Tesla has given buyers a deadline of Monday to order a car if they want the full $7,500 federal tax credit.

That's 2-1/2 months before the credit officially expires, but since most Teslas are built to order, the company needs some lead time for orders.

A notice on Tesla's website reads: "All orders placed by October 15, 2018 will be delivered by the end of the year and eligible for the full $7,500 Federal Tax Credit."

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In July, Tesla announced it had sold its 200,000th car in the U.S., which triggered the phaseout of the federal tax credits. The company was expected to hit its 200,000th sale in the second quarter, but pushed thousands of deliveries to Canada in June to delay the credits' phaseout to the end of the year.

Buyers who get Teslas in the first half of next year will receive half the credit, or $3,750. In the second half of next year, the credit will drop to $1,875. After that, it vanishes.

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The tax credit has been controversial, especially on luxury cars such as Tesla, whose buyers could probably afford the car without the tax credit.

Tesla set its order deadline for Monday, Oct. 15, to allow lead time to ensure customers' cars are delivered by the end of the year.

According to Techcrunch, the Model S and Model X take two to six weeks for delivery, and the Model 3 can take eight weeks.