Tesla begins selling 2021 Model 3s through existing inventory with battery packs from 2017

Tesla updated the existing inventory page of their website on Sunday night, adding a large number of  2021 Model 3s across the United States.

Many of these cars are ‘Demo Vehicles’, which means they were previously used for potential owners to test drive. They usually only have a few hundred miles on them, and can be purchased for a small discount compared to new.

However, Tesla added a new and significant disclaimer to these cars tonight that can be easily missed if the buyer isn’t paying attention.

Underneath many of the listing it now says “Range figures may be up to 12% lower due to battery age,” along with a link to “Learn More.” (h/t: Angelo)

When clicking on that link, a disclaimer pops up saying even though this is a 2021 car, the battery pack could have been manufactured as early as 2017.

As a result, it could have as much as a 12% reduction in range compared to “current product specifications.”

This change appears to only impact cars on the U.S. version of the existing inventory site. In reviewing multiple Canadian cities, Drive Tesla was able to find only a handful of used Model 3s north of the border, none of which had the same disclaimer.

One thing to keep in mind is that the disclaimer says “from current production specifications.”

When the Model 3 Long Range (RWD) first launched in 2017 it was rated for 310 miles (498km). The Model 3 Long Range being sold today has a 358 mile (576km) range, so a 12% reduction in range would equate to about 315 miles (506km) in these cars.

It is difficult to understand how or why Tesla is using battery packs from as far back as 2017 to install in 2021 model year cars.

One possible explanation is a cell shortage, and Tesla is prioritizing new batteries for cars that are not being used as demo vehicles.

We will update this story as we learn more, keep checking back for updates.