Model 3 is still a ways off, but looking at how Tesla accepts payment:
Final payment
Cash is apparently not accepted at the Tesla Store. Why is that? The Apple Store will take cash. If I want to pay for my Model 3 with a paper bag full of Benjamins, is there a practical reason not to accept it?
Risk of theft/robbery is the only thing that comes to mind.
Pardon me. I'm afraid I am the one to blame.
About four years
before we got our new Signature, Tesla said that you could get in line (no orders, you understand) for the ridiculously low price of only $40,000. Lines would open at 10AM on Monday.
Since I had just sold my RAV4EV, I had the money in the bank on Thursday, so I got out CASH since I didn't want to be trying to work with a bank five minutes after they opened on Monday. I mean, I wanted to be FIRST in line.
Milli put the $40,000, four packs of a hundred, hundred dollar bills, in a very tiny purse (it really takes up hardly any room) and we drove the hundred plus miles to be at the Menlo Park showroom (two Roadsters, one of clay) and walked in the door at 10 AM.
I told the gentleman we wanted to reserve a spot to order a Model S. Milli laid out the four packs of bills. The gentleman said, "What am I supposed to do with this?"
It took him 20 minutes to count it, and then he had to get someone from security, and another from management, to take it to the bank.
It turned out that I was #8 in line after the engineers and founders, so I was not feeling too bad. But by the time it came to order, they were not allowing cash.