Tesla in Australia

[Jmac]

Hi Oystero & All,

Hope everyone's NY has kicked off well!

I would naturally want to re-engage when Tesla are ready to focus on AU/NZ again.

Hi Jay,
Will you be coming back to T ?

 

[Dborn]

NO MENTION OF RIGHT HAND DRIVE!! How disappointing! They are starting off in China, but those of us who have been reservation holders and shareholders since early 2011, (and before) not a single mention. Are they planning to actually go with right hand drive at all? Yes, they announced late 2013 in England when they announced the start of European sales, but our rep here in Australia was terminated as there were no plans to further promote sales here.
Tesla needs to be more upfront with us and perhaps allow us the opportunity to reclaim our reservation moneys! Yes, i know those of you in the USA waited up to 3 years and perhaps a bit more, but at least you knew they were definitely coming. None of your reps were laid off.

 

[markwj]

I was told late 2013 for all RHD markets. That includes Hong Kong as well.

 

[spentan]

NO MENTION OF RIGHT HAND DRIVE!! How disappointing! They are starting off in China, but those of us who have been reservation holders and shareholders since early 2011, (and before) not a single mention. Are they planning to actually go with right hand drive at all? Yes, they announced late 2013 in England when they announced the start of European sales, but our rep here in Australia was terminated as there were no plans to further promote sales here.
Tesla needs to be more upfront with us and perhaps allow us the opportunity to reclaim our reservation moneys! Yes, i know those of you in the USA waited up to 3 years and perhaps a bit more, but at least you knew they were definitely coming. None of your reps were laid off.

I was told late 2013 for all RHD markets. That includes Hong Kong as well.

Having emailed Naomi, the Tesla Model S is still on track for release in Australia by the end of 2013.

This was the email convo

Hello Neil,
Thank you for writing.
RHD vehicles are still slated for end of this year or early next year. Several months prior to that we will be announcing pricing and options for Australia. We hope to have a test drive vehicle at that time as well.
As far as supercharging goes, we don’t have any specific plans yet, but as mentioned before, we are always open to new ideas and possibilities.

Regards,

Naomi Takeuchi | Ownership Experience Advocate, APAC
ntakeuchi<at>teslamotors.com
CustomerAU<at>teslamotors.com
Contact in Australia: +61(0)2.8003.7205

2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year: Tesla Model S


To: Naomi
Subject: Re: Next steps to complete your upgrade






Hi Naomi,



Just wanted to touch base, was wondering if there is any ETA on new info regarding RHD vehicles, test drives, supercharging stations for Australia?



Please advise, Cheers



Neil

 

[Dborn]

Have written to George and Kevin. Will post his reply, if any, here.

 

[jamesp]

Lots of silence. Given recent press coverage we know that a solid supercharger network is a key part of the ownership experience. Price and delivery dates also important. Either they don't know / haven't decided yet (most likely), they know but we won't like the answer (not a good business strategy), or they know but don't want to tell us because it's a trade secret (to stop other premium BEV's launching in Australia later this year copying their ideas).

Bit confused about the strategy here.

 

[markwj]

Out of interest, what is the market like in Australia? I guess it comes down to volumes. How many roadsters were sold, and any guesses as to the likely volumes for Model S?

Edit: from the reservation tally thread: UK <100, AU <100, HK ~200. Not amazing numbers for RHD.

 

[jamesp]

From here:

Official VFACTS data released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows that a total of 1,112,032 new passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were delivered to customers during 2012.

I doubt many roadsters have been sold here, they sell for roughly twice the US price (currency converted), which puts them well above the range of "committed enthusiast".

Interestingly I hadn't seen this article before, basically saying that there's "scope" for a supercharger network in Australia and powering it by solar makes sense (of course).

 

[markwj]

I doubt many roadsters have been sold here, they sell for roughly twice the US price (currency converted), which puts them well above the range of "committed enthusiast".

Any particular reason? Is there 100% tax, and no incentives, or just Tesla Australia mark-up? Hong Kong markup for Roadster seems to be about +20% over US prices, with no taxes for EVs.

If taxes are high, with no incentives, I'd be concerned for the Model S pricing.

 

[president_ltd]

Any particular reason?

because the comparison that jamesp is making was when AU$1 was US$0.50.
its now ~parity.

yes, there will be taxes. GST (10%) + LCT (varies) + stamp duty (state - varies). + whatever shipping costs.

 

[jamesp]

Yes, what president_ltd said (it was about US$0.66) but also with a markup for low volume sales. There's no incentive for EV's, only punishment for using so much electricity (especially in the Eastern part of the country where dirty brown coal is burnt in the power stations as we have a tax on carbon emissions in Australia).

For reference I pay about US$.31 per kWhr and about US$5.80 per gallon for diesel, slightly less for unleaded (if I've done the conversions correctly). The additional consumption an EV would add to my bill would push my rate up to about US$.35 per kWhr.

 

[markwj]

Out of interest - any home solar possibilities? Can you feedback to the electricity provider for credit? With electricity rates so high, and the large amount of sunlight down under (even if it is upside down sunlight), it would seem ideal.

 

[Dborn]

There were solar incentives, but they are being withdrawn. I have solar at home Under a former scheme where I get paid .60c per kwh. Unfortunately, if I extend my system, then I will only get paid 6 c per kwh! I lose all my previous incentive. Talk about being backward! The Labor government knows two things only. Tax and spend. Other than a slight benefit on luxury car tax for fuel efficient vehicles, there are no other incentives. Excise, GST and luxury car tax are absolute killers here making cars ridiculously expensive irrespective of brand.

 

[Dborn]

I have had a reply from Kevin Yu. the full exchange is below.
xxxxx,

Your previous email was addressed to George, with me on CC. I had refrained from responding so that you could get a response directly from George. My apologies if that lead to a delay.

On our earnings call we mentioned deliveries for Asia would begin later this year - Australia is part of that. I still fully expect Australian deliveries to begin at the end of this year or early in 2014 (given Homologation requirements as you accurately point out). Our commitment to Australia is unchanged.

Actually, interest in Model S in Australia has climbed since last December.

So, to answer your question, yes, you will get cars in Australia. First quarter of 2014 is a pretty good realistic estimate.

Thanks
Kevin

On Feb 23, 2013, at 13:54, "xxxxxxxx" <xxxxxxx> wrote:

> Dear Kevin,
> You will have received a copy of my email to George Blankenship regarding right hand drive.
> Despite being incredibly responsive in previous communications from me, the silence is deafening. With the laying off of Jay McCormick, no get amped tour, it really seems that Tesla is abandoning Australia as a market. Obviously reservations won't increase without any sales effort. There is not even any brand recognition, despite car of the year. Even with that, with no sales outlet, why would anyone bother?
> Right hand drive for England at the end of 2013 is not the same as RHD for Australia due to homologation and service support requirements.
> So, I ask a straight question and would appreciate a straight reply. Are we actually going to receive cars cars here, and in an acceptable time frame? By that, I mean by the first quarter of 2014? I have had a reservation now since April 2011, and an interest free loan to Tesla on a never ending basis is not really a wise investment decision.
> I do think the company does owe us some communication and clarity from senior management. Aspirational statements about wanting to supply the world with an electric powertrain are really nice, but practicalities surely must have been worked through. I am sure there is a business case for right hand drive supply. If it has been decided that it is not in Teslas interest to supply this within the foreseeable future, then honesty demands that the potential customers should be made aware of that sooner rather than later, and offered refunds of our deposits.
> Yours sincerely

 

[PeterW]

I have had a reply from Kevin Yu. the full exchange is below.
xxxxx,

Your previous email was addressed to George, with me on CC. I had refrained from responding so that you could get a response directly from George. My apologies if that lead to a delay.

On our earnings call we mentioned deliveries for Asia would begin later this year - Australia is part of that. I still fully expect Australian deliveries to begin at the end of this year or early in 2014 (given Homologation requirements as you accurately point out). Our commitment to Australia is unchanged.

Actually, interest in Model S in Australia has climbed since last December.

So, to answer your question, yes, you will get cars in Australia. First quarter of 2014 is a pretty good realistic estimate.

Thanks
Kevin

On Feb 23, 2013, at 13:54, "xxxxxxxx" <xxxxxxx> wrote:

> Dear Kevin,
> You will have received a copy of my email to George Blankenship regarding right hand drive.
> Despite being incredibly responsive in previous communications from me, the silence is deafening. With the laying off of Jay McCormick, no get amped tour, it really seems that Tesla is abandoning Australia as a market. Obviously reservations won't increase without any sales effort. There is not even any brand recognition, despite car of the year. Even with that, with no sales outlet, why would anyone bother?
> Right hand drive for England at the end of 2013 is not the same as RHD for Australia due to homologation and service support requirements.
> So, I ask a straight question and would appreciate a straight reply. Are we actually going to receive cars cars here, and in an acceptable time frame? By that, I mean by the first quarter of 2014? I have had a reservation now since April 2011, and an interest free loan to Tesla on a never ending basis is not really a wise investment decision.
> I do think the company does owe us some communication and clarity from senior management. Aspirational statements about wanting to supply the world with an electric powertrain are really nice, but practicalities surely must have been worked through. I am sure there is a business case for right hand drive supply. If it has been decided that it is not in Teslas interest to supply this within the foreseeable future, then honesty demands that the potential customers should be made aware of that sooner rather than later, and offered refunds of our deposits.
> Yours sincerely

Dborn, thank you for sending such a well worded email on behalf of the Australian market.

We are happy that we finally have a time-line to go on. It is a pity that Tesla could not have told us this earlier.
We have taken the opportunity (because of the delay) to install a solar system on our house and this is going up in March. We assumed this sort of delay and went for the solar package and hope we can get our finances back to a position where we can pay for the car. So the delay is good for us, it just would have been nice to have been told by Tesla directly.

Thank you again for soliciting this reply,

Peter and Leonie

 

[jamesp]

Out of interest - any home solar possibilities? Can you feedback to the electricity provider for credit? With electricity rates so high, and the large amount of sunlight down under (even if it is upside down sunlight), it would seem ideal.

Yes I have a 3kW system on the roof (roof would fit 10kW easily but two large gum trees shade a large amount of it), and I get about 53c net feed in tariff. No opportunity to extend without losing the tariff.

 

[meloccom]

For reference I pay about US$.31 per kWhr and about US$5.80 per gallon for diesel, slightly less for unleaded (if I've done the conversions correctly). The additional consumption an EV would add to my bill would push my rate up to about US$.35 per kWhr.

If you go to Time Of Use (TOU) metering you can get electricity for around half that cost in off peak times. If you are careful and move as much of your consumption into off peak this will slash your bills, leaving some left over for charging the Tesla.

 

[Dborn]

I have received a further communication from Kevin Yu, and it says, in part "With regards to Jay, I can say for certain that you should not interpret it as a sign that Tesla has altered its plan for Model S deliveries in Australia."
This was in response to a further mail from myself thanking him for his reply posted above.
He also said "First, you can send me a note any time and I will respond as quickly as I can. Sometimes it won't be instant, but it should be within a day. George has significantly more responsibilities so his responses may take a bit longer, especially during key periods like earnings reports. We are always in-sync though, so we would give you the same answers."

 

[jamesp]

If you go to Time Of Use (TOU) metering you can get electricity for around half that cost in off peak times. If you are careful and move as much of your consumption into off peak this will slash your bills, leaving some left over for charging the Tesla.

I don't think I'd save any money going to a TOU meter as the options are few in Adelaide and the peak tariff is horrific. I was thinking of investigating the old J-Tarrif meters for charging if I go down the BEV route if they're still available?

 

[president_ltd]

I don't think I'd save any money going to a TOU meter as the options are few in Adelaide and the peak tariff is horrific. I was thinking of investigating the old J-Tarrif meters for charging if I go down the BEV route if they're still available?

in VIC with PV Solar (5KW) one MUST be on TOU. TOU vs fixed rate has in fact resulted in lower overall usage charges as there's 88 hours/week of off-peak (11pm-7am M-F, all weekends) vs 80 hours/week of peak (7am-11pm M-F).
You learn to shift some loads (e.g. dishwasher, clothes washing) etc.

Of course, we have PV Solar with a Net PFIT so are $$$ ahead on that (not discounting the capital outlay for PV solar) but charging a Tesla overnight @ $0.12/kWh compared to $0.25+/kWh daytime is a no-brainer particularly if we can maximize what we export back to the grid while the sun is shining @ $0.60/kWh generation Net. (PFIT in Victoria until 2024 for those of us that got in at the time)

Just need Tesla to deliver my model S now.