The $7,500 federal tax credit for purchasing an electric vehicle from Tesla will be halved on January 1st, 2019. Those who do not receive their vehicle before the year ends despite being told by Tesla that they will need not worry. Company CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that Tesla will cover the tax credit difference such missed deliveries.
Musk tweeted that the company has released all cars for sale where the original customer can’t take delivery before the year ends in addition to test drive and display cars which cost a bit less. It was meant to serve as a reminder to customers in the U.S. that the $7,500 tax credit will drop in half once the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Tesla released these cars so that more people could have the opportunity to own one of its electric cars with the full $7,500 tax incentive. When a follower asked him what will happen if someone was committed delivery by Tesla before the year ends and the company misses it, Musk responded that “if Tesla committed delivery & customer made good faith efforts to receive before year end, Tesla will cover the tax credit difference.”
He didn’t specify what he means by “good faith efforts,” but that could simply mean that the customer being available over the holidays to actually take delivery of their vehicle before January 1st, 2019.