Jump to content

Tesla


AeroHorn

Recommended Posts

5 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Holy spitballs batman have I ever seen a more elitist and completely clueless statement? Probably, but that is besides the point. Do you think that all of our "poors" live within walking distance of a decent paying job? Or maybe they could just take the bus? Do you think they want to sit around all day being poor and living on government subsidies? Did you compete against a three month old jar of mayonnaise in an IQ contest and loose?

A reliable(ish) form of transportation is probably one of the key things that allows a "poor" to succeed in life and at least make it so that their kids will have a decent shot.

Funny you consider it clueless and elitist considering I lived myself without a car for an extended period of time in my adult life, and the fact I was too poor was the primary reason.

Spending $500 a month or more for car payments, insurance, maintenance, etc. is not something a "poor" person can afford.

Or alternatively driving around in 15 or 20 year old cars that can't pass inspection, or will inevitably strand you when it breaks down is not a recipe for success.

Or one can choose to forsake owning a car, choose a location to live served well by mass transit, and which has stores and services that are nearby so you can actually walk somewhere.

These places already exist in most cities of any size, including Austin.  Are there enough of them for everyone?  Nope.  Are they too expensive typically?  Yep.  Should anyone be forced to live such a lifestyle?  Hell no.

But hopefully the changes to our land use and urban planning which give people a choice will continue and even accelerate over the coming decades.

Edited by Somnio
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Also, ignore that slorch fella. He has a few short circuits in his bionic implants. 

Yeah, he sounds like someone who gets his information about California from Facebook memes. I am in Silicon Valley and all of our power outage has been due to risk of fire. As someone commented, solar is popular (I have it too) and it helps quite a bit in addressing peak load situations, which are typically 2pm-8pm (reflected in high utility rates) and match with peak solar production. 

I was surprised to see Tesla offering $1.50/W solar with installation (after rebate). I paid $3/W (after rebate) in 2016 for my 4.25kW installation. Maybe a good time to add more capacity since it is so cheap, but I don't really need it. Don't have EV, have FCV (Honda Clarity).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Somnio said:

Funny you consider it clueless and elitist considering I lived myself without a car for an extended period of time in my adult life, and the fact I was too poor was the primary reason.

Spending $500 a month or more for car payments, insurance, maintenance, etc. is not something a "poor" person can afford.

...

$500?  What do you drive a vespa?  Some people spend that on gas, monthly.  Not to mention tolls, insurance, maintenance or the car payment itself.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, RollLeft said:

$500?  What do you drive a vespa?  Some people spend that on gas, monthly.  Not to mention tolls, insurance, maintenance or the car payment itself.  

No doubt $500/month is on the low end, and you can easily spend twice that amount.

But even $500 is a lot of money for someone living paycheck to paycheck who's struggling to pay rent, utilities, and keep food on the table.

Edited by Somnio
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/24/2020 at 3:11 AM, AeroHorn said:

Yeah, he sounds like someone who gets his information about California from Facebook memes. I am in Silicon Valley and all of our power outage has been due to risk of fire.

In the past yes. Wildfires.  There are other factors now.  Manmade, just like y'all like em...  Keep on denying reality though...

Since Friday, rolling blackouts — the first non-wildfire ones in 19 years — have sporadically struck parts of California, particularly the Bay Area. 

The state’s power grid managers initially warned on Monday that more than three million people would have to suffer the rolling blackouts that lasted an hour or two. But that warning was rescinded that same night, when the temperatures dipped a bit and residents conserved energy, reducing demand.

Two major factors explain why California is having its first energy emergency in two decades: record-breaking heat throughout the West and fewer available resources because of permanent shutdown of fossil-fuel power plants. 

https://calmatters.org/environment/2020/08/california-2020-rolling-blackouts-explainer/

The California Independent System Operator, the nonprofit entity that controls the flow of electricity for 80 percent of California, said it acted after three power plants shut down and wind power production dropped. It also cited a lack of access to electricity from out-of-state sources.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/16/business/california-blackouts.html

Edited by slorch
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have a few questions while looking at a CPO...

  1. Has anyone here bought a CPO? Cosmetically, what condition are they in? The person in the chat screen says they don't show the car, so I'm left buying blind.
     
  2. Is the 75D enough or should we spend another $5K or so for a 90D?
     
  3. What is up with their pricing? It's all over the place. e.g.
    - 2017 90D 18K miles - $64,240
    - 2017 90D 9K miles - $60,800

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have a few questions while looking at a CPO...

  1. Has anyone here bought a CPO? Cosmetically, what condition are they in? The person in the chat screen says they don't show the car, so I'm left buying blind.

     

  2. Is the 75D enough or should we spend another $5K or so for a 90D?

     

  3. What is up with their pricing? It's all over the place. e.g.

    - 2017 90D 18K miles - $64,240

    - 2017 90D 9K miles - $60,800

 

I bought an S and an X CPO. I’m having some warranty issues with my X but both were immaculate. Assuming I get things settled on my X I’m happy. My S was a dream. I would get the biggest battery you can afford. Remember there is always some degradation so even if 95% good you’ll still be slightly less. I’d assume 90% personally. Lots of data on Tesla battery reliability out there too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, PRONG HORN said:

Why wouldn't you just get a maxed out 3?

It's for the wife. She doesn't want a plebian car.

I'm getting paranoid about buying used, especially since we can't see pics of the actual car, and the sales person didn't bother to call.

I may do something that I would never do for myself... buy a new car, but it's for the waifu. I always thought Teslas were really expensive. But $85K for a brand new S out the door isn't as bad as I originally thought.

Edited by Superhero
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Superhero said:

It's for the wife. She doesn't want a plebian car.

I'm getting paranoid about buying used, especially since we can't see pics of the actual car, and the sales person didn't bother to call.

I may do something that I would never do for myself... buy a new car, but it's for the waifu. I always thought Teslas were really expensive. But $85K for a brand new S out the door isn't as bad as I originally thought.

Dude.  Get a 3.  It is on par with the S in every way except it's smaller and more maneuverable.  

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Superhero said:

It's for the wife. She doesn't want a plebian car.

I'm getting paranoid about buying used, especially since we can't see pics of the actual car, and the sales person didn't bother to call.

I may do something that I would never do for myself... buy a new car, but it's for the waifu. I always thought Teslas were really expensive. But $85K for a brand new S out the door isn't as bad as I originally thought.

I wouldn't get an S now. Either wait for a refresh or get a model 3 performance. Or, avoid pedestrian entirely and get a taycan.

Also, I'm trying to decide if waifu was intentional or a hilarious autocorrect that reveals something about your search proclivities. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, Superhero said:

She thinks the 3 is ugly, and I agree.

I've been steering her towards a new performance Y, but she'll have nothing to do with a plebian car.

I'm assuming they are incorporating new tech into the new S builds. When do you think there'll be a complete update?

They are working on a significant update now, and is available for pre-order I believe (Plaid). How updated the interior will be, I'm not sure. But the power train in the Model S Plaid is going to be impressive. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/26/2020 at 10:55 PM, Superhero said:

It's for the wife. She doesn't want a plebian car.

I'm getting paranoid about buying used, especially since we can't see pics of the actual car, and the sales person didn't bother to call.

I may do something that I would never do for myself... buy a new car, but it's for the waifu. I always thought Teslas were really expensive. But $85K for a brand new S out the door isn't as bad as I originally thought.

You can buy a lot of damn fine snatch for $85K.  They'll leave when you ask then too also.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

Good point. I'm assuming, perhaps without basis, that the Plaid model will also result in a refresh of the interior of the other Model S variants. Perhaps I'm wrong. 

No, that's been talked about for a while.  They are definitely doing a refresh soon.  Just thought it was funny that you threw out the Plaid as an option for him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

Good point. I'm assuming, perhaps without basis, that the Plaid model will also result in a refresh of the interior of the other Model S variants. Perhaps I'm wrong. 

Highly doubt it.  That car doesn't make volume and margin that they need.  And at 7 years old, a refresh isn't going to bring in the sales bump to offset the investment. 

 

The Plaid is a test bed for the production run of their new battery.  The timeline of (promised) Plaid delivery also syncs with long term production plan.  Better cooling and more higher sustained current draw = more HP = more performance numbers to get the internet excited over.

 

The real vision is getting that battery in scale into the 3, Y, new smaller model, etc...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, 52-80 said:

Highly doubt it.  That car doesn't make volume and margin that they need.  And at 7 years old, a refresh isn't going to bring in the sales bump to offset the investment. 

 

The Plaid is a test bed for the production run of their new battery.  The timeline of (promised) Plaid delivery also syncs with long term production plan.  Better cooling and more higher sustained current draw = more HP = more performance numbers to get the internet excited over.

 

The real vision is getting that battery in scale into the 3, Y, new smaller model, etc...

All of this.  I also wonder if they will ever do a motorcycle or some other more urban friendly vehicle.  I guess the small version of the 3 or whatever will fill that.  Motorcycle seems like an easy and cheap option though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

She thinks the 3 is ugly, and I agree.
I've been steering her towards a new performance Y, but she'll have nothing to do with a plebian car.
I'm assuming they are incorporating new tech into the new S builds. When do you think there'll be a complete update?

New S won’t be any time soon, notwithstanding the Plaid, which is more a gimmicky battery test. The Y is way more advanced than current S. The new heat pump alone is a major improvement.
  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Update from the Statesman on Giga Texas:

 

Tesla’s Austin-area site could include battery production

 

By Kara Carlson

Posted at 2:30 PMUpdated at 6:05 PM

 

Tesla could be planning to build more than just vehicles at its $1 billion assembly plant in southeastern Travis County.

The electric vehicle manufacturer has plans to produce battery cells at the site, according to documents filed with the state. The company has already said it will produce its Cybertruck, Semi, Model 3 compact sedan and Model Y vehicles at the plant.

Telsa has started construction on the Travis County site, and the company has begun hiring in Central Texas. Currently, Tesla’s job site lists more than 80 open positions in Austin.

If a battery facility is added to the Travis County site, it would be among the first Tesla locations to have both full-scale battery and vehicle production, in addition to being its second U.S. vehicle assembly factory after its flagship Fremont, Calif., plant.

A company spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment, but Tesla issued the company’s third-quarter financial report Tuesday afternoon.

On a conference call with analysts, CEO Elon Musk said the company’s Austin and Berlin factories, which are both under construction, are expected to start deliveries next year, although with a limited capacity.

“Because of the exponential nature of manufacturing plants, especially with new technology, it will start off very slow at first,” Musk said.

He estimated it will take about 12 to 18 months to reach full capacity, which Musk stressed is still fast for new technology.

Without naming Austin specifically, Musk also said Tesla will expand and improve its battery technology and battery cell production.

Amber Gunst, CEO of the Austin Technology Council, said on-site battery production would add to the benefits Tesla brings to Central Texas.

“The expansion to battery production is great news for Central Texans. This creates more job opportunities for our citizens and puts Austin on the map not only for electric vehicles, but as a place where every alternative energy resource company is welcome to expand. With the recent groundbreaking on their facility and the job openings already created, Tesla is already becoming an integral member of our business community,” Gunst said.

Site plans filed with the city of Austin show Tesla intends to construct a massive factory building. Counting parking lots, the facility’s footprint amounts to 7.9 million square feet. That still leaves an additional 1,800 acres available for use at the 2,100-acre site at Harold Green Road and Texas 130. The company also recently bought 371 more acres adjacent to that site, according to deed records.

Musk in July announced that Tesla had selected the Travis County site for its new facility.

The factory was lured to the Austin area in part with tax breaks approved by Travis County and the Del Valle Independent School District that are valued at a minimum of about $60 million combined. The company didn’t receive financial incentives from the state to build the factory, which is expected to employ 5,000 people.

An air-quality permit application filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality indicates the facility would include capabilities for stamping, die casting, drive units assembly, cell manufacturing, battery pack assembly, general assembly and paint repair operations. It would also include support equipment such as boilers, emergency engines, a wastewater treatment plant and a cooling tower.

“The facility is proposing to operate a cell-manufacturing unit to produce the battery packs that are installed in the vehicle. The final product from this operation are the cells,” the filing said.

The document was filed between July and September on Tesla’s behalf, as part of a permit-by-rule registration process that will allow the company to construct equipment.

Last month, Musk said Tesla is looking to step up the company’s internal production of batteries. Tesla already is producing batteries in Nevada, and it works with outside suppliers. Musk said at the “Battery Day” event that he expects to begin producing battery cells at a pilot production line in Fremont, though it will ultimately be a very limited scale.

Daniel Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, said the Austin location could significantly expand battery production for the company and help it streamline efficiency by manufacturing both vehicles and batteries under one roof.

“Austin lends itself well to what Tesla is trying to build out,” he said. “Right now in the (electric vehicle) market, it’s Tesla’s world. Everyone else is paying rent.”

Ives said Austin will become a “linchpin” for Tesla as it expands. The Austin facility could more than double the company’s manufacturing capabilities in the United States, he said.

“I expect them to significantly expand their footprint in Austin, given its engineering talent and the geographic footprint, in terms of the parts of the U.S. that Tesla has taken from five days to a week to reach, now they can reach in a course of 24 to 48 hours to deliver,” Ives said.

Garrett Nelson, an analyst with CFRA Research, said Tesla tends to buy larger-than-needed sites to give the company room to expand over time. It’s clear that Tesla is looking to scale up battery production in the near future, he said, and Austin could fit into that plan.

“That could include a battery factory or could include additional vehicle production,” Nelson said. “It’s a huge piece of land that they have to work with, strategically placed to serve eastern U.S. customers.”

The battery factory also could help maintain the company’s competitive edge. Nelson said Tesla is looking to grow its annual production from about 500,000 vehicles this year to 20 million over the next several years. Battery production would be essential to those ambitious plans, Nelson said.

Nick Shields, an analyst with Third Bridge, said Austin will be a key location for Tesla, which sees Texas as its second-biggest market long term.

“Batteries are expensive, and outsourcing them is even more expensive,” Shields said.

https://www.statesman.com/business/20201021/teslarsquos-austin-area-site-could-include-battery-production

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/28/2020 at 4:02 PM, closetohumping said:

I live in OC.  It's pretty much like having a Toyota Camry here.  

Which one? The S or 3?

OC is so full of nice cars that German and Japanese luxury cars are so passé. I see Bentleys regularly, and a dad in his Rolls Royce dropped off his kid at my son's school.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
19 hours ago, MillerEP said:

New jobs:

https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/09/elon-musks-boring-company-is-setting-up-operations-in-austin/?utm_source=morning_brew

Elon Musk’s Boring Company is setting up operations in Austin
Kirsten Korosec@kirstenkorosec / 7:26 PM CST•November 9, 2020

 

Shit if musk does it maybe it'll actually be operational in our lifetimes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

New jobs:
https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/09/elon-musks-boring-company-is-setting-up-operations-in-austin/?utm_source=morning_brew
Elon Musk’s Boring Company is setting up operations in Austin
Kirsten Korosec@kirstenkorosec / 7:26 PM CST•November 9, 2020
 
They're digging down between 5500 and 7500 feet? That's wild. /s
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/11/2020 at 11:51 AM, MillerEP said:

New jobs:

https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/09/elon-musks-boring-company-is-setting-up-operations-in-austin/?utm_source=morning_brew

Elon Musk’s Boring Company is setting up operations in Austin
Kirsten Korosec@kirstenkorosec / 7:26 PM CST•November 9, 2020

 

And the most important part of that article:

Under its contract, the LVCC Loop is supposed to transport attendees through two 0.8-mile underground tunnels in Tesla vehicles, four or five at a time. Planning files reviewed by TechCrunch seem to show that the Loop system will not be able to move anywhere near the number of people LVCC wants, and that TBC agreed to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/27/2020 at 9:43 AM, Superhero said:

So we ordered a new S, because, why not. It's her birthday present. Just waiting another 4 years for me to hit 50, and hopefully I'll get my mid-life crisis Porsche.

We took delivery on Sunday. It was delayed the week because of paint issues. I can't imagine HOW bad the paint was before, because holy shit, the paint on the frunk and front quarter panel is awful. Some look like water marks, but there are a LOT of marks that look like the paint is already oxidizing.

My wife already made a service appointment to take the car in on 12/11. I doubt they'll be able to finish it in one day and couldn't promise a loaner car. Between the 2 of us, we've had 9 new cars before this (3 of them black) and we've never had a paint issue upon delivery. 

I can't believe this is saving Tesla any money fixing paint on new cars. They need to get their shit together in the paint shop, because apparently the paint on the 3s and Ys are also a shit show.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Superhero said:

We took delivery on Sunday. It was delayed the week because of paint issues. I can't imagine HOW bad the paint was before, because holy shit, the paint on the frunk and front quarter panel is awful. Some look like water marks, but there are a LOT of marks that look like the paint is already oxidizing.

My wife already made a service appointment to take the car in on 12/11. I doubt they'll be able to finish it in one day and couldn't promise a loaner car. Between the 2 of us, we've had 9 new cars before this (3 of them black) and we've never had a paint issue upon delivery. 

I can't believe this is saving Tesla any money fixing paint on new cars. They need to get their shit together in the paint shop, because apparently the paint on the 3s and Ys are also a shit show.

Why would you accept delivery of a vehicle with obvious defects? If someone delivers me a defective vehicle, there's no way I'm accepting that vehicle.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Superhero said:

We took delivery on Sunday. It was delayed the week because of paint issues. I can't imagine HOW bad the paint was before, because holy shit, the paint on the frunk and front quarter panel is awful. Some look like water marks, but there are a LOT of marks that look like the paint is already oxidizing.

My wife already made a service appointment to take the car in on 12/11. I doubt they'll be able to finish it in one day and couldn't promise a loaner car. Between the 2 of us, we've had 9 new cars before this (3 of them black) and we've never had a paint issue upon delivery. 

I can't believe this is saving Tesla any money fixing paint on new cars. They need to get their shit together in the paint shop, because apparently the paint on the 3s and Ys are also a shit show.

On other models, black paint has the fewest number of coating applied i.e. is thinnest.  They won't get it to where you want. 

Save your headache and just get the car wrapped.  Then you can be a bit more cavalier about chips and stones and also do cheaper panel replacement

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...