The Model 3’s Estimated Delivery Dates Have Officially Slipped, But EV Fans Don’t Seem To Mind

Tesla fans and reservation holders are no strangers to later-than-expected delivery dates. The upstart carmaker, after all, has developed quite a reputation in the past for being a company that delivers on its promises — just not in the timeline that Tesla CEO Elon Musk or consumers initially expected.

The same is true with the Model 3 production schedule. Just recently, reports have emerged stating that Tesla’s goal of manufacturing 5,000 Model 3 units per week has been pushed back to March 2018. Considering that CEO Elon Musk previously set the target date for December 2017, the delay has been met with a significant amount of criticism from Tesla’s naysayers.

The delays in the Model 3 production were caused by a number of factors, many of which were from the carmaker’s suppliers and the vehicle’s software itself. Considering the notable delay, Tesla has opted to send an updated delivery email to Model 3 reservation holders, informing them of an updated estimated timeline as to when their M3 units will finally get delivered, according to a Teslarati report.

As noted by the EV-centric publication, the updated delivery timelines for Model 3 reservations vary. Some reservation holders, for one, saw their delivery dates moved by around a month. The recent delays in the Model 3 production schedule seem to have little effect on the estimated timelines for reservations that were made at later dates, however.

While the new delays in the Model 3’s estimated delivery dates have fuelled the motivation of Tesla’s critics, many of the EV maker’s supporters do not seem to mind. In the comments section of a recent Electrek article alone, many Model 3 reservation holders stated that they do not mind the updated delivery schedule at all.

“Actually, very few reservation holders’ date slipped. Most of the people were reserving expecting 2020 release. Musk brought the date forward for 500k cars produced because of a large number of reservations. Only their ‘new’ date slipped,” one commenter wrote.

“My original delivery date was Jan – Mar 18. I always expected to get it on June 17. New delivery date is Feb – Apr 18, and I still expect to get it on June 18, and I have no problem with that,” wrote another.

If any, many of Tesla’s fans are downright unfazed by the new delivery dates. Tesla, after all, has done something similar in the past, and it has practically become a characteristic of Tesla to be somewhat late with their initial estimates. Such a thing happened when the Model X came out, and considering the scale of the Model 3’s production, a delay or two would definitely be well within Tesla’s character.

“A little disappointed but not surprised. I always add a few months to Elon’s estimates anyways so this delay is in-line with my own expectations,” one commenter wrote.

The Tesla Model 3 is a pivotal part of CEO Elon Musk’s master plan. Being a relatively affordable vehicle with bleeding edge technology, the Model 3 has the potential to be one of the most disruptive cars in the auto market. With around 500,000 reservations already in line, all Tesla needs to do is to start delivering the vehicle to its customers.

[Featured Image by Tesla]