Tesla's Q3 Numbers Come as a Surprise

Tesla outperformed expectations in Q3, delivering nearly half a million vehicles as buyers in the US scrambled to lock in a $7,500 federal tax credit that expired at the end of September. Analysts had anticipated around 447,600 deliveries; the actual count was 497,099, reports CNBC. The Wall Street Journal terms it a "surprising reversal."

Tesla's deliveries marked a 7.4% increase over Q3 2024 and a reversal of a downward trend for the company: Tesla experienced quarterly drops in both Q1 and Q2 of this year, with Q2 deliveries down 14% year-over-year. It also represents a new high for the company, besting the 495,570 vehicles delivered in Q4 of 2024, per the Journal. CNBC notes that while Ford's total EV sales still dramatically trail Tesla's—it sold 30,6000 units in Q3—it recorded a much more sizable year-over-year increase of 30.2%.

Beyond cars, Tesla deployed a record 12.5GWh of energy storage products, such as its Megapack and Megablock battery systems, up from 9.6GWh in the previous quarter. As the New York Times explains, "Storage batteries, which utilities are adding to the electric grid to smooth out the fluctuations of solar and wind energy, have become an increasingly important business for Tesla." Tesla's share price has rebounded strongly of late, climbing 40% during the quarter and 20% this year. The Journal notes Wednesday's closing price of $459.46 is near an all-time high. (Elon Musk just hit a personal net worth of $500 billion.)