Some Tesla customers have noticed that their newly-purchased Model 3s and Model Ys have missing USB ports, an issue first spotted by Electrek. Tesla has reportedly been telling customers that the chip shortage is behind the lack of ports.

As noted by Electrek, the issue didn’t seem to start cropping up until November 11th, and only seems to be affecting Model 3s and Model Ys. Recent buyers have turned to Reddit to voice their concerns about the missing ports, noting that the USB-C ports on the center console and near the rear seats are missing — many also claim that their EV’s wireless charger also isn’t working (via Electrek).

To make matters worse, some buyers also allege that Tesla didn’t even tell them that their car wouldn’t come with USB ports, Electrek notes. For some, it wasn’t until they saw others’ reports or received their car did they realized the USB ports were missing.

According to Electrek, users who managed to get in touch with Tesla say that the ports may be available this December, and they can then make an appointment to get them installed. But that’s probably not a guarantee that the parts will even be available at that time. So for now, users will have to deal with driving a pricey battery-on-wheels that can’t even charge their own devices.

The chip shortage has branched out into many areas of technology, and the automotive industry isn’t an exception. Some of BMW’s newer models won’t come with a touchscreen, and buyers likely won’t ever be able to get one installed at a later date. Even GM has been negatively affected by the shortage, as it already had to drop wireless charging and ditch its fuel management module in some of its newer vehicles. It even axed Cadillac’s hands-free Super Cruise feature due to the shortage. With all that said, now might not be the best time to buy a new car.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/13/22780037/tesla-reportedly-shipping-cars-without-usb-ports