Tesla Motors

[Xtrema]

I have to say that I never thought Facebook will be where it's at but it surpassed my expectation and old school tech is the casualty (Newspaper, TV ads etc).

I think may investors are hoping Elon can do the same and take it to the old car manufacturers.

But given GM's Bolt, I think once the old guards wakes up, they can execute much better and faster than Tesla can ever could. Tesla only got an edge because it doesn't have legacy costs but it shows as there more critical failures than typical mass production manufacturer should.

Just look at Jag's I-Pace in 2018, Volvo/Geely's EV that's based on CMA in 2019 and the fact that Bolt is on the ground and will have a year head start before model 3 is out. Tesla will have to take the Apple route to stay as niche player to demand its worth. The minute it isn't niche, it will lose all the value.

[Xtrema]

DBL post

[Sugarphreak]

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[ercchry]

I think as a vehicle manufacturer tesla is aware they are niche... which is why so much effort is going into things like battery technology... the licensing to the big boys is what's going to make them a powerhouse

Like the gold rush, the real money was in pick axes

[ZenOps]

http://www.visualcapitalist.com/extr...tesla-model-s/

Yup, its all about the battery.

They used standard size 18650 Lithium Ni-Co-Al in the Tesla S. There is no doubt they will be using the 2170 built by Tesla at their gigafactory for the Tesla 3.

Amazingly enough, the actual engine in the Tesla does not use or require Neodymium (makes the most powerful magnets, and hence the most possible torque) If they did use neodymium, they would probably have to redesign the shaft to be able to handle torque greater than nearly instantaneous 2,200 horsepower, no jokes.

[suntan]

Originally posted by ercchry
I think as a vehicle manufacturer tesla is aware they are niche... which is why so much effort is going into things like battery technology... the licensing to the big boys is what's going to make them a powerhouse

Like the gold rush, the real money was in pick axes

The laws of physics are a big barrier to well... whatever the hell "battery tech" is farting out of Tesla.

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak

Come on... just pass me a few billion to test out my truthfulness here, I promise I won't squander it on golf carts and oversized bottle rockets

We all know you're just going to bring Hummer back.

[Sugarphreak]

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[suntan]

No, there is no reason why they're called "rare" earth elements. They're almost all pretty common actually.

[JustinL]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak

There is a reason they call them "rare" earth magnets. No mass production for that.



As a side project maybe!

I'd probably go into infrastructure projects and hydrogen production, storage, and fuel-cell tech if I had billions to blow.

Personally I believe that breakthroughs in hydrogen production are going to be the real answer to going green. None of this mining heavy metals nonsense. Specifically I think highly genetically engineered algae that can use solar energy to divide water into oxygen and hydrogen while at the same time extracting carbon from the air around it is going to be the future.

What would you do with the hydrogen and fuel cells you created? Would you go the BMW route of running a combustion engine of hydrogen, or would you jam the hydrogen through the fuel cell to make electricity?

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak

As a side project maybe!

Or as a big fuck you to Tesla, you could put a gas or diesel generator on the Hummer to run batteries for the drivetrain

[ZenOps]

I already mentioned to Tesla that it would probably be a good idea to have an bad road/winter option where you lose a little bit of handling performance, but gain at least another three or six inches or so of road clearance by raising up the battery a bit. I think it would be prudent, or else every car in Calgary would get stuck with the first snow of the year.

[rage2]

Originally posted by ZenOps
I already mentioned to Tesla that it would probably be a good idea to have an bad road/winter option where you lose a little bit of handling performance, but gain at least another three or six inches or so of road clearance by raising up the battery a bit. I think it would be prudent, or else every car in Calgary would get stuck with the first snow of the year.

Theres a Model X and future Model Y that accomplishes just that.

[Sugarphreak]

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[suntan]

When they were discovered, no one knew what to do with them, so no one bothered to assay for them, so rare they were assumed.

[ZenOps]

Makes many valid points, but not likely to displace the combustion engine because of the reality of there simply is not enough lithium or nickel to create that many batteries by 2030. It would be like saying man could make it to the moon before 2050, logistics just do not support it.

[pheoxs]

Tesla plans to show off an electric pickup truck sometime within the next two years, the company’s CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter today. The pickup was teased originally when Musk revealed the second part of his “master plan” for Tesla, which began with selling expensive vehicles like the Roadster and Model S, and eventually leads to producing a wide range of more affordable vehicles at scale.

The truck was previously described as a “new kind of pickup” by Musk, though he’s alluded to the concept even prior to that. Tesla’s desire to create a pickup makes sense given the success of the category in the company’s home country, and it’s likely planned alongside an upcoming lower cost compact SUV, sometimes referred to the Model Y.

Not sure if official photo or a 3rd party rendering


https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/13/te...esign-in-july/

[RedDawn]

The bigger news is the semi truck announcement in September.

The transportation industry is one of the largest employers in North America and an autonomous electric semi is really going to turn the industry on its head.

"As the second-largest country on earth, with a population stretched from coast to coast to coast, Canada faces unique transportation challenges. As a result, the transportation industry remains a significant force in the Canadian economy, representing 4.7% of the gross domestic product (GDP)."

[ExtraSlow]

Autonomous trucking is huge for it's implications for both productivity and employment.

The dude sitting in that seat is a massive cost right now. Autonomous trucks could really help lower the cost of long distance freight transport, especially if they can work out some kind of "dynamic convoy" situation where trucks from unrelated companies can join together to share the fuel (and safety) savings of driving in a tight convoy.

This will happen in our lifetime.

[VWEvo]

I've been following this thread since its inception. I've even used a lot of the arguments in this thread against my buddies who are Tesla fan boys. However, somehow I got sucked in the Tesla World with the purchase of a Model X. The good news, I'm not a Tesla Fan boy like almost every other owner. I'm not going to pretend its the greatest car in the world. If I feel like going for a spirited drive and having fun, I grab the keys to my X5M. BMW's have soul and are an absolute blast to drive (My former manual m5 being my favourite). But as a daily driver the Tesla is awesome. My kids prefer it over my BMW, and the autopilot feature really is incredible. Its very chill to drive and now I love going on road trips with it. The acceleration and drivability are great, but the car doesn't have "soul" like a lot of ICE cars would.

I've heard and seen the arguments on here of Tesla's demise, i too was convinced this company will not last. The company still has issues, like service and even to some extent quality. But I will say, owning a Tesla is a completely different experience. For the very few on here that know me (been on here since 2003), I've owned about 20 different cars over the last 15 years. Nothing has been like this ownership experience. Updates are awesome, I have features in my car that I didn't have when I bought it. They even did an update on the sound system and it ended up sounding way better. Tesla isn't going anywhere. Yes there will be competition, yes Tesla will go through its ups and downs. But the reality is, between the battery technology, the solar side, and the actual automotive side, this company will continue to grow fast. I still like seeing some of the arguments against the company, some of which I agree with. But after owning a Tesla now for 8 months, I can actually say it is one of the coolest cars I've ever owned. However, I will say this, I don't think they are worth the price you pay today for it. In fact, my Model X has gone up $20k for a similar equipped car just since October. I barely justified it at the price I paid back then, no way I would have bought it today at the current Canadian prices. Just my $0.02