Thread by @CoverDrive12

1/ 🚨🚨🚨 Shorty Ground Force – 🇬🇧 Edition

I’d like to take a moment to share some Shorty Ground Force info-nuggets from a UK acquaintance who prefers to remain anonymous.

2/ The first EU ship of Q3 is scheduled to arrive in Zeebrugge tomorrow. Sales in July have been uninspiring, as inventories were pretty much drained by the end of June. So by the end of July, surely inventories are down to 0 given Tesla’s insatiable demand. Let’s check in.

3/ The first observation comes from Heathrow. It was not possible to get an precise inventory headcount. But adding up the inventory cars inside and more at the rear of the building, there appear to be well over 20.

4/ Park Royal does not appear to be an inventory location. But there were still a dozen or so cars with 2020 plates. Why so many sitting here?

These 3 look to be prepped for delivery.

5/ Back to Heathrow. Quality and attention to detail are the hallmarks of Tesla operations. Boxes everywhere. That wooden crate looks like a battery. I’ve seen them shipped this way to US service centers.

6/ But what are these?

7/ No markings visible except for this mysterious “target”.

8/ The “target” turns out to be a Centre of Gravity indicator. In order to ensure that boxes can be handled safely, the position of the center of gravity must be indicated by an appropriate symbol on boxes as of 1,000 kg gross weight.

9/ I conclude that these must be batteries. And since they are not in a wooden crate, I’m thinking that this is how battery packs are received in Tilburg. If so, they are for Model S/X. It seems like quite a few.

10/ OK, bottom line – I may have miscounted, but I found only one Tesla ship unloading at Southampton in Q2. Yet there is still inventory remaining after a full month into Q3. Draw your own conclusions about demand in the UK.