Mysterious EV graveyard fills mall parking lot with over 300 unsold cars as manufacturers pump them out by the thousands

TESLA’s Q1 report stated that there was a glaring disparity between sales numbers and production numbers.

Now the electric vehicle maker is struggling to find a place to put nearly 50,000 unsold vehicles.

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Tesla is revered and still known as one of the most popular electric vehicle manufacturers in the country, with a vast network of now pro-competition Superchargers that opens up the all-electric future to more buyers.

However, as its first quarter report shows, the company now has a surplus of vehicles that are filling vacant lots around the world.

The report states that in the first quarter of the year, the automaker produced 433,371 EVs.

But they delivered 386,810 – creating a surplus of 46,561 EVs.

The issue is rapid production of vehicles competing with slow sales due to slowing EV demand despite price reductions.

Due to the high number of vehicles without a destination, Tesla is looking for vacant land to store them.

In Chesterfield, Missouri, residents spotted “hundreds” of Tesla vehicles parked in front of the Chesterfield Mall as property manager Staenberg Group closed the site for demolition and reconstruction.

Tim Lowe, the property management company’s senior vice president of leasing and development, said the parked Teslas are part of the company’s mission to utilize the site as much as possible before it is demolished.

“We came up with a plan to try to create alternative uses that could use some of the remaining life in the mall before we demolish it,” Lowe told the FOX affiliate. KTVI.

“One of those uses was to allow people to use the parking lot for different things.”

During a phone call with the outlet, he mentioned Tesla’s surplus of vehicles, hence the lot rental.

“It turns out that one of our users is Tesla, which has a dealership in [Chesterfield] Valley, but they don’t have enough capacity at the dealership to park all the cars they bring in,” he continued.

“So they’re renting parking space to store their cars.”

He estimated that local residents’ estimates were true – and “anywhere” between 300 and 400 cars were parked on the property.

More than 10 rows of parking spaces are occupied with Model S and Model Y vehicles.

Lowe confirmed that Tesla’s lease is valid until August 31, when the site closes to begin the demolition process.

“They are just one of our many tenants who use the mall [grounds] temporarily pending demolition,” he said.

Why aren’t people buying EVs?

In January, many electric vehicle manufacturers reported sluggish demand. Rueters said there are a few valid reasons for the slowdown in demand:

1. High initial costs. Many automakers, including Tesla, Hyundai and Ford, have carried out “price cuts” on their flagship electric vehicles to attract new buyers, even as demand remains sluggish.
2. Higher insurance costs. Some insurers cite fire risks, high battery replacement costs and greater vehicle weight as reasons for higher premiums.
3. Loaded anxiety. A large percentage of people remain afraid of finding themselves in a situation where they will not be able to charge if they run out of battery due to a lack of infrastructure.
4. Range anxiety. In many cases, EVs still do not have the range and infrastructure of gas-powered vehicles.
5. Poor performance at extreme temperatures. Reduced range in extremely hot or cold climates makes potential buyers wary.

Source: Reuters

Despite the surplus and no sign of improving sales, the EV manufacturer continues to mass produce its vehicles.

In Germany, Tesla is filling a regional airport parking lot with electric vehicles, prompting a flood of complaints from some of Neuhardenberg’s 3,000 residents, the German agency reported. RBB 24.

Ronny Lenssen, a resident who owns a wedding barn located on the road that movers use to avoid potholes, said a wedding was disturbed by the noise.

“Last week it happened that a truck driver had three vehicles, the alarm system was on and the trunk lid of the lower one was open,” he said.

Residents reached out to the mayor, who worked with Tesla to encourage truck drivers to stay on major highways despite road conditions.

Until Tesla’s contract with the airport ends in June this year, the mayor said that residents will have to adapt to the noise.