The official website of Tesla lets you buy a Model 3 sedan with a seriously outdated, capacity-reduced battery block.
The description accompanying such offers states that the driving range could be up to 12% less than the rated figure due to the batteries degrading naturally over the course of the years. The cars themselves are assembled in 2021, it is just the batteries that come from the 2017 stock. Minor discounts are factored in the prices of such cars.
Whether Tesla was looking for a way to move overdue stock and free up the warehouses, or just wanted to maximize its yearly financial performance by selling as many EVs as possible, is unknown at this time. It has been several days since media noticed the issue, and while we waited patiently for an official explanation to come out, none did.
A week ago, sources reported that Tesla began producing a pilot batch of its Semi trucks in Nevada, showing a bunch of photos of the truck being driven on the factory premises. The company itself said mass production of the Semi model, which targets a range of 1,000 km (621 miles), would not start until 2023.