Tesla sales exploding, 15 referrals in 16 days.. has Victoria’s $3,000 rebate done the trick ? (Updated)

This month, the Victorian Government announced a $3,000 rebate for electric vehicles priced under $68,740. The incentive was introduced to accelerate our transition to zero emission vehicles and it looks like this could be accelerating sales.

While there will be around 20,000 subsidies available, the first round was limited to 4,000. This motivates anyone in Victoria considering an EV purchase to act quickly, to take advantage of the program.

Since receiving my referral link back in May 2019, I have been including the link in any Tesla-related post on the site and have seen a steady stream of referrals, but this month, those referrals have exploded. While we Tesla don’t share the location of each referral, there’s really nothing else changes (2021 refresh was months ago), other than the introduction of the Victorian EV incentive.

In this month alone, I’ve seen 12 new referrals in just 16 days, a dramatic acceleration compared compared to previous months. To put that in context, In the 24 months since getting my Tesla referral link, I had averaged around 3.5 referrals per month. While I had hoped to hit the 100 referral mark by the end of 2021, it seems that’s likely to happen almost 6 months early.

Update
It happened a lot faster than expected.. 100 referrals occurred today, after a stunning 5 in a single day (the best ever) and 7 for the weekend, making 15 in the past 16 days.

For those unfamiliar with the current referral program, Tesla lists the following description on their website.

You and anyone using your referral link can each earn 1,500 kilometers of free Supercharging with the purchase of a new Tesla car. Each car referral also gives you a chance to win a Model Y monthly or Roadster supercar quarterly. Owners who already have free Supercharging get two chances to win.

If you are one of the now, 97 amazing people who have used my referral code, thankyou. Having the ability to drive for free for the past 2 years and at least the next 3, is honestly amazing. While the price of the car is still high, having almost zero ongoing costs really helps reduce the total cost of ownership over its life. It’s most freeing just to go for a drive with my family and not think about the costs associated with doing so.

What’s I’m most excited about now is less about the free km, but more about that opportunity to win a Model Y and become a dual-EV household, replacing my wife’s Honda CRV. While stories of winners from Tesla’s referral program have been few and far between, hopefully once Model Y hits production, a few more are issued.

Tesla currently only sells one car in Australia right now, the Model 3, as we wait for the launch of RHD Model Y and until next year for the refreshed Model S and X to arrive, which makes it likely most of the referrals are for the Model 3 and specifically the SR+ variant that slips in under the threshold.

I live in Albury Wodonga, a regional city of 100,000 people and when I first got my Model 3 in September 2019, I was regularly the only one charging at the 6-bay Supercharger in Wodonga. Now a couple years on, it’s common to have charging buddies, at least one and often 2 or 3. As more Tesla’s are sold in Australia, more owners from Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne will stop in Wodonga to charge, but I’ve also seen repeat customers which suggest more locals.

In a small regional town like Wodonga, I’m now seeing a Tesla every other day, compared to whole months going by without spotting another. While this info is anecdotal and from my own experience, it’s unfortunately one of the best indicators as Tesla doesn’t break down sales and deliveries for Australia.

This does however match recent photos shared online of Tesla delivery centers and semi trailers full of Model 3s headed for Aussie and many Victorian customers.

Tesla were the first automaker to update their website, the night of the announcement, to reflect the new Government incentive. That promptness, combined with online sales, appears to be paying dividends, particularly if people we already thinking in that direction for their next vehicle.