Tesla introduces ‘The Reacher’ for UK owners of left-hand-drive cars

It took us a few days to make sure this was not a belated April Fool's Joke or a scam from social media.

But electric-car specialist Tesla has really made possibly the most elaborate claw / arm / picker (we're not sure what to call it) in the automotive industry to date.

When Tesla announced it would not build its updated Model S sedan and Model X SUV for right-hand-drive markets in May, UK customers were left with a grim choice.

Either cancel their orders, or settle for an electric car with the steering wheel on the left-hand side which, as you might appreciate, makes it awkward to order and collect food in a fast-food drive-thru, or grab a ticket at a parking station.

Unlike most other right-hand-drive countries, it is not illegal to left-hand-drive vehicles on UK roads. Japan also has the same exemptions.

In Australia, only classic cars – or specialised vehicles such as heavy machinery or prototype test vehicles – have exemptions for left-hand-drive.

According to a post on Twitter by Tesla Owners UK, the electric-car giant has introduced a device to assist customers who have stuck with the left-hand-drive Model S and Model X – a grabbing claw on the end of a pole.

The grabbing tool – known as ‘The Reacher’ – is designed to make it easier for drivers on the left side of Tesla's cars to complete tasks designed for right-hand-side occupants – such as grabbing parking tickets or picking up food at a drive-through.

The photos were originally uploaded to Twitter by Tesla Model X Plaid owner ‘Tony Wootts’, who chose not to cancel his order after the electric-car company announced it would not restart right-hand-drive production of the electric SUV.

While ‘The Reacher’ is not currently shown on the electric-car giant’s UK website, Tesla Owners UK claims it is included in the purchase of a left-hand-drive Tesla in the country.

For context, similar non-Tesla-branded pick-up tools cost between $15 and $40 in Australia.

It’s unlikely ‘The Reacher’ will become officially available through Tesla stores in Australia as it is not legal to register brand-new left-hand-drive vehicles – such as the updated Model S and Model X – for road use, making the device redundant.

Despite Tesla’s Australian line-up consisting of just two models, the electric-car specialist accounts for three-in-five electric vehicle sales this year, led by the Model Y (14,002 examples sold) with the Model 3 trailing on 11,575 sales to the end of June.