Anyhow, catching up on a bunch of recent replies (life has been crazy, haven't had much time here)...
Yes, I don't know WTF is going on with GM and their Bolt stock distribution - it makes no sense that people here in Canada (and in many places across the USA) are waiting months to get their hand on one, but GM is idling the factory and some dealerships have hundreds of unsold inventory. That makes ZERO sense.
As for the difference between Canadian and USA models, typically the only difference is Canadian models have daytime running lights, and USA models do not. This can be changed with a simple software update. I looked at importing a US Volt at some points in the past few months (we are seriously thinking about getting a second one eventually, and there are some attractive prices south of the border, especially if our dollar keeps climbing) and those who have done it report the only thing they needed to change was either having the BCM reprogrammed for DRL's, or simply running a wire from a switched circuit to the low beams to basically simulate such...and it passes inspection.
The "skip the dealer" method Tesla is using, opting for direct sales? I like it, but it's a double edged sword - Tesla is putting all its eggs in one basket and it's unclear if they are going to be able to properly support the cars after they reach the consumers as the number of potential service locations is tiny compared to a traditional dealership network. Remember, dealerships don't only sell the cars, they also service them after the fact...and since Tesla still steadfastly refuses to open their service network/parts/manuals to third parties, well....for things aside from the very basics (brakes for example), you have only one option for service - your local (or perhaps not so local) Tesla service centre. You're not going to find a little dealership able to fix things for you every 20-40 minutes along every major highway like you can a traditional dealership network. Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of the dealership system in general (high prices, and as mentioned, often misinformed or completely uninformed salespeople who don't really know WTF they're selling), but it does have advantages Tesla's system won't.
As for the Model 3...well, I will reassess things in 6 or 8 months once cars actually get into peoples hands and we see how many people cancel their orders. I'm still amazed that people are buying these things basically sight unseen -
people are still excited to see photos of the interior - many of the same people who have deposits on the cars and really don't even know what they're actually getting, assuming they actually like the result (and the reviews/reliability prove solid) and follow through with their reservation vs cancelling for a refund.
, not EV oriented site. The EV guys know how their charging amps taper after x amount of time ... they don't need a dealer. The Civic or Corolla crowd will need one, but we are far from that ...
