Tesla pickup, possibly

[timswi]

I suspect that Walmart and others will be using these on routes where their trucks run from a regional warehouse to stores that are close enough for the truck to get back to the warehouse and park each night.

Aaron Z

Agreed.

 

[timswi]

Not that I'm any fan of bitcoin(or any blockchain, I've yet to see a viable use for them) but I can't tell if you're posing this just to get a rise or if you really don't understand the basics of cryptography.

Blockchain, maybe--Bitcoin, No thanks.

 

[vvanders]

Blockchain, maybe--Bitcoin, No thanks.

Yeah, I'm just trying to find the connection between Tesla and Bitcoin, I guess they both use electricity? Really it's such a non sequitur comparison.

 

[timswi]

Yeah, I'm just trying to find the connection between Tesla and Bitcoin, I guess they both use electricity? Really it's such a non sequitur comparison.

Dunno..Conspiracy theorists like to try to attach bitcoin to Musk. He's smart, but not ubiquitous as many seem to think. Love the word(s) non sequitur, sadly few know what it means. It has a ton of uses nowadays :drink:

 

[handirifle]

Solar arrays on homes or businesses are fine. When was the last time you saw 1000 acres of solar panels covering up what was once considered a wide open prairie? Or hundreds of 300ft tall windmills covering what was once pristine foothills of the Tehachapi mountains?

My point is just like CA badmouthing coal power plants and then quietly buying every watt that a coal fired plant on an Indian (Navajo) reservation can produce is more than a little hypocritical. Telling everyone we are getting "cleaner" by banning these plants and buying from out of state, so they can convince everyone to "buy electric" is a load of crock. Electric cars are being sold under this type of premise. 45% of Model S Teslas are sold in CA while WA buys only 4.5%, so way bigger market, and way more tax incentives.

 

[airbiscuit]

As technology races forward with electric vehicles, self driving cars, self driving trucks and who know what else, it will be interesting to see who thrives. Who will be the bigger company in five years - GM or Tesla? (Hint, which one is more nimble and innovative?)

 

[newbury]

To discuss the truck -
Often I get out of my dually to do some work and place an adult beverage on the hood.



With all those curves where do I put my beer???

 

[two_bit_score]

Amazon was never dependent on the government, Tesla is. Amazon's income was re-invested in the business--There is still concern in the investment community about the profit issue there, but they will live or die on their own. Big isn't always better.

Good point and one the Tesla lobbyists don稚 want to admit.


.

 

[Egon]

So much for the 3 speed on the column shift for those can remember.

Or the pedals on the floor.

 

[Btown]

My point is for years people were saying the same thing about Amazon, deferring profits for future marketshare is a viable path. Tesla could drop the Model 3 and make profitability today, however then they'll never make more than ~200k cars a year.

It's not like Tesla has some unique deal with the government, the programs they use are available to any manufacturer.

Tesla has been around a while now and has not even make its 100,000th vehicle yet. 200,000 a year is about 10 years away for Tesla. They are having big problems with the model 3. Even more than they did with Model X and S. Those still have major quality control problems. Just do a you tube search. Yes they will come to your house and try to fix them. Might take like 5-6 times. But their fit and finish on some trim items on a $100,000 car is awe full at best. How long is Tesla going to be around is the big question. The money will run out some day.

 

[vvanders]

Except they've already blown past both those marks and delivered over 250k Tesla has now sold 25, electric cars, more than GM (but fewer than Nissan)

Agreed on the fit and finish, but that's never been a priority for me. QC hasn't been an issue, over 65k trouble free miles and all the other owners I know have reported similar.

The incentives are expiring soon(when they sell 200k in the US) and I'm sure they'll do fine past them. They've been lowering the amount the depend on ZEV credits and so I'm no too worried about them.

 

[CincyFlyer]

Well qualified lessees can call.....$$$-$$$-$$$$ The rest of us will continue to drive what we can actually afford.

Heck, the Super Duty I'll get in the next year or so lists for over eighty grand, and it has one twelve-volt battery.

 

[dieselcrawler]

So much for the 3 speed on the column shift for those can remember.

As a kid I used a 1966 chevy van around the farm, (circa 1990-ish) with '3 On the tree' as dad called it. Getting hard to find a good truck with a clutch anymore...

Having read this thread, I see many opinions, some open minded, some very close minded. The EV movement may pan out for Tesla, and others, both consumers and manufacturers... but no one thing is going to fit every situation. My dad is very interested in a Chevy car, but leaning towards hybrid, not total EV, due largely to our rural area, and the limited range. Myself, I cannot afford anything right now, and continue to drive my 7.3L diesel truck 54 miles a day to work at 16 mpg. The cost per mile, when compared to purchase and operating cost of a more fuel efficient vehicle and still needing to keep the truck road legal for towing readons, doesn't make financial sense (cents) to me.

To each there own...

 

[Liquidsilver]

I like what free market competition does to all kinds of businesses, providing more choices and better products that improve our lives... but I cringe when subsidies and cronyism act like a cancer that artificially picks winners and losers... throwing everything out of balance.

And anytime super-salesman Musk is speaking, I find myself scratching my chin. He doesn't hesitate to make wild promises, and anytime something sounds too good to be true... well... I AM from Missouri.

 

[patrick_g]

Don't some vehicles already have a sound enhanced muffler system for enhanced presence?

An extra cost option is an acoustically coupled stethoscope type thingy you wear like headsets or ear buds and the other end is plugged into the muffler input of the exhaust system. Originally developed for use on murdercycles avid noise fans have adapted then to cars and trucks.

Patrick

 

[two_bit_score]

An extra cost option is an acoustically coupled stethoscope type thingy you wear like headsets or ear buds and the other end is plugged into the muffler input of the exhaust system. Originally developed for use on murdercycles avid noise fans have adapted then to cars and trucks.

Patrick

If Elon says it’s good the Tesla sycophants will go all in for it.


.

 

[cqaigy2]

If Elon says it’s good the Tesla sycophants will go all in for it.


.

Monday is January 1st.

 

[Egon]

Found it. This is what I thought I'd recalled.

[video]https://www.caranddriver.com/features/faking-it-engine-sound-enhancement-explained-tech-dept[/video]

 

[Btown]

Except they've already blown past both those marks and delivered over 250k Tesla has now sold 25, electric cars, more than GM (but fewer than Nissan)

Agreed on the fit and finish, but that's never been a priority for me. QC hasn't been an issue, over 65k trouble free miles and all the other owners I know have reported similar.

The incentives are expiring soon(when they sell 200k in the US) and I'm sure they'll do fine past them. They've been lowering the amount the depend on ZEV credits and so I'm no too worried about them.

Wow my bad 250,000 cars in 14 years. Heck ford sold more Fusions than that this year and they are going to kill it in the US soon. Right now they are the only real game in town for electric. Just wait for the major auto makers crank them out in the next few years. Competition will lower prices and drive down profits. But Tesla really does not know what a profit is. They have some big bills to pay even several auto makers had major problems a few years back and they make millions of cars a year. Haven’t seen a model 3 on the road yet, it will probably be a while with all the production issues they are having. I would like them to succeed, but personally I don’t see them around in 10 years. If they are they will probably be a small company making the roadsters they did initially. Low volume big $$$.

 

[vvanders]

I'm probably being overly pedantic but the Model S didn't start rolling out until '12 so closer to 5 years but I hear your point.

There's a couple things that I think still work in Tesla's favor. First they're the only one with 120kw+ charging infrastructure across the US, Europe and many other parts of the world. I can drive anywhere in the US and know that I'll make it there since they're ~100mi apart along the major interstates. Secondly Tesla is actually a car company second and a battery company first. The other auto makers can ramp up production but they're still going to be constrained by battery supply.

It's definitely going to be an uphill road for them but I think some of the things they're bringing some interesting things to the table(like no dealerships, for one).