Boat spotting is now a hobby for EV enthusiasts as many first time buyers are waiting for their new car to arrive. Other cars and SUVs come by boat as well but nobody has really bothered to track the shipping lines in anticipation of their arrival.
The impact of a boat arrival on EV sales is highlighted in the monthly new car sales report from the FCAI. If there’s no boat, there’s no Tesla sales.
Tesla, and other new entrants like BYD, are in a unique situation because most cars are sold before they arrive. Their online sales model also shortens the supply chain which is what creates the immediate spike in sales when the cars are unloaded from the docks.
Other manufacturers are experiencing similar peaks and troughs with some models, however most receive a consistent number of vehicle each month which smooths out the monthly new car sales data.
A boat load of Tesla vehicles arrived in August which saw EV sales increase to 4.4% of the total new car market. So far this year, the combined sales of electrified vehicles is just over 10 per cent of total sales though predicting the final number for 2022 will depend on when the precious cargo arrives.
