The USB ports are used to connect and charge phones in the car
Some owners were alerted while some other discovered the lack of ports when they took delivery
Tesla isn’t the only automaker to remove features due to the shortage
The electronic chip and semi-conductor shortage has automakers trying different ways to maximise the number of vehicles they can build with the limited supply of parts they have on hand.
BMW and General Motors have recently announced they would remove features from their vehicles, the touch screens for the former and the heated seats for the latter.
Tesla is joining these companies by removing the USB ports from some of its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.
This is not the first time the company removes features due to the shortage, since the passenger’s lumbar support option was removed from the catalogue a while back, something BMW has also done.
The problem comes from the fact that Tesla didn’t warn all of its customers about this production change, which makes for many disappointed people who found out there is no way to charge multiple phones at once in their brand-new EV after they took delivery.
This problem is worse for owners who use their Tesla as a family car, because there are no charge ports in the rear for the passengers and the only way to charge a device is by the wireless charging mat in the front.
Some Tesla owners claim they were alerted prior to the delivery of their vehicle, which points to a lack of consistency on the part of the automaker.
Some customers have also hear from Tesla that the missing ports could be retrofitted in December, when the supply is expected to increase, but again, this information hasn’t been confirmed and we don’t know if every affected vehicle will be eligible for this aftermarket add-on.
