Given that the gigafactory pilot plant is only 14% of its final size, and thus capable of only 7GWh's, what can we expect to see in 2016 that supports shareholder confidence of Tesla's goal of making 500k model 3's by 2018? Edit: fixed 7GW to 7GWh
The challenges we've seen with the Model X ramp up (quality control, supplier issues, etc.) resulted in delayed deliveries and some unsatisfied early adopter customers. The service centers were also suffering heavy burdens due to the repairs needed for early Model X vehicles delivered. Although Model 3 would have a much simpler design and supposedly not be plagued with as many issues as the early Model X, there is a risk of a similar situation happening with Model 3 in late 2017, given the much higher production volume. How is Tesla planning to improve the launch of Model 3 in late 2017/early 2018?
With initial cell production (for Tesla Energy products) slated for the end of this year, when do you expect to have all supply agreements signed to meet that goal?
Given Mr. Musk is the CEO of two high-profile and rapid growing companies (not to mention other ventures he is taking), does Tesla see the need of installing a COO to improve the efficiency of management within Tesla? CEO bringing a sleep bag adjacent to the production line is commitment to solving current production issues, but as a shareholder I would rather not having the need of this type of "commitment" in the first place.
Considering the now shortened Model 3 manufacturing ramp, how will this effect the Tesla energy product ramp/growth while the gigafactory is still under construction? (limited resources for battery production)
A lot of us reserved the Model 3, and we are exited about the forward progress deducted by two years. The financing is still an open question, and you recently made a secondary. My question is: Will you need more rise of financing to get to the initial production of the Model 3 in 2017? If so, what do you need, and what would you think is the best way of rising finances?
Dave T performed a commendable service in working with Tesla investor relations, resulting in a new thread that quashed my slightly earlier similar thread. However that left out the notice in my original post that implied we were soliciting questions of strategic financial interest to shareholders. The point was to make sure that such questions were asked, and that the limited Q&A time is not taken up by personal agendas or relative trivia. I remind everyone that this will be a shareholders meeting and not a car owners meeting. Specific concerns about the cars can be taken up in car owner focus groups or with Tesla technical support. Undoubtedly, Elon is already aware of more car issues than any one individual could possibly be concerned about. The limited time available for questions at a shareholders meeting needs to be focused on longer term strategic issues affecting finances and production capabilities.
When will we see a step change in the performance of SuperChargers resulting in shorter charging times?
It appears that Tesla Energy will be an important part of the Company's future but the magnitude of the opportunity is not clear at this stage to many shareholders. Can you provide a rough estimate of how large a contribution you project Tesla Energy will make to Tesla by 2020 in terms of revenue, either in absolute terms or compared to vehicle sales?
Does moving 500,000 deliveries/year forward by two years also move GAAP profitability from 2020 to 2018?
My decision to invest in ticker TSLA a few years ago was 95% based on MUSK and 5% TSLA. For shareholders, can Mr Musk assure us that he is in good health, and gets medical check-ups regularly (unexpected news would be unfortunate for MUSK & TSLA. i.e JOBS & AAPL)
I like this question and think that answer will be very telling for proper modeling of future profits, but am concerned that it is to blunt to be selected. Please don't take it personal, I just think that Elon publicly acknowledging abandoning the $250/kWh price and explaining why, is very unlikely. I'd like to suggest the following edit/alternative: "With the reveal of final pricing for Powerwall and Powerpack products on Tesla Web Site, they seem to have approximately the same gross dollar profit per the kWh of batteries used as an automobile side of the business (Model S/X). Can shareholders expect this uniformity in gross dollar profit per kWh of batteries used in Tesla Energy (TE) and Tesla Automotive (TA) to be maintained in future?"
Why Tesla's original plan for GF included 50GWh of packs, but only 35GWh of cells? This seems counter intuitive, since cells from GF are expected to have the lowest cost.
I will also be attending the shareholder meeting and would be glad to ask a question on behalf of TMC.
Can battery cells for automotive applications and battery cells for Energy Storage applications be manufactured on the same production line at the GF? How long it would take to switch battery cell production over from the Energy Storage to Automotive application?
Some questions to consider for the Annual Meeting: Are the batteries in the Model 3 reveal cars the same technology that will soon be produced in Gigafactory1? Have safety tests been conducted on the Model 3? If not, when will they be done and when will we learn the results? When will Phase II construction begin at Gigafactory1? When can we expect to have a 100 kwh battery and folding middle seats in the Model X?
This question also intrigues me. I'd expect them to announce at the shareholder meeting or perhaps at the grand opening. With the model 3 ramp up looming they better break ground quickly on the next sections of the factory.