Tesla’s top exec in Australia and New Zealand, Thom Drew, joined the Fleet News Group podcast this week in a rare and insightful interview covering the refreshed Model Y, new vehicle sales trends, novated lease success and the long-term outlook for fleets choosing EVs.
Drew, who started with Tesla as a Delivery Operations Specialist in 2014, now serves as Country Director (Motors) and has seen the evolution of the brand from niche disruptor to market leader. With the updated Model Y arriving in Australia, the conversation centred around what makes this EV such a strong contender in both retail and fleet markets.
“We really can’t think of a more fit-for-purpose EV SUV on the market,” said Drew. “We’re seeing really strong demand – particularly within the mobility sector, ride share, subscription, and of course, novated lease.”
Demand for Novated Leases Still Growing
Drew confirmed that novated leasing remains a “hero segment” for Tesla in Australia, with strong incentives and tax benefits making it an appealing choice for salary packaging customers. He also mentioned Tesla’s own leasing product, ‘Lease My Tesla’, aimed at increasing accessibility for customers not aligned with a major provider.
“We introduced our own Lease My Tesla product powered by Driva, and it’s helping us support customers that might not have access to traditional novated leasing,” he said.
While Tesla’s overall sales were “relatively flat” over the last 12 months – largely due to the timing of the Model Y refresh – Drew isn’t concerned. “We’re looking more long term as far as our demand and supply goes,” he explained.
Charging Infrastructure: A Key Differentiator
One of Tesla’s standout advantages for fleets and novated lease drivers is the Supercharger network, which Drew describes as “completely unrivalled by any other brand.”
“Our average uptime last year was 99.5% across the network,” he said. “That’s exactly what our customers need. You don’t want to show up at a petrol station and find out the pumps aren’t working – and it should be no different with EV charging.”
Tesla now has over 600 plugs across around 115 locations, with plans to continue growing in regional areas through partnerships with governments like the NSW EV infrastructure program.
He also confirmed the latest V4 Superchargers are open to all EV brands – part of Tesla’s broader mission to accelerate the shift to sustainable transport.
Total Cost of Ownership and Battery Longevity
Battery health remains a key concern for fleet operators, and Drew was quick to point out that Tesla’s internal data – backed up by independent reports like Pickles’ – shows minimal degradation over hundreds of thousands of kilometres.
“Vehicles in the US typically reached end of life after 320,000 kilometres, and had lost only 15% of their battery capacity,” he said. “That’s well within our warranty and gives confidence for long-term fleet use.”
Improvements in aerodynamics and design have also helped the new Model Y deliver greater range without changing battery chemistry.
Downtime, Servicing and Parts
Addressing the topic of servicing and operational support – a critical issue for Fleet Managers – Drew confirmed that Tesla has brought aftersales operations in-house and that service capacity is a growing focus.
“We’ve brought parts management fully in-house with a Melbourne-based warehouse. That means quicker turnaround for service and repairs,” he said. “We’ve also got tools like our Tesla for Business portal and open-source fleet API to support fleet managers directly.”
Drew also noted that servicing is “needs-based, not scheduled,” helping to reduce both cost and downtime.
Why Model Y Should Be in the Mix
Asked for his pitch to fleet buyers and novated lease drivers still sitting on the fence, Drew didn’t hesitate:
“We truly believe we engineer and manufacture the world’s best EVs. Model Y has been the world’s best-selling car for two years running. And we’ve built the tools fleet managers need – from API access to an unrivalled charging network.”
He closed by reinforcing Tesla’s commitment to the Australian market and to helping fleets meet safety, sustainability and cost objectives.
🎧 Listen to the full podcast on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. For more fleet insights, vehicle reviews, and interviews with industry leaders, visit Fleet Auto News and Fleet HV News.
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