Dive Brief:
- Tesla will build its own roll-on, roll-off cargo trucks in order to speed up delivery of new Model 3 vehicles, according to a tweet from CEO Elon Musk.
- Musk revealed Monday that a shortage of trucks was an element of what he referred to as "delivery logistics hell," last week. The tweet doesn't mention how fast the Tesla-made trucks will be in service.
- The company has also launched "Tesla Direct" — a service where Tesla employees deliver new cars to buyers' homes and offices in the LA area, reports electrek.
Dive Insight:
After struggling to manufacture cars fast enough to fulfill a notorious order backlog, Tesla's latest woes are getting finished cars to their buyers. The company reportedly reached its goal of consistently producing 4,000 Model 3 vehicles per week, but delivery issues mean some customers still don't have their cars.
Musk's tweet regarding going into the car carriers business was in response to a customer complaining that he wouldn't receive his Model 3 before his current Tesla lease is up. Musk responded to a similar tweet last week, explaining the company's latest bottleneck.
Apologies, we’re upgrading our logistics system, but running into an extreme shortage of car carrier trailers. Started building our own car carriers this weekend to alleviate load.
— Elon Musk (@ElonMusk) September 24, 2017
Tesla Direct is just one effort to get cars out the door and meet ambitious second-quarter goals. Normally, buyers pick up cars at Tesla facilities and Musk has reportedly been recruiting enthusiastic Tesla owners to volunteer to answer questions at delivery centers in order to free up staff. The company is also reportedly offering new incentives like charging credits and even discounts on cars to drive the company toward profitability.
