Tesla sold 200,000 cars in the US, so the $7,500 tax credit is going away

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Well folks, it's official: Tesla has now sold and delivered more than 200,000 electric vehicles here in the US. That's an important milestone for the EV maker because it means that the $7,500 IRS tax credit that buyers have been eligible for will soon be a thing of the past.

Speculation that Tesla had hit the 200,000 mark for US sales has been rampant, particularly in the wake of the company's recent statement regarding production numbers. In the second quarter of 2018, it says it produced 53,339 vehicles, a 55 percent increase over Q1 2018. That big increase was in large part down to the company finally finding its feet with regard to the Model 3 production lines. More than half its Q2 output (28,571 cars) were Model 3s; the remainder were Model S and Model X EVs.

However, it was unclear at the time of Tesla's announcement just how many of those cars were actually bound for US customers. In the past, Tesla has often focused one month a quarter on delivering vehicles to countries outside of the US, and it was thought likely that the company was doing everything possible to ensure it didn't break the 200,000 US sales mark before the end of Q2. But on Thursday morning, the company updated the page on its website dealing with EV incentives in light of reaching this milestone.

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