According to CVRP application:
"Please refer to the date on your Purchase or Lease Agreement. For Tesla vehicles and other vehicles ordered without a standard lease/purchase agreement, the date of first registration with the California DMV is considered the date of lease/purchase. Applicants will need to re-apply if an application is submitted before this date."
Soooooo. The actual date is when you pick up your Tesla, NOT when you placed your initial Order. In my case, I placed my order in Nov last year, picked it up on 3/5 this year, so I barely made the cut off. Well, that's IF Tesla filed the paperwork on time. I'm assuming it's automatically when you pick up your Tesla.
Quite confusing seeing as Order date and Pick up date are very different.