFP cars…

 

[TexaCali]

WHY was Tesla phased out of the current tax credit then?

They weren’t phased out, they still get the $7500 for each EV. What they don’t get is an extra $4500 for building the cars with union labor. And, as I understand it, a consideration for LFP cars, there is supposed to be a further $500 credit for cars with batteries made in the United States, which I suppose will leave out the Tesla LFP cars…

I'm guessing the question was regarding the current tax credit, not the proposed new legislation. The current/active credit had a vehicle limit of 200,000 cars for any given manufacturer. The thinking was once a company had made 200k cars, it was proven they could sell and there was no need for subsidy. Tesla and GM have hit that metric and no longer qualify for the tax credit.

As pipp points out, the new proposed legislation (in its current form) has an added bonus for cars built with union labor, which the Tesla is not. One should note that the proposed legislation has been kicking around for months, has gone through multiple revisions, and could change several more times before it passes or fails to pass.

 

[SaintMickey®]

I'm guessing the question was regarding the current tax credit, not the proposed new legislation. The current/active credit had a vehicle limit of 200,000 cars for any given manufacturer. The thinking was once a company had made 200k cars, it was proven they could sell and there was no need for subsidy. Tesla and GM have hit that metric and no longer qualify for the tax credit.

As pipp points out, the new proposed legislation (in its current form) has an added bonus for cars built with union labor, which the Tesla is not. One should note that the proposed legislation has been kicking around for months, has gone through multiple revisions, and could change several more times before it passes or fails to pass.

Interesting...not sure how Unions are "better" for the environment or zero emissions.

 

[thatdude902]

I got lucky today, and was able to snag an LFP SR+. I spent about 20 minutes, refreshing the existing inventory page every time I felt like it. No extras were added, just like my original order that was due around xmas.

 

[TexaCali]

Interesting...not sure how Unions are "better" for the environment or zero emissions.

Like all things in politics.....it's highly political....which is often what dooms legislation. Not the least of which is the entire new EV legislation is part of a huge spending bill that is one party's wish list, not supported by the other party. Sadly I hold little hope for any of us getting a federal rebate on a new Tesla.....but I'm willing to be surprised.

 

[3sr+buyer]

Like all things in politics.....it's highly political....which is often what dooms legislation. Not the least of which is the entire new EV legislation is part of a huge spending bill that is one party's wish list, not supported by the other party. Sadly I hold little hope for any of us getting a federal rebate on a new Tesla.....but I'm willing to be surprised.

While it may pass, not pass, or pass in a changed form, waiting for just a bit to see the result of that bill could be worthwhile if it does result in a usable incentive.