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Tesla delivers its 200,000th car, triggering the EV tax credit phase-out period
Tesla has delivered its 200,000th vehicle this month, triggering the phase-out period of the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles offered in the United States.
As seen on Tesla’s official Electric Vehicle Incentives page, the phase-out period for the $7,500 federal tax credit is in effect for all Model S, Model X and Model 3 vehicles delivered on or before December 31, 2018, while buyers taking delivery in 2019 will only be eligible for a subset of that original $7,500 credit. Customers taking delivery between January 1 to June 30, 2019 will be eligible for a $3,750 federal tax credit, or half of the full amount before phase-out. Those taking delivery in the second half of 2019, between July 1 to December 31, 2019 will be eligible for a $1,875 federal tax credit.
The federal credit applied to new electric vehicles, dubbed by the IRS as the Plug-In Electric Drive Vehicle Credit (IRC 30D), affects all EVs that were acquired after December 31, 2009. The credit, which took effect during the previous administration as a means to encourage drivers to adopt zero-emissions vehicles, featured a tiered credit, starting at $2,500 and going all the way up to $7,500 depending on the battery capacity of an electric car. The IRS’ official website describes how the sale of a manufacturer’s 200,000th electric car triggers the tax credit phase-out period.
“The qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle credit phases out for a manufacturer’s vehicles over the one-year period beginning with the second calendar quarter after the calendar quarter in which at least 200,000 qualifying vehicles manufactured by that manufacturer have been sold for use in the United States (determined on a cumulative basis for sales after December 31, 2009) (‘phase-out period’).”
Tesla actually played its cards cleverly with regards to the $7,500 tax credit phase-out. Being a car company that exclusively manufactures electric cars, it was inevitable that the company would be the first automaker to hit the 200,000 mark. By reaching this milestone shortly after the second quarter, Tesla actually gave itself, as well as its customers, an additional 18 months to obtain any sort of credit. the $7,500 credit remains in effect for the whole quarter in which the 200,000th vehicle was delivered, as well as the quarter after.
After this point, the credit gets reduced by 50% to $3,750 for two quarters. In Tesla’s case, this corresponds to Q1 and Q2 2019. From Q3 and Q4 2019, Tesla’s vehicles will still be eligible for a tax credit, though it would be reduced to $1,875 by this time. Tesla’s electric cars produced from January 2020 moving forward will not be eligible for tax credits anymore.
In a way, Tesla’s timing for hitting the 200,000 mark appears to be strategic. The company, after all, just recently managed to attain its goal of producing 5,000 Model 3 per week by the end of Q2 2018. Signs from the company, such as test drives for the Model 3, massive batches of new VINs filed one after another, and a new 5-minute Sign & Drive delivery system, all seem designed to deliver as many of the electric cars to customers as fast as possible.
If there is a group of reservation holders that would feel the effect of the credit phase-out, however, it would be those holding out for the Standard Range RWD Model 3, which starts at $35,000. In a Twitter update, Elon Musk stated that Tesla would likely start the production of the base Model 3’s smaller battery pack by the end of 2018. From there, Musk noted that volume production for the vehicle would probably begin in Q1 2019.
In a meeting with investors and analysts this past Tuesday, Tesla’s Senior Director of Investor Relations Aaron Chew reportedly stated that the company is aiming to sustain its 5,000 per week pace for Q3 2018, increasing output to 7,000 cars per week for Q4 2018. By mid-2019, Tesla expects to produce 10,000 Model 3 per week, which corresponds to an output of 500,000 vehicles per year.
If Tesla manages to sustain its 5,000 Model 3 per week rate from August to September 2018, and achieve a steady rate of 7,000 vehicles per week from October 2018 to June 2019 (assuming no production ramps happen within these months), the company would be able to produce 292,000 Model 3. With a 10,000 per week rate from July to December 2019, Tesla would be able to deliver an additional 240,000 more. Thus, if Tesla plays its cards right and ramps the Model 3 in a manner that is careful and precise, it could deliver as many as 532,000 cars that are still eligible for federal credit (albeit the $3,750 and $1,875 credit). Considering that the backlog of 420,000 remaining Model 3 orders are from customers across the globe, there is a good chance that all present reservation holders in the United States would be able to get a credit for their vehicle.
EVgo has tapped Tesla Superchargers for its most recent efforts to expand its charging presence in the United States, a move that seems logical based on the effectiveness of the automaker’s own infrastructure.
EVgo opened its first Supercharger site in Illinois, a 12-stall station near downtown Chicago at 3145 South Ashland Avenue in the Riverside Square & River’s Edge center, right beside a grocery store. This marks the start of the company’s plan to deploy hundreds of Supercharger stalls across the United States, primarily at grocery-anchored Regency Centers properties where drivers can shop, eat, or run errands while they charge.
We’ve opened our first EVgo Supercharger location in Illinois, marking the start of our plan to add hundreds of Supercharger stalls across the U.S.
Designed for both NACS and CCS vehicles with Magic Dock technology, these new sites help make fast charging more accessible and convenient for all EV drivers. Learn more: https://t.co/V92t5FDryQ
— EVgo Fast Charging Network (@evgonetwork) November 5, 2026
The new location uses Tesla’s Magic Dock technology so both NACS and CCS vehicles can plug in natively without drivers needing to carry their own adapters. Peak power reaches 325 kW at this site, with pricing set between $0.25 and $0.35 per kWh depending on the hour—the same rate for Tesla and non-Tesla drivers.
The stalls also appear in Tesla’s in-car navigation and Trip Planner, making them easy for Tesla owners to find and route to. Illinois has seen EV registrations rise nearly 60 percent over the past two years, and EVgo’s broader network has experienced more than 700 percent growth in charging demand over three years, so the timing fits the market’s trajectory.
Choosing Tesla hardware through the Supercharger for Business program turns out to have been a smart, practical move.
Tesla’s V4 stalls and cabinets deliver high, reliable power with a proven track record of strong uptime, while Magic Dock delivers true dual-standard compatibility in one package. Because the sites show up in Tesla’s navigation tools, EVgo instantly gains visibility among millions of existing Tesla drivers, which should raise utilization and help the company double its addressable market as more vehicles adopt NACS. EVgo still owns the stations and sets pricing, yet benefits from Tesla’s established hardware, longer cables, and operational support.
The result is faster, lower-risk infrastructure expansion that serves every EV driver—Tesla or otherwise—with convenient, high-power charging at everyday retail locations. For drivers, that means fewer adapters, more predictable stops, and a denser network just as electric vehicles become everyday transportation.
Tesla’s Austin Gigafactory is reportedly shifting to round-the-clock vehicle production through the end of 2026, according to longtime drone observer Joe Tegtmeyer.
In his November 2 update, Tegtmeyer, widely regarded as one of the most reliable independent sources on Giga Texas activity (we call him the Drone GOAT), stated that the plant has added a night shift, creating two 12-hour production shifts.
Tegtmeyer said in his video:
“Now, I do have some interesting news about that when it comes to the production schedule here at Giga Texas, and things are actually looking pretty good, especially when you think about what the demand is and the delivery numbers that they’re looking for and what they’re expecting. So, normally they have shifts Monday through Friday. It’s a day shift and it’s about 10 hours long or so, give or take. But now they’re on day and night shifts and they’re going to 12-hour days. So they’re going to be adding or they have another shift. They have 12 hours for both of them. In addition to that, the typical downtime that we’re going to be seeing around the holidays, specifically Thanksgiving and Christmas to the New Year time frame is actually changed. And we’re not going to see those big several day events where there is no production. At least that’s what the plan is right now. So, it’s really a great sign, I think, when we consider what they’ve done in the past and what production and the deliveries have been so far. So, maybe it’s shaping up to be a really strong quarter.”
Previously, General Assembly typically operated on a single roughly 10-hour day shift, Monday through Thursday or Friday. The new arrangement keeps General Assembly on its Monday-to-Thursday schedule while adding overnight capacity, and most other areas of the factory continue working the full week with some weekend activity.
Notably, the plant is also forgoing the multi-day shutdowns around Thanksgiving and the Christmas–New Year period that have occurred in prior years
Giga Texas currently builds the Model Y, the larger Model Y L, the Cybertruck, and the Cybercab robotaxi. Tesla has not confirmed the shift change or specified which lines will receive the extra output. Recent comments suggest Cybercab production has been constrained by the pace at which the Robotaxi fleet can absorb new vehicles, making the Model Y and Model Y L the more likely beneficiaries as the company works through order backlogs.
Tegtmeyer’s November 2 footage and commentary also highlighted broader site progress. Cortex 2 continues to expand, with additional compute coming online, a roughly 25 percent lengthening of the structure on the north end, and work on a third cooling plant.
The Boring Company tunnel site showed increased activity in the large launch pit, while the Advanced Technology Chip Fab (a SpaceX–Tesla joint R&D facility) continued steel superstructure and heavy truss installation, along with concrete pours.
The reported capacity increase arrives as Tesla aims for a strong fourth quarter following solid third-quarter results. While unconfirmed by the company, the information aligns with Tegtmeyer’s consistent track record of accurate on-site observations.
If Tesla makes the decision to sustain the all-day production plans, the dual 12-hour shifts would meaningfully raise weekly output potential at one of Tesla’s most important manufacturing hubs.
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Tesla opens new “Cybaer” Engineering Center in Berlin
Tesla opened its Berlin Engineering Center, uniting four sites and 30 labs near Giga Berlin.
Tesla has opened a new engineering hub in Berlin, putting the teams that design and test its European parts about 30 minutes from the factory that builds them.
The Berlin Tesla Engineering Center, or BTEC, opened Wednesday in the Köpenick district. Tesla Europe said on X that the project went from permit to operational in under a year and consolidates four engineering sites and 30 labs onto a single campus. It is the company’s third hub of this kind, after Fremont and Shanghai.
“We’re combining materials, powertrain, vehicle engineering & validation under one roof, enabling a short feedback loop between development & ramp,” Tesla Europe wrote.
Berlin Tesla Engineering Center opens today From permit to operational in under a year, it brings 4 engineering sites onto 1 campus w/ 30 different labs in Köpenick, 30 minutes from Giga Berlin With our 3rd hub of this kind after Fremont & Shanghai, we’re combining materials, powertrain, vehicle engineering & validation under one roof – enabling a short feedback loop between development & ramp — Tesla Europe, Middle East & Africa (@teslaeurope) November 4, 2026
Tesla converted the former production halls of a cable factory for the site. About 250 engineers and technicians are starting there, most of them relocated from existing Tesla facilities such as Tilburg in the Netherlands. Tesla has already applied for approval of a second phase that would take the headcount to roughly 500, and it put the total investment at €100 million.
The labs cover battery cells, motors, materials and complete vehicles, and a large hall is set aside for safety testing of components, including airbags. During the opening, staff demonstrated a pedestrian leg impact test on the front of a Tesla using a catapult rig, Tagesspiegel reported. The center’s logo is a cubist Berlin bear that employees call the “Cybaer.”
Tesla said its Berlin design and engineering teams already contributed to the Model Y, Semi and Roadster, and that the work continues at BTEC. The center will handle technical problem solving for Giga Berlin in Grünheide while also developing and validating parts for vehicles built in China and the United States.
“We came here to stay,” BTEC head Brückner told dpa. “We serve all of Europe via Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg.” He said a site close to the plant was a priority, and that the old industrial building allowed Tesla to move quickly.
That proximity matters more now that Giga Berlin is growing again. In June, Tesla said it would raise Model Y output at the plant to 7,500 vehicles per week and hire 1,000 more workers after a record first quarter of more than 61,000 units. The factory recently built 7,000 Model Ys in a single week for the first time. Tesla also more than doubled the planned 4680 cell capacity at the site to 18 GWh per year in May, and has talked about eventually taking Grünheide to one million vehicles annually.
Sales are giving Tesla reason to invest. KBA data released the same day showed Tesla’s German registrations nearly quadrupled year over year in October to 2,932 units, bringing the total for the first ten months of 2026 to 47,742.
EVgo taps Tesla Superchargers for mass charging expansion
Tesla Giga Texas reportedly moves to 24/7 production
