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Interesting quotes from Elon...
Elon Musk: The Model X is so advanced we probably shouldn't have built it - Business Insider
That's quite a quote:
"We probably should have just [modified the Model S]," he added. "There are so many more features and difficult to build parts on [the Model X] than it is necessary for us to sell the cars."
Maybe he gets it now? Tesla needs to stop spending money on engineering fancy new stuff -- I know it's fun for the engineers, but they need to do useful work for their money.
That's quite a quote:
"We probably should have just [modified the Model S]," he added. "There are so many more features and difficult to build parts on [the Model X] than it is necessary for us to sell the cars."
Maybe he gets it now? Tesla needs to stop spending money on engineering fancy new stuff -- I know it's fun for the engineers, but they need to do useful work for their money. Start spending money on Service Centers instead, and on training service center staff. And on making all the existing features work right (nav comes to mind). And on providing retrofits for people with the defective features (like the bad interior temperature sensor design where it didn't sense the temperature). And, of course, on production line simplification and cost reduction. Don't "reskin" the UI for fun -- that's not worth a single hour of paid engineering time. Spend your paid time on the boring stuff which gives *quality*.
As a general rule, you do not wirelessly integrate safety critical systems for aesthetic reasons... especially when latency is a priority.
So the "unveiling" was kind of a let down information wise. The 6 founder cars that were delivered really only had to be out the door before Tesla's self imposed deadline of Q3.
So many questions, so little answers. I'm really starting to get the impression that this whole thing was thrown together at the last second just to meet the deadline. It seems like the X needs another few months in the oven before it's done. Otherwise why aren't the floodgates open now with information? People seem pretty let down about the less then stellar interior. While the new nose is a radical departure in design language, at the same time I see it and think "in 3.5 years that's all you could come up with?" (I'm not hating on the nose, it's just... bland)
I know another official delay would really have hindered TSLA, but I really think they need another year to refine this vehicle. It worries me that if they had this much time on the X, and it still came out half baked, what does that say about the 3?
I guess the real answer to my question will be how many ship before the end of the year. If it's only a few, then yea, it needed more time.
100% agree with you. it's rushed. they needed to get at least 1 car out the door before end of quarter to meet their goal or face dire circumstances (major stock loss). its obvious many things are left unfinished. they'll be prototype parts used. this is the "sig tax" all over again.
I think that the (unplanned) complexity of the X might actually help the 3. We can only hope that lessons were learned from the whole experience. I mean as it was mentioned above, originally the X was supposed to be a jacked up version of the S, sharing a lot of common parts. What we got in the end clearly departed from this early goal. The "final" product wound up being almost too difficult to manufacture, and kind of still is too difficult, as they aren't producing them yet.
I can only hope that this process sticks in the engineers minds when designing the 3.
"Hey we could add this for little cost and make it really cool!" This comment will hopefully met with "Is it necessary?" I'm all for neat cars, but it's not just making them, it's servicing them as well. It doesn't matter how easily they can make the 3, if the service centers can't repair them (and they will need to) in a reasonable amount of time customers are going to be pissed. You need a greatly expanded service center network, and as rock solid of a car as you can possibly make. These two things need to go hand in hand.
I hope this thinking is going into the 3 design. A solid, not overly flashy car that fits what we should expect from a $35,000 vehicle.
I agree. The Model 3 will be a mini S and the Model Y will be a mini X (with only two rows of seating, but with Falcon Wing Doors). I don't mean they will look exactly like shrunken versions of their big brothers, but logically I think we can think of them that way. R&D of how to build an electric car and an electric SUV has now been (mostly) sunk. They know how to do the hardest stuff already: intelligently controlled battery packs with low degradation, touchscreen-driven UI, dual motor drive, Falcon Wing Doors, NAV with super-charger routing, auto-pilot (getting there), etc. Now they'll just have to make them a bit smaller and less full-featured in order to hit a lower price point.I think that the (unplanned) complexity of the X might actually help the 3.
100% agree with you. it's rushed. they needed to get at least 1 car out the door before end of quarter to meet their goal or face dire circumstances (major stock loss). its obvious many things are left unfinished. they'll be prototype parts used. this is the "sig tax" all over again.
From everything I've read, the "sig tax" is lower this time though, at least in terms of quality.
Generally, the first-look articles from the automotive press, and comments from people here who attended the Model X event, were positive on the fit and finish and overall quality of the vehicles. I can't remember exactly who wrote it, but there was a post on TMC stating that the difference between the Model S Sigs and Model X Sigs was night and day.
I agree. The Model 3 will be a mini S and the Model Y will be a mini X (with only two rows of seating, but with Falcon Wing Doors). I don't mean they will look exactly like shrunken versions of their big brothers, but logically I think we can think of them that way. R&D of how to build an electric car and an electric SUV has now been (mostly) sunk. They know how to do the hardest stuff already: intelligently controlled battery packs with low degradation, touchscreen-driven UI, dual motor drive, Falcon Wing Doors, NAV with super-charger routing, auto-pilot (getting there), etc. Now they'll just have to make them a bit smaller and less full-featured in order to hit a lower price point.
A big part of the cost of the S and X is the R&D it took to get there. Making a smaller motor, smaller car, smaller battery pack (with more efficient batteries) should be so much easier (and cheaper) than than it was to actually invent all of these things in the first place. The real engineering challenge for the Models 3 and Y will be accomplishing the same effect with less expensive materials or even more efficient production processes. The gigafactory will certainly help with that, and Musk has already shown what they can do at SpaceX when it comes to lowering costs.
-CB
He was one who "took delivery" on the reveal night, VIN #3. For whatever reason he didn't drive it home immediately.By the way, at least one more of the Founders has taken delivery of his X:
Mark Templeton Model X Unboxing Preview
He was one who "took delivery" on the reveal night, VIN #3. For whatever reason he didn't drive it home immediately.
Also, even if he had the time for a cross country drive, he probably didn't want to pay California use tax and Florida sales tax on the same car. I pretty much gave up hope of CA pick-up and drive back to NY when I heard about that.Most likely because he didn't have time to make the trip back to Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
That makes sense, I didn't realize he lives in Florida. The California plates threw me off and the scenery looks similar.Most likely because he didn't have time to make the trip back to Ft. Lauderdale, FL.