TSLA - Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ)

[JohnDe]

This is the main threat to Tesla IMO, the pitchfork crew have been upset, so more and more negative press will be focused on Elon.
This article is supposed to be about cars, but in reality IMO it is just a rant against Musk, it wasn't long ago the media was his greatest support group.
I wonder if the media sentiment, will influence their road testing analysis?

Consumers are realising Tesla isn’t the only electric car

Not long ago, Tesla’s electric vehicles were simply the best on the market. If you wanted a stylish EV, Elon Musk would be your most likely supplier — even if you hated his guts. But not anymore.

www.theage.com.au

From the article:
The new competition makes Musk’s recent role as the town crier for the red-pilled online right especially puzzling and, for his car company, perilous. Musk’s chaotic and polarising tenure as Twitter’s chief executive — during which he’s embraced far-right tropes about gender and journalism and public health, and generally behaved like a rich bully on a power trip — already seems to be battering Tesla’s brand.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month on a survey by Morning Consult showing that perceptions of Tesla have been falling steadily since May, shortly after Musk began his bid for Twitter; between October and November, the period when Musk took ownership of Twitter, sentiment among Democrats toward Tesla plummeted, while favourability among Republicans rose slightly.

It’s hard to disagree. A few weeks ago, I test drove Chevy’s new Bolt EUV, the squat electric crossover that is the slightly larger cousin of the Bolt EV, the entry-level electric car that General Motors began selling in 2016. I was bowled over by the new Bolt electric utility vehicle. I found it surprisingly roomy and much nicer on the inside than its staid exterior would suggest.
I also liked that its interior felt a lot more like a normal car than Musk’s all-touchscreen automotive design style. In the Bolt you can control the air conditioning and other systems with hefty buttons and knobs that are easy to find and manipulate while you’re driving; in a Tesla almost everything is controlled by touching a big screen mounted in the centre console.

The best thing about Chevy’s Bolt EUV: The model I tried, which was kitted out with nearly every available option, including GM’s fantastic driver-assistance program, Super Cruise, carried a sales price of just under $US38,000. Tesla’s cheapest car, the Model 3, sells for upward of $US45,000 ($65,600). As I drove the Bolt, I asked myself a question that came up often this year: With such great alternatives that carry none of Musk’s political baggage, why does Elon keep acting as if customers have no choice — as if he’s the only game in town?

^^Interesting read, but not convincing.

Every Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV that GM has made is under recall because their batteries could be defective and cause a fire.

I picked up the wheels magazine Special Yearbook Edition to read while on holidays. It is the EV issue, very interesting.

 

[pozindustrial]

There has never been a Musk before, perhaps George Westinghouse came close, but Musk's ability to operate everything as a startup and succeed is beyond belief. I love that he is a hardcore engineer, brilliant and driven to find the best way to manufacture and bring to market. IMO he has caught every other ICE manufacturer by surprise and while they were starting to consider him he zoomed past and has not stopped. I saw a graph of profit that put Tesla equal to Toyota, but Toyota produce many times the number of vehicles to reach that profit. In USA Ford is the number 2 EV leader with 150,000 cars while Tesla has 3 million. In Sept his deliveries in Australia exceeded the long-term leader Camry. He continues to innovate with brilliant ideas such as the gigacastings that eliminate over 70 parts and their processes with one quick casting that is lighter and stronger. The model Y in Texas has one for the front and another for the rear end. Nobody had ever produced a 6000 ton casting press before and now he has a 9000 ton machine.
I am saving for a model 3 because at my age I want low maintenance costs, low running costs, 20 year life and simple (one pedal) driving. I want to be able to fill up quickly, reliably and cheaply on a long trip and I love the idea of a full tank at home every morning. Due to their superior charging stations and home charging I can get that, but not with other EVs. I have been buying the stock as it falls because nobody can predict the bottom and I rejoice when I hear another strong, negative opinion about Musk or Tesla because it hides the reality that they are expanding at breakneck speed, they are massively profitable, they are leading the field and they have a very deep moat in their innovation expertise and supercharging network.
I think people fail to realise that Tesla is 50% a vehicle manufacturer and 50% a software company, both of which are outstanding with Teslas. Tesla was designed from the ground up as an EV, with light weight bodies (the best safety ratings of any vehicle), high slip air resistance which cannot be said for most other ICE manufacturers who are producing EVs and this results in longer range at a reasonable weight. Move over Toyota and their lean manufacturing systems, Tesla has rewritten the rules. But the company does not stop there with its big battery business, home battery business, semis and cybertruck (ute) with around 1.5 million preorders. Musk has said the Tesla robot will be a bigger business than the cars so I pray the price will keep falling for a few months. And what about autonomous driving? He has not hit the milestones he thought he would by now, but nobody else is as advanced and he is continuing to plough expertise into making it a reality. As I age I would like to earn money from my vehicle as a taxi and then to have it drive me around when I need to. Imagine the semi trailer industry using electric trucks to cross the country with greater safety than a human. No more drugs, drivers nodding off, time schedules etc. Frito Lay/Pepsicola in USA have already begun using theirs. No loud noise, no pollution, no gears and the most powerful trucks in the world that rarely use the brakes thanks to regenerative braking. I believe this is the next Apple and then some.

 

[sptrawler]

@JohnDe the problem isn't about whether Musk is right or wrong, it is about whether he fits in with the scheme of things, history is littered with geniuses who get on the wrong side of the established narrative.
It usually doesn't end well, maybe this time it will be different.
As I keep saying time will tell, but you only have to see the posts on this relatively mundane political forum, to see the absolute belief people have as long as it is presented correctly and has a stamp of approval from a higher executive.
Musk has blown his feet off, by undoing the hole that was dug for Trump, now the hole is being re dug bigger and deeper, so that it can fit both Trump and Musk in it.
Let's see if he can stop them pushing him in, I hope he can, but IMO it will be a first.
Having said that he has pulled off many firsts and if he does, it will cause a huge ripple effect.
IMO in a lot of ways, what Musk is trying to do is similar to what happened in England with the Magna Carta, the people stood up to the ruling monarchists and said this is BS, we the people should have a say, mask is standing up to the long established media Murdoch etc and saying information isn't just about how you want to present it, every side should have an equal say.
Let's see how it goes.
The reporter wasn't saying the Bolt was better than than the Tesla, he was saying Musk is a right wing Trump supporting loony, look at something other than a Tesla. ?
Interesting times IMO.

 

[sptrawler]

By the way @JohnDe De it was great to see in your post my Hyundai Kona came 3rd, I thought I was a bit crazy buying an old school car because it was just like a normal ICE car, but I still like it.
The economy is excellent, the power is great and the all important range is magic.
Also I have adapted a spare wheel, which in W.A is a must, there are huge areas of W.A where getting a shredded tyre and not having a spare is just not an option and one of the reasons I decided on the Kona.
One there is a lot of areas that don't have mobile phone coverage, two they also are low traffic areas even in the South West eg Walpole to Albany and three leave the car there while you go to get a new tyre fitted means you come back to a stripped car.?
Ah Western Australia, you have to love it.
Horses for courses.

 

[JohnDe]

@JohnDe the problem isn't about whether Musk is right or wrong, it is about whether he fits in with the scheme of things, history is littered with geniuses who get on the wrong side of the established narrative.
It usually doesn't end well, maybe this time it will be different.
As I keep saying time will tell, but you only have to see the posts on this relatively mundane political forum, to see the absolute belief people have as long as it is presented correctly and has a stamp of approval from a higher executive.
Musk has blown his feet off, by undoing the hole that was dug for Trump, now the hole is being re dug bigger and deeper, so that it can fit both Trump and Musk in it.
Let's see if he can stop them pushing him in, I hope he can, but IMO it will be a first.
Having said that he has pulled off many firsts and if he does, it will cause a huge ripple effect.
IMO in a lot of ways, what Musk is trying to do is similar to what happened in England with the Magna Carta, the people stood up to the ruling monarchists and said this is BS, we the people should have a say, mask is standing up to the long established media Murdoch etc and saying information isn't just about how you want to present it, every side should have an equal say.
Let's see how it goes.
The reporter wasn't saying the Bolt was better than than the Tesla, he was saying Musk is a right wing Trump supporting loony, look at something other than a Tesla. ?
Interesting times IMO.

Have you addressed your comment to the correct person?

My previous posts only show the great gaps in quality & technical advantages that Tesla has over the ‘late to the party’ competitors, which automotive commentators are saying.

Whether Elon Musk is right or wrong, I do not know and does not concern me. Tesla has more than one person in management.

 

[sptrawler]

Have you addressed your comment to the correct person?

My previous posts only show the great gaps in quality & technical advantages that Tesla has over the ‘late to the party’ competitors, which automotive commentators are saying.

Whether Elon Musk is right or wrong, I do not know and does not concern me. Tesla has more than one person in management.

It wasn't directed at you in a personal way, it was just indicating that Tesla and in particular Musk, is struggling with a media that has been unleashed on the product.
The product doesn't deserve that, it is an extremely good product, but IMO it highlights how little respect the media has for fair reporting.

 

[mullokintyre]

By the way @JohnDe De it was great to see in your post my Hyundai Kona came 3rd, I thought I was a bit crazy buying an old school car because it was just like a normal ICE car, but I still like it.
The economy is excellent, the power is great and the all important range is magic.
Also I have adapted a spare wheel, which in W.A is a must, there are huge areas of W.A where getting a shredded tyre and not having a spare is just not an option and one of the reasons I decided on the Kona.
One there is a lot of areas that don't have mobile phone coverage, two they also are low traffic areas even in the South West eg Walpole to Albany and three leave the car there while you go to get a new tyre fitted means you come back to a stripped car.?
Ah Western Australia, you have to love it.
Horses for courses.


View attachment 151128

I have found that the 80kmh spare from a toyota corrolla fits the hub on the BYD and is small enough to fit in the rear.
Never happy running anywhere without a spare in regional Vic.
Mick

 

[rcw1]

Good morning

Tesla Model Y is now the best-selling car in all of Europe

Tesla Model Y became the best-selling car in all of Europe in November - for the second time, and not just for EVs, but all cars.

electrek.co

According to Fred Lambert, writing for Electrek on 29 December 2022, Tesla Model Y is now the best-selling car in all of Europe.

​

Kind regards
rcw1

 

[mullokintyre]

Good morning

Tesla Model Y is now the best-selling car in all of Europe

Tesla Model Y became the best-selling car in all of Europe in November - for the second time, and not just for EVs, but all cars.

electrek.co

According to Fred Lambert, writing for Electrek on 29 December 2022, Tesla Model Y is now the best-selling car in all of Europe.

​

Kind regards
rcw1

Although, as the article mentions, the monthly figures can be extremely erratic, that is quite an extraordinary result, even allowing for the EU and its member countries virtually outlawing the sales of ICE engined cars.
The only problem I see on the horizon is that as the article states, the erratic nature of deliveries is largely driven by imports from China rather than cars being made in the EU.
If the bureacrats in Brussels decide to copy the Americans and give all the various incentives to the cars that are 80 or 90% made in the EU, that may pull future sales/deliveries back..
Mick

 

[Value Collector]

Although, as the article mentions, the monthly figures can be extremely erratic, that is quite an extraordinary result, even allowing for the EU and its member countries virtually outlawing the sales of ICE engined cars.
The only problem I see on the horizon is that as the article states, the erratic nature of deliveries is largely driven by imports from China rather than cars being made in the EU.
If the bureacrats in Brussels decide to copy the Americans and give all the various incentives to the cars that are 80 or 90% made in the EU, that may pull future sales/deliveries back..
Mick

Tesla has a factory in Germany that is currently ramping up and will continue to grow, they won’t be importing from China for much longer.

 

[mullokintyre]

Tesla has a factory in Germany that is currently ramping up and will continue to grow, they won’t be importing from China for much longer.

According to Electrek , the factory started producing in March this year, and in June achieved 1000 Model Y's in a week.
The article says they are hoping to produce 50,000 Y's in a year, thats still only about 20% of the total demand, assuming that it continues on that sales trajectory. They hope to ramp it up to double that number, but that would still be only half the sales requirement.

Mick

 

[JohnDe]

I have found that the 80kmh spare from a toyota corrolla fits the hub on the BYD and is small enough to fit in the rear.
Never happy running anywhere without a spare in regional Vic.
Mick

Make sure that the rolling diameter is the same as the existing wheels. If it’s not and you attempt to drive with one odd size wheel, there will be a riot with the electronics & safety system.

 

[sptrawler]

I have found that the 80kmh spare from a toyota corrolla fits the hub on the BYD and is small enough to fit in the rear.
Never happy running anywhere without a spare in regional Vic.
Mick

Spot on @mullokintyre , I'm with you on that thinking, I think it is risky not having a spare in low population and poor phone coverage areas.
Mine is a space saver spare from an FG Falcon.

 

[Value Collector]

According to Electrek , the factory started producing in March this year, and in June achieved 1000 Model Y's in a week.
The article says they are hoping to produce 50,000 Y's in a year, thats still only about 20% of the total demand, assuming that it continues on that sales trajectory. They hope to ramp it up to double that number, but that would still be only half the sales requirement.

Mick

December numbers were production of 3000 model Y’s per week, they will achieve 5000 per week this year, which is 260,000 per year.

Tesla have also recently announced plans to continue expanding the Berlin factory, so I don’t think it’s going to stop increasing production until it meets demand.

 

[Value Collector]

Spot on @mullokintyre , I'm with you on that thinking, I think it is risky not having a spare in low population and poor phone coverage areas.
Mine is a space saver spare from an FG Falcon.

I am a bit more of a risk taker I guess, in 22 years of driving I have never needed a spare tire yet (in my personal car), I hopefully my luck holds out, and if I do need one hopefully I can just call road side assistance.

 

[sptrawler]

I am a bit more of a risk taker I guess, in 22 years of driving I have never needed a spare tire yet (in my personal car), I hopefully my luck holds out, and if I do need one hopefully I can just call road side assistance.

If I lived on the East Coast I would probably be the same, but over here in the West, it is a large State very thinly populated and lots of areas not covered by mobile networks. Also being stuck on the side of the road in 40c isn't fun, especially if roadside assist isn't available. ?
Get a flat between Wubin - Newman and it could be a very long and costly wait.
But as yet I don't think many people in the NW of WA will have EV's, so it probably isn't an issue. We mainly travel South of Perth and East to Kal, the inconvenience would be considerable, so rather than have to listen to the wife if it did happen, I take precautions.
On risk taking, when we crossed the Simpson then on to Innamincka, we had 6 punctures and used two spare cases, the other four could be repaired by putting in tubes, using tyre pliers, but the Kona wont be doing that trip.

 

[Value Collector]

If I lived on the East Coast I would probably be the same, but over here in the West, it is a large State very thinly populated and lots of areas not covered by mobile networks. Also being stuck on the side of the road in 40c isn't fun, especially if roadside assist isn't available. ?
Get a flat between Wubin - Newman and it could be a very long and costly wait.
But as yet I don't think many people in the NW of WA will have EV's, so it probably isn't an issue. We mainly travel South of Perth and East to Kal, the inconvenience would be considerable, so rather than have to listen to the wife if it did happen, I take precautions.
On risk taking, when we crossed the Simpson then on to Innamincka, we had 6 punctures and used two spare cases, the other four could be repaired by putting in tubes, using tyre pliers, but the Kona wont be doing that trip.

I own a Tesla tire kit with a pump and some sort of goo that sprays into the tire to fix minor stuff, obviously no good on a complete blow out.

I tend to mainly drive up and down the east coast, the furthest I plan to go is maybe Tasmania.

But yeah if I was planning on doing a lap of Australia I would invest in a spare.

 

[sptrawler]

I own a Tesla tire kit with a pump and some sort of goo that sprays into the tire to fix minor stuff, obviously no good on a complete blow out.

I tend to mainly drive up and down the east coast, the furthest I plan to go is maybe Tasmania.

But yeah if I was planning on doing a lap of Australia I would invest in a spare.

Yes on the East Coast there isn't much likelyhood of being stranded, that's for sure.
With regard the goop spray, the Kona came with it and to be honest I'm not a big fan.
Only my personal thoughts but I tend to think it is ok in bicycle tubes, but with tubeless tyres my personal opinion is the thread type plug is better suited. The reason being is most in City or town punctures these days are a tek screw coming off the back of tradies utes, so the folded over plug pushed in usually seals well and it is easy for the tyre repair joint to remove the tyre and put in a permanent repair plug from inside. I'm not sure they would be interested if the tyre is full of sticky mess.
The second reason is, with the plug, it is possible to grab a tube and put it inside the tyre just to get you out of trouble, again fitting a tube when the tyre is full of goop wouldn't be an option. If you look back at the photo I posted of the spare, there is a small plastic box showing underneath it is one of the tubeless tyre repair kits $15 from memory.
It is just my over cautious nature, but I've never been stuck anyware and we have covered most of Australia, numerous times.
My moto is allow for the worst and hope for the best.

The Gibber plains near Innamincka, no roadside assist or tyre repair joints out there.?
But the Kona will never be there either, having said that, there is plenty of sun and room for a solar powered fast charger.

 

[JohnDe]

By the way @JohnDe De it was great to see in your post my Hyundai Kona came 3rd, I thought I was a bit crazy buying an old school car because it was just like a normal ICE car, but I still like it.
The economy is excellent, the power is great and the all important range is magic.
Also I have adapted a spare wheel, which in W.A is a must, there are huge areas of W.A where getting a shredded tyre and not having a spare is just not an option and one of the reasons I decided on the Kona.
One there is a lot of areas that don't have mobile phone coverage, two they also are low traffic areas even in the South West eg Walpole to Albany and three leave the car there while you go to get a new tyre fitted means you come back to a stripped car.?
Ah Western Australia, you have to love it.
Horses for courses.


View attachment 151128

 

[Value Collector]

Yes on the East Coast there isn't much likelyhood of being stranded, that's for sure.
With regard the goop spray, the Kona came with it and to be honest I'm not a big fan.
Only my personal thoughts but I tend to think it is ok in bicycle tubes, but with tubeless tyres my personal opinion is the thread type plug is better suited. The reason being is most in City or town punctures these days are a tek screw coming off the back of tradies utes, so the folded over plug pushed in usually seals well and it is easy for the tyre repair joint to remove the tyre and put in a permanent repair plug from inside. I'm not sure they would be interested if the tyre is full of sticky mess.
The second reason is, with the plug, it is possible to grab a tube and put it inside the tyre just to get you out of trouble, again fitting a tube when the tyre is full of goop wouldn't be an option. If you look back at the photo I posted of the spare, there is a small plastic box showing underneath it is one of the tubeless tyre repair kits $15 from memory.
It is just my over cautious nature, but I've never been stuck anyware and we have covered most of Australia, numerous times.
My moto is allow for the worst and hope for the best.

The Gibber plains near Innamincka, no roadside assist or tyre repair joints out there.?
But the Kona will never be there either, having said that, there is plenty of sun and room for a solar powered fast charger.

View attachment 151140

Hopefully I never have to use the goop either, but if I did I will let you guys know.

I agree unless I really was in a bind I think I would avoid the goop and use a repair kit, I have seen my dad do it a few times.