Tesla Asked Buyers To Pay For Cars Early To Make It Profitable For The Quarter

Tesla Motors reached profitability for the quarter — a huge step for the startup — by urging customers who had reserved cars but not yet made their payments to do so, according to Bloomberg.

Cory Johnson, editor-at-large for Bloomberg Television, obtained a March email sent by Tesla to a customer, asking for help in reaching the milestone that would help the company and those who drive its cars:

Tesla is right on the cusp of profitability this quarter for the first time in 10 years since the company started. This is a huge company milestone that will not only be great for the company, but also for our customers.

In order for Tesla to be able to count your Model S for the quarter, we simply need to receive payment.

Johnson noted Tesla confirmed the email was accurate.

Receiving payments ahead of schedule may have made Tesla profitable for the quarter — and given its stock price a significant bump — but it could leave the electric car company weak for the next quarter, since payments that would have been made in the coming months were made ahead of schedule.

Here's the Bloomberg video: