Connect with us
tesla-model-y-new-zealand-deliveries tesla-model-y-new-zealand-deliveries

News

Tesla revenue from NZ EV rebates hint at potential IRA benefits [Feature]

Credit: EV Kiwis/YouTube

Published

on

Tesla doubled its revenue after New Zealand’s Clean Car policy introduced rebates to decarbonize its fleet. Tesla New Zealand’s revenue hints at the potential benefits of the United States Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

According to the company’s financial records, Tesla New Zealand’s (NZ) revenue for the 2022 calendar year was $499.5 million (USD$303.3), double the company’s $230.7 million (USD$140.1) revenue in 2021. New Zealand’s acting Transport Minister Kieran McAnulty believes the government’s Clean Car policy helped Tesla’s revenues double. 

“With over 100,000 rebates granted since the scheme came into effect in 2021, we have one of the fastest uptakes of EVs in the world,” McAnulty said.

Tesla New Zealand’s revenues in the past show an increase in EV adoption. Tesla NZ’s revenue in 2020 was $66 million (USD$40 million) and increased to $230.7 million (USD$ 140.1 million) in 2021. Tesla Giga Shanghai definitely factors into the company’s increased revenues in New Zealand and Australia between 2020 and 2021. However, the New Zealand government’s EV rebates might have aided Tesla’s leap from $230.7 million to $499.5 million between 2021 and 2022. 

(Credit: New Zealand Government)

“The cost of EVs has reduced significantly over the past couple of years. Several popular models are now available for $50,000 to $60,000, whereas previously EVs tended to be closer to $80,000. Rebates for used-import EVs will rise from $3450 to $3507.50 – as the supply of used-import EVs remains restricted. The increased rebates will encourage suppliers to continue to focus on securing supply for New Zealanders,” McAnulty commented.

The New Zealand Herald analyzed data that revealed Tesla benefited significantly from Clean Car policy rebates. Since 2021 when the policy began, 9,730 Teslas were purchased for a total of $83 million (USD$ 50.4 million) rebates paid to the people who bought the electric vehicles (EVs). 

Advertisement
-->

New Zealand’s government plans to update its Clean Car policy this year. The update will reduce rebates offered for new zero-emission vehicles—described as electric vehicles by the government—from $8,625 (USD$5238) to $7,015 (USD$4,260). New Zealand also changed rebates offered for used imports and disability vehicles while applying charges for specific emissions. New Zealand’s Clean Car Policy changes will apply from July 1, 2023. 

The Inflation Reduction Act’s Potential Impact

New Zealand’s Clean Car Policy hints that people are willing to transition to electric vehicles for the right price. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) might yield the same results for Tesla and other EV manufacturers in the United States. 

Elon Musk and the Tesla board seem well aware of the IRA’s potential impact on the electric vehicle and global auto market. 

“The regulations here are still in flux and there continues to be updates, so this is just our best understanding at the moment. But we think on the order of $150 million to $250 million per quarter this year and growing over the course of the year as our volumes grow,” said Tesla’s Chief Financial Officer Zachary Kirkhorn at the Q4 2022 earnings call. 

The IRA doesn’t just affect local automakers and their suppliers either. Companies worldwide involved in EV manufacturing or its supply chain have started investing in the United States to reap the benefits of the IRA. For instance, South Korean battery supplier LG Energy Solutions (LGES) has partnered with a few automakers to build cell manufacturing plants in the United States. LGES has battery plant agreements with Hyundai, Honda, and Ford. Tesla is prepared to take advantage of the IRA’s incentives as well. 

“And part of the work we’re doing here, which is part of what this incentive package is trying to incentivize, is, as Elon mentioned, to move more manufacturing onshore in the United States, which is Tesla’s plans anyways. And so, I think we’re pretty well positioned over the coming years to take advantage of this. 

Advertisement
-->

“But then also part of what the goal of this incentive package is, is to improve adoption from our customers. And so, we also want to use these incentives to improve affordability as we think about what the price points are in our products going forward,” stated Kirkhorn. 

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.

Maria--aka "M"-- is an experienced writer and book editor. She's written about several topics including health, tech, and politics. As a book editor, she's worked with authors who write Sci-Fi, Romance, and Dark Fantasy. M loves hearing from TESLARATI readers. If you have any tips or article ideas, contact her at maria@teslarati.com or via X, @Writer_01001101.

Advertisement
Comments

Cybertruck

Tesla updates Cybertruck owners about key Powershare feature

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla is updating Cybertruck owners on its timeline of a massive feature that has yet to ship: Powershare with Powerwall.

Powershare is a bidirectional charging feature exclusive to Cybertruck, which allows the vehicle’s battery to act as a portable power source for homes, appliances, tools, other EVs, and more. It was announced in late 2023 as part of Tesla’s push into vehicle-to-everything energy sharing, and acting as a giant portable charger is the main advantage, as it can provide backup power during outages.

Cybertruck’s Powershare system supports both vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H), making it flexible and well-rounded for a variety of applications.

However, even though the feature was promised with Cybertruck, it has yet to be shipped to vehicles. Tesla communicated with owners through email recently regarding Powershare with Powerwall, which essentially has the pickup act as an extended battery.

Powerwall discharge would be prioritized before tapping into the truck’s larger pack.

However, Tesla is still working on getting the feature out to owners, an email said:

“We’re writing to let you know that the Powershare with Powerwall feature is still in development and is now scheduled for release in mid-2026. 

This new release date gives us additional time to design and test this feature, ensuring its ability to communicate and optimize energy sharing between your vehicle and many configurations and generations of Powerwall. We are also using this time to develop additional Powershare features that will help us continue to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

Owners have expressed some real disappointment in Tesla’s continuous delays in releasing the feature, as it was expected to be released by late 2024, but now has been pushed back several times to mid-2026, according to the email.

Foundation Series Cybertruck buyers paid extra, expecting the feature to be rolled out with their vehicle upon pickup.

Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, Wes Morrill, even commented on the holdup:

He said that “it turned out to be much harder than anticipated to make powershare work seamlessly with existing Powerwalls through existing wall connectors. Two grid-forming devices need to negotiate who will form and who will follow, depending on the state of charge of each, and they need to do this without a network and through multiple generations of hardware, and test and validate this process through rigorous certifications to ensure grid safety.”

It’s nice to see the transparency, but it is justified for some Cybertruck owners to feel like they’ve been bait-and-switched.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla’s northernmost Supercharger in North America opens

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla has opened its northernmost Supercharger in Fairbanks, Alaska, with eight V4 stalls located in one of the most frigid cities in the U.S.

Located just 196 miles from the Arctic Circle, Fairbanks’s average temperature for the week was around -12 degrees Fahrenheit. However, there are plenty of Tesla owners in Alaska who have been waiting for more charging options out in public.

There are only 36 total Supercharger stalls in Alaska, despite being the largest state in the U.S.

Eight Superchargers were added to Fairbanks, which will eventually be a 48-stall station. Tesla announced its activation today:

The base price per kWh is $0.43 at the Fairbanks Supercharger. Thanks to its V4 capabilities, it can charge at speeds up to 325 kW.

Despite being the northernmost Supercharger in North America, it is not even in the Top 5 northernmost Superchargers globally, because Alaska is south of Norway. The northernmost Supercharger is in Honningsvåg, Norway. All of the Top 5 are in the Scandanavian country.

Tesla’s Supercharger expansion in 2025 has been impressive, and although it experienced some early-quarter slowdowns due to V3-to-V4 hardware transitions, it has been the company’s strongest year for deployments.

Through the three quarters of 2025, the company has added 7,753 stations and 73,817 stalls across the world, a 16 percent increase in stations and an 18 percent increase in stalls compared to last year.

Tesla is on track to add over 12,000 stalls for the full year, achieving an average of one new stall every hour, an impressive statistic.

Recently, the company wrapped up construction at its Supercharger Oasis in Lost Hills, California, a 168-stall Supercharger that Tesla Solar Panels completely power. It is the largest Supercharger in the world.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla shocks with latest Robotaxi testing move

Why Tesla has chosen to use a couple of Model S units must have a reason; the company is calculated in its engineering and data collection efforts, so this is definitely more than “we just felt like giving our drivers a change of scenery.”

Published

on

Credit: Sawyer Merritt | X

Tesla Model S vehicles were spotted performing validation testing with LiDAR rigs in California today, a pretty big switch-up compared to what we are used to seeing on the roads.

Tesla utilizes the Model Y crossover for its Robotaxi fleet. It is adequately sized, the most popular vehicle in its lineup, and is suitable for a wide variety of applications. It provides enough luxury for a single rider, but enough room for several passengers, if needed.

However, the testing has seemingly expanded to one of Tesla’s premium flagship offerings, as the Model S was spotted with the validation equipment that is seen entirely with Model Y vehicles. We have written several articles on Robotaxi testing mules being spotted across the United States, but this is a first:

Why Tesla has chosen to use a couple of Model S units must have a reason; the company is calculated in its engineering and data collection efforts, so this is definitely more than “we just felt like giving our drivers a change of scenery.”

It seems to hint that Tesla could add a premium, more luxury offering to its Robotaxi platform eventually. Think about it: Uber has Uber Black, Lyft has Lyft Black. These vehicles and services are associated with a more premium cost as they combine luxury models with more catered transportation options.

Tesla could be testing the waters here, and it could be thinking of adding the Model S to its fleet of ride-hailing vehicles.

Reluctant to remove the Model S from its production plans completely despite its low volume contributions to the overall mission of transitioning the world to sustainable energy, the flagship sedan has always meant something. CEO Elon Musk referred to it, along with its sibling Model X, as continuing on production lines due to “sentimental reasons.”

However, its purpose might have been expanded to justify keeping it around, and why not? It is a cozy, premium offering, and it would be great for those who want a little more luxury and are willing to pay a few extra dollars.

Of course, none of this is even close to confirmed. However, it is reasonable to speculate that the Model S could be a potential addition to the Robotaxi fleet. It’s capable of all the same things the Model Y is, but with more luxuriousness, and it could be the perfect addition to the futuristic fleet.

Continue Reading