The goal: an accelerated dedication operation, to meet – at the last minute – the promise to deliver the cars to the first customers in March.
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The approaching Seder night and the sand that follows, motivate the team to have time to deliver the 230 cars that arrived in the first shipment. Most white cars, buyers preferred to save the additional payment of 4,000 to 7,500 shekels for other colors.
Car importers are investing millions in air-conditioned delivery rooms, with music for the customer to choose from and the cover removal ceremony. The high-tech Tesla, meanwhile, operates in a field that even leasing companies would not currently operate in the periphery – but that does not seem to be bothering customers.
During the visit to the place, there were no complaints from the drivers who were waiting for their car to return from the dust washing of the last few days, that their car license would be printed, and they could go out on the road with the tram they bought for NIS 180,000 and more.
Since these buyers bought their car, it has become twice as expensive. They were charged the old price: a basic Model 3 costs NIS 7,000 more today than in February, the Long Range model increased by NIS 12,000 and the performance by NIS 14,000. And this is nothing compared to the increase in model S prices, whose dedication will begin in September, and the price of its super version jumped cumulatively by NIS 206,000, to NIS 945,000.
The first round of price increases was part of a wave of price increases in other markets as well, which is currently unique to Israelis. This is at a time when the dollar exchange rate has hardly changed since its launch: if it starts to rise as part of the acceleration of economic activity, these will not be the last price increases.
Inside the delivery tent the explanation to customers is short and effective, and includes quite a few apologies. “It is not yet possible to hear on Spotify, Tesla has not yet developed this capability for Israel, we will send a software update to the vehicle that will solve this,” the representative promises.
On the huge 15.4-inch screen you can see a map of the area, including aerial photography – but all in English. Hebrew, which will also enable a more efficient search for destinations, will only be added later. The link to the owner’s smartphone, which will also be used to open the doors, is made quickly, and with each vehicle, a pair of plastic cards are also provided as additional keys.
The cars are supplied with two charging cables, one for public AC stations and one for a home outlet. Much slower but useful for emergencies and loading at sites that do not have tidy positions.
And there is also news: Tesla’s first fast charging site in Israel, in the Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv, will start operating next week, with 6 fast charging stations, a quantity that cannot be found on the existing sites of Israeli charging companies. In the coming weeks, the site will also be connected in Haifa, and in the coming months Beer Sheva and Eilat.
Tesla charging station. Coming soon to Azrieli Mall Photo: Getty Later, Tesla Israel will open two more sites, most likely in Mitzpe Ramon and the Sea of Galilee area, and will establish a network of six sites, one more than the one established by the company in neighboring Jordan. They can only be used by Tesla owners.
No further deliveries are currently expected until the next shipment arrives in June, so with 260 MG ZS EV models hit the roads from the beginning of the year to the end of the month, the Chinese Jeep will remain the best-selling tram in the country. But it should be noted that in the first quarter of 2021 alone, about half of the number of trams that hit the roads here by 2020 are expected to be delivered.
With the start of dedication in the coming months of the BMW iX3 and Mercedes EQA, the successful U5 of Ivy, our first electric minivan, the Unique-5 of Maxus, and the launch of the E3s Sears, the pace will accelerate even further.