Delays?

[TEG]

So the roadster is a tad late right now, said (in part) because the transmission needed to be changed.

I have heard two stories:
#1: The first transmission wasn't strong enough, causing 1st gear to break, so an alternate was selected.
or
#2: The original supplier couldn't make enough so an alternate was selected.

Also, I think the Roadster needs to be crash tested again because of the transmission change.

There are also comments suggesting that an alternate battery may have been selected due to problems with the first choice.

There was information online showing a concern over US legal airbags (not yet) being available from Lotus.

There is probably a never-ending flow of suggestions for changes from owners-to-be that could cause extra re-design delay.

Does anyone know of anything else that could hold things up further?

 

[tonybelding]

So the roadster is a tad late right now, said (in part) because the transmission needed to be changed.

I have heard two stories:
#1: The first transmission wasn't strong enough, causing 1st gear to break, so an alternate was selected.
or
#2: The original supplier couldn't make enough so an alternate was selected.

Both might be true, but I'm pretty sure they experienced multiple breakdowns with the first transmission.

Also, I think the Roadster needs to be crash tested again because of the transmission change.

From my understanding, the second round of crash tests was always part of the plan, they knew from the beginning that this would be needed. The VPs have to be crash-tested because they represent the actual production form of the car, and also to address the weaknesses that came out of the first set of crash tests -- such as the weakness of the door in the side-impact test, for example.

There are also comments suggesting that an alternate battery manufacturer may have been selected due to problems with the first choice.

I have heard almost nothing about that. I did read somewhere Tesla's engineers switched to batteries that should get longer life, as opposed to maximum capacity. They didn't say they changed to batteries from a different manufacturer, though.

There was information online showing a concern over US legal airbags (not yet) being available from Lotus.

They asked for an exemption. It may have been granted by now, I don't know. They're basically asking for permission to use the same airbags that Lotus uses.

Does anyone know of anything else that could hold things up further?

There are a thousand things that could go wrong, and probably a hundred that will go wrong, but will be fixed promptly and we'll never hear about them. I do think the major concerns would be crash testing, durability testing, and whether the new transmission works as intended.

A secondary concern would be whether all the parts arrive at Hethel on schedule to start building cars. They might end up with everything they need except the cup holders, which accidentally got shipped to Timbuktu instead. A global supply chain is a wonderful thing.

(BTW, the icon images in the "Post Icons" section below are still broken!)

 

[TEG]

Thanks, Tony.

BTW: I don't have anything to do with the site functions. Hopefully dsacks sorts out the missing icon images thing.

 

[TEG]

Tesla Bats Down Rumors of Delay

“I can tell you absolutely there’s nothing that we know of today that I’m not disclosing to you that’s going to cause a delay," Mr. Siry said. "We’re not holding any information back.”

 

[TEG]

Others discussed the delays here

 

[vfx]

I was reading in Motor Trend (8/07) that Darryl said that Concept of the Whitestar would be out later this year (with a possible showing at the LA auto show)

Martin delayed the great news of the true EPA numbers to coincide with the delayed Roadster deliveries to soften the blow.

Another (albeit minor) reason for delaying the Roadster is that Tesla wants to announce the Roadster are in the showrooms and piggyback the Whitestar debut in the form of drawings and projected specs -maybe even the concept car.

As opposed to a planned delay, more likely, it is a bit of a breather for the Whitestar design team.

The article also mentions there would be a Whitestar EP in late spring '08.

 

[WarpedOne]

with a possible showing at the LA auto show

Unfortunately, this probably wont happen. It would be just too much good news.

 

[vfx]

WSJ answers some questions

A well written article that give some delay answers (and why Marin was replaced) the first mention of Roadsters being delivered in 2009 (NINE!) and that they have been approached by many many! companies for buyout.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119220246200657368.html

 

[tonybelding]

A well written article that give some delay answers (and why Marin was replaced) the first mention of Roadsters being delivered in 2009 (NINE!) and that they have been approached by many many! companies for buyout.

If you put down a deposit today, you might get a 2009 car. It just means that they have enough pre-orders now to allocate all of their 2008 production (which was recently revised downward).

WSJ says: The logistics of getting components produced in Thailand, Taiwan, and the U.S. to arrive at the right time at the assembly plant in England have proven challenging.

I suspected that would prove tricky. Do you know how long it takes for a container ship from Taiwan to reach England?

 

[TEG]

Alternate link to WSJ article

 

[mt2]

If you put down a deposit today, you might get a 2009 car. It just means that they have enough pre-orders now to allocate all of their 2008 production (which was recently revised downward).

WSJ says: The logistics of getting components produced in Thailand, Taiwan, and the U.S. to arrive at the right time at the assembly plant in England have proven challenging.

I suspected that would prove tricky. Do you know how long it takes for a container ship from Taiwan to reach England?

I read somewhere, but can't find it now, that Micheal Marks actually teaches Global Economics (among everything else that he does). I've been wondering if his experience with Flextronics and his knowledge of global supply chains may contribute, in part, to the most recent delay. Perhaps the new iCEO felt it was necessary to readjust time lines to prevent delays after production starts.

Just thinking out loud.