Tesla model S 85kWh delivered as AIR FREIGHT?

[DITB]

Let's say I could get a good deal on air freight, is it possible to send the Tesla overseas this way?

Batteries are considered dangerous goods, as some version of lithium batteries can potentially ignite and burn uncontrollable, if of poor quality or mishandled.

The Asiana freighter that crashed and burned some years ago, had a load of EV batteries on board (not related to Tesla).

But let's say the airline in question was happy to send it, would Tesla Motors waive me the normal shipping charges, and let me take care of it myself? Customs paperworks comes to mind as well, but if it would speed up delivery to Hong Kong ... I would look into what it would cost.

 

[markwj]

It didn't use to be a problem.

All the Hong Kong roadsters were delivered that way. I think it was something like HK$25,000 per car.

Rafael DeMaestro also fedex'd his car between continents in the same way (Europe->USA and USA->China).

P.S. I suspect the issue with Hong Kong delivery times is not just shipping times. They also have a lot of work to get the cars finalised and ready for a Hong Kong launch.

 

[DITB]

Yes for sure, Mark, but if they are sent by ship, how many weeks does that take? Sorry for my ignorance, but I know I can get one here in a day by air freight, if it is SFO-HKG.

Would Tesla cooperate?

I might be too far down the list with #114 non-signature, to be in the second shipment - which would be like two months later. Could I opt to pick the car up myself at the factory, despite being an export car?

It didn't use to be a problem.

All the Hong Kong roadsters were delivered that way. I think it was something like HK$25,000 per car.

Rafael DeMaestro also fedex'd his car between continents in the same way (Europe->USA and USA->China).

P.S. I suspect the issue with Hong Kong delivery times is not just shipping times. They also have a lot of work to get the cars finalised and ready for a Hong Kong launch.

 

[markwj]

I heard that if you take delivery at the factory you need to pay CA sales tax.

For ship, I think it is about a month. Thing is, there are supposedly a lot of empty containers coming back to Asia.

 

[DITB]

I heard that if you take delivery at the factory you need to pay CA sales tax.

For ship, I think it is about a month. Thing is, there are supposedly a lot of empty containers coming back to Asia.

Same goes for air freight, always spare capacity going into China/HK, and it takes a day instead of a month.

I'll talk to Tesla about it. They might not be able to accommodate, though, and I could imagine they also got some problems with Signature customers if they saw my MS on the roads of HK while their car is on a ship somewhere on the Pacific Ocean.

I tried that once before: ordered a brand new model (the estate version of the Citroën C5), and immediately moved from one European country to the neighbor country. When I showed up at the local dealer at the 2500 km initial check, he walked around my car and looked very upset. This was when I picked it up again. So I asked, what's the problem? He said he had 4 similar models in his shop for the same customer, which he couldn't deliver YET, because there was an official release day. But that was six months later than the country that I moved from, and the customer with the 4 cars had seen my car, on the streets with a local registration (he couldn't see it was an import). So he wrote down the registration and called the dealer and was very upset!

I could see the same thing happening if I got my MS in HK before all the sigs, just because I passed them at 700 mph over the Pacific.

I would need Tesla to do the same as for the other exports, except put it on a flight instead of a ship. Same paperwork. My car could be the trial case for seeing how it works in HK customs, and the TD!

 

[Plug Me In]

I doubt Tesla would waive the regular shipping charge as the buyer pays the same fee regardless of delivery location in the US, even if picking up at the factory. What is the fee for international buyers?

 

[Vexar]

Volvo used to do this stunt where they would fly you to where their factory is, you'd drive the car around for a few thousand miles, then you could ship it home to the USA via cargo, and you wouldn't pay the import duties, or something like that, because you'd owned it for a period of time in country and it was considered used and titled in Europe. I always found it sketchy because of the residency issue. I do think you'd still pay the import duties, but you might only get the USA destination charges, if you did a factory pick-up ($990 I recall), then you could ship it yourself. Trouble is, you or an agent/friend would have to do the pick-up and delivery, and additionally, there may be things about how cars are supposed to be in China that aren't right with a USA model, and you'd have to tell Tesla you "moved." You might even need the funds in a US financial institution. The USA is littered with importers that buy cars from Europe, I suppose such a thing could exist in reverse. I know the Chinese models are getting different interiors, but is that the only difference? I wonder. Best of luck being creative. I am not a lawyer, I do not work for US Customs, and any advice I give you in this area is probably not a good idea.

 

[DITB]

Tesla Motors replied me now and said no, they cannot accommodate me, I have to wait for whatever ship my sequence will fit in on. As I understand it, if you miss the boat, it will be another 2-3 months. Bummer.

Let's see ...

 

[twinklejet]

you can't legally pick up a RHD in California on US roads anyway...