Roadster 2023

[zanary]

Neh, Elon is deemphasizing talking about Tesla cars and even FSD, he wants his fans to pay attention to the humanoid robot Optimus now. I'm guessing promising Roadster or FSD for too long makes people yawn when he keeps talking about them, plus competition has already left Tesla FSD in the dust (number of companies have L4 and L5 systems on the road, including regulatory permissions to offer for-profit robo-taxi, while Tesla still has an L2 system). So Elon is now on the "Optimus is going to be worth more than the car and FSD business combined!" kick. Not at all unusual for Elon, just stop talking about his failed promises (but never, ever admit the failure of course). Roadster might just go the way of the charging snake for example.

Not entirely true. Lots of tweets about FSD and the whole "10% cut and all" the past 48 hours. There was one tweet about AI Day being postponed to 9/30 with a possible functioning Optimus.

With the recent Panasonic samples sent to Fremont for analysis, one can assume that Reno will be making 4680 for both the Semi and the Roadster, with Austin doing 4680s for the Cybertruck.

Speculation of course, but let's still cross our fingers for a late 2023 deliver of the first few Next Gen Roadsters. I'm also hoping for an unveiling of the final exterior/interior later on this calendar year.

 

[HankLloydRight]

There was one tweet about AI Day being postponed to 9/30 with a possible functioning Optimus.

https://twitter.com/x/status/823727035088416768

 

[dmattmul]

OK, I've decided to "loan" Tesla 50 k and hopefully get a roadster by 2025. Did the normal 5k on the CC and wired 45K to Tesla with the RN number they sent me of course. Been over a week and crickets. Tried to call Tesla and after 45 mins gave up. This is my 4th Tesla purchased. Why wire money when in the past they used electronic bank transfers to buy cars which cost zero, but I digress. Seems Tesla can do the impossible a little slow (Per the CEO) but the easy also takes forever. How long did you Roadster customers wait to see if they even got your wire transfer?

 

[whitex]

OK, I've decided to "loan" Tesla 50 k and hopefully get a roadster by 2025. Did the normal 5k on the CC and wired 45K to Tesla with the RN number they sent me of course. Been over a week and crickets. Tried to call Tesla and after 45 mins gave up. This is my 4th Tesla purchased. Why wire money when in the past they used electronic bank transfers to buy cars which cost zero, but I digress. Seems Tesla can do the impossible a little slow (Per the CEO) but the easy also takes forever. How long did you Roadster customers wait to see if they even got your wire transfer?

Other than take your money and give you a reservation RN number, there is nothing else Tesla has to offer for a Roadster customer in the foreseeable future. It seems they did both already. What else did you expect?

 

[zanary]

OK, I've decided to "loan" Tesla 50 k and hopefully get a roadster by 2025. Did the normal 5k on the CC and wired 45K to Tesla with the RN number they sent me of course. Been over a week and crickets. Tried to call Tesla and after 45 mins gave up. This is my 4th Tesla purchased. Why wire money when in the past they used electronic bank transfers to buy cars which cost zero, but I digress. Seems Tesla can do the impossible a little slow (Per the CEO) but the easy also takes forever. How long did you Roadster customers wait to see if they even got your wire transfer?

They most likely want wire as it goes to a different account/entity as it's a deposit for whcih they can't recognize the revenue until the sale occurs.

Question: Once you completed the wire, and you login, does it still indicate that they are waiting for the wire?

 

[dmattmul]

Other than take your money and give you a reservation RN number, there is nothing else Tesla has to offer for a Roadster customer in the foreseeable future. It seems they did both already. What else did you expect?

A confirmation email as they as they stated they would do when the wire transfer was complete. This was sent to my email of record 10 mins after making the 5k deposit.

 

[dmattmul]

A confirmation email as they as they stated they would do when the wire transfer was complete. This was sent to my email of record 10 mins after making the 5k deposit.

To be clear they said they would send a confirmation email after the wire transfer which occurred now a week ago. In my account still shows “pending payment”.

 

[dmattmul]

They most likely want wire as it goes to a different account/entity as it's a deposit for whcih they can't recognize the revenue until the sale occurs.

Question: Once you completed the wire, and you login, does it still indicate that they are waiting for the wire?

Yes, it does still showing pending wire transfer. Actually talking to Tesla using the number given when they emailed me the wire instructions seems difficult at best. It’s good input on why they want a wire transfer. Went to their Wells Fargo account in Ca. Thanks.

 

[phantasms]

FWIW this took about a week from when I wired until it changed in my account.

 

[whitex]

A confirmation email as they as they stated they would do when the wire transfer was complete. This was sent to my email of record 10 mins after making the 5k deposit.

Roadster's product stage and very few customers putting deposits down, they likely did not automate the wire transfer confirmation. It's also unlikely managing Roadster reservations has any full time staff at all, which may explain inability to reach anyone. Perhaps some employee with another job checks it once a week or once a month and sends confirmations. Maybe even got laid off in the recent thinning of the heard due to Elon's "very bad feeling about the economy". If it was me, I would wait a week or two, then contact their accounting department since Roadster specific support options may route you to the team which is in vaporware stage at this point.

 

[dmattmul]

I'm not getting a lot of positive vibes when a company like Tesla can't even recognize a wire transfer that occurred now over 2 weeks ago. My account still shows "Awaiting Deposit". How can they build a super car when they can't even acknowledge an order in a timely manner? I've been a Tesla shareholder since the beginning and now have placed orders for 5 vehicles. I'm getting a little concerned about Tesla and how they can stand the heat of competition. Hopefully they will. By the way I was able to get a call back a week ago (The phone que said they would call back in 40 mins, actually called back 3 hours later) and the rep said he saw my wire transfer and had to check on an issue and would call or e-mail me back, still crickets.

 

[n2mb_racing]

I'm not getting a lot of positive vibes when a company like Tesla can't even recognize a wire transfer that occurred now over 2 weeks ago. My account still shows "Awaiting Deposit". How can they build a super car when they can't even acknowledge an order in a timely manner? I've been a Tesla shareholder since the beginning and now have placed orders for 5 vehicles. I'm getting a little concerned about Tesla and how they can stand the heat of competition. Hopefully they will. By the way I was able to get a call back a week ago (The phone que said they would call back in 40 mins, actually called back 3 hours later) and the rep said he saw my wire transfer and had to check on an issue and would call or e-mail me back, still crickets.

Yup. It's going downhill fast. I'm on my sixth service visit to try and address issues on my plaid that were noted at delivery. This is my fifth Tesla and likely my last. I really wanted a new roadster since I loved my old one so much... But they can't build low volume cars .

 

[TechOps]

OK, I've decided to "loan" Tesla 50 k and hopefully get a roadster by 2025. Did the normal 5k on the CC and wired 45K to Tesla with the RN number they sent me of course. Been over a week and crickets. Tried to call Tesla and after 45 mins gave up. This is my 4th Tesla purchased. Why wire money when in the past they used electronic bank transfers to buy cars which cost zero, but I digress. Seems Tesla can do the impossible a little slow (Per the CEO) but the easy also takes forever. How long did you Roadster customers wait to see if they even got your wire transfer?

If you've got enough money to "loan" Tesla $50k, you have enough to open up a Private Banking account with a bank of your choice, which means your cost to wire funds is $0.

I'm not getting a lot of positive vibes when a company like Tesla can't even recognize a wire transfer that occurred now over 2 weeks ago. My account still shows "Awaiting Deposit". How can they build a super car when they can't even acknowledge an order in a timely manner?

You've ordered 5 Teslas, and you're just now noticing the issues they have with operations and management?

If it weren't for the truly amazing products they built, way ahead of the competition, Tesla as a company would have long ago ceased to exist.

 

[whitex]

(The phone que said they would call back in 40 mins, actually called back 3 hours later)

This being your 5th order, you should know about Tesla time by time, and 3 hrs of real time to 40 minute commitment is pretty good.

I'm not getting a lot of positive vibes when a company like Tesla can't even recognize a wire transfer that occurred now over 2 weeks ago. My account still shows "Awaiting Deposit". How can they build a super car when they can't even acknowledge an order in a timely manner? I've been a Tesla shareholder since the beginning and now have placed orders for 5 vehicles. I'm getting a little concerned about Tesla and how they can stand the heat of competition.

I think @TechOps asked the right question here:

You've ordered 5 Teslas, and you're just now noticing the issues they have with operations and management?

 

[whitex]

If it weren't for the truly amazing products they built, way ahead of the competition, Tesla as a company would have long ago ceased to exist.

^THIS. It's worth noting that "way ahead" is today "somewhat ahead" as the competition is catching up to them faster than Tesla fanboys care to admit.

@dmattmul , as an investor, you should pay attention to what Tesla competition does. Even with more advanced batter tech, and supercharger network advantage (which is actually melting away quick), the biggest advantage Tesla holds over competition today is ability to produce more cars than the competition, which stems from Tesla's ability to pivot very quickly (no official certifications, ship it now, fix it later via OTA update model). If the supply chains were not messed up due to COVID and the war in Ukraine, Tesla's lead would be significantly eroded, if not gone. This does show in TSLA price by the way, which has fallen more than the rest of the market (e.g. YTD NASDAQ is down 29%, TSLA 43%). Not sure how long it will take for chip shortages to subside, supply chains to normalize, but once that happens, I see TSLA lose most of its lead. Cars such as Mustang-E, F150 Lightening, ID.3, ID.4, eTron, Taycan, Lucid Air, Rivian RT-1, will take a big chunk out of S,3,X,Y market share in the US (China has even more competitors). I bought 4 Model S's to date. I don't see myself buying another Tesla,. unless maybe as a placeholder waiting for a Taycan, but only if Tesla would ship Plaid with a round steering wheel, stalks, and improved brakes (the last one is supposed to be available any time now, the page says "available by mid-2022" which is in 2 days, if you believe Tesla).

 

[dmattmul]

"If you've got enough money to "loan" Tesla $50k, you have enough to open up a Private Banking account with a bank of your choice, which means your cost to wire funds is $0."

The cost was $0 to wire but that is not the issue. Wire transferring 45K and not getting an acknowledgment for 2 weeks is the issue. They now want to know the wire transfer confirmation number. (As if they can't find it) I just prefer not to make it a "gift".

Fortunately, I have had limited-service visits and only one I would say was not acceptable. I did have an issue where my vehicle refused to charge while on a road trip but fortunately there was a service center nearby and after a couple hours diagnosed the issue. This was acceptable for a cold call visit. I work for a major supplier to automotive OEMs, and I can tell you firsthand the big three are still way behind Tesla (In the EV design and build stage) but catching up as all fast followers often do.

 

[whitex]

The cost was $0 to wire but that is not the issue. Wire transferring 45K and not getting an acknowledgment for 2 weeks is the issue. They now want to know the wire transfer confirmation number. (As if they can't find it) I just prefer not to make it a "gift".

You are absolutely correct, for any serious professional company it would absolutely make sense for them to confirm it. Unfortunately in Elon's quest to automate everything, take humans out of the loop, he created the current customer service experience. Elon is actually in charge of all customer service, since he took over that job after Jon McNeil's departure. As an investor in the company, you should consider that too.

 

[TorqueMonster]

^THIS. It's worth noting that "way ahead" is today "somewhat ahead" as the competition is catching up to them faster than Tesla fanboys care to admit.

@dmattmul , as an investor, you should pay attention to what Tesla competition does. Even with more advanced batter tech, and supercharger network advantage (which is actually melting away quick), the biggest advantage Tesla holds over competition today is ability to produce more cars than the competition, which stems from Tesla's ability to pivot very quickly (no official certifications, ship it now, fix it later via OTA update model). If the supply chains were not messed up due to COVID and the war in Ukraine, Tesla's lead would be significantly eroded, if not gone. This does show in TSLA price by the way, which has fallen more than the rest of the market (e.g. YTD NASDAQ is down 29%, TSLA 43%). Not sure how long it will take for chip shortages to subside, supply chains to normalize, but once that happens, I see TSLA lose most of its lead. Cars such as Mustang-E, F150 Lightening, ID.3, ID.4, eTron, Taycan, Lucid Air, Rivian RT-1, will take a big chunk out of S,3,X,Y market share in the US (China has even more competitors). I bought 4 Model S's to date. I don't see myself buying another Tesla,. unless maybe as a placeholder waiting for a Taycan, but only if Tesla would ship Plaid with a round steering wheel, stalks, and improved brakes (the last one is supposed to be available any time now, the page says "available by mid-2022" which is in 2 days, if you believe Tesla).View attachment 822977

Even if GM and Ford "catch up", they will never develop a Roadster type that runs an 8 second quarter mile in the streets. Only Musk is wild enough to produce a car like that. Musk pushes the limits. GM and Ford will only make car so fast because they are now government poster child of responsibility.

 

[n2mb_racing]

Even if GM and Ford "catch up", they will never develop a Roadster type that runs an 8 second quarter mile in the streets. Only Musk is wild enough to produce a car like that. Musk pushes the limits. GM and Ford will only make car so fast because they are now government poster child of responsibility.

I wish Ford will sell some of the crap it makes! I'd buy this!

Watch Ken Block Drift Ford's 1,400 HP Mustang MACH-E Prototype

Hear its seven motors whine as Block hoons around the track.

hypebeast.com

or this!

The New 2,000-HP Electric Ford Minivan Is More Supercar Than Van

The Ford SuperVan is a 2,000-hp minivan from Hell. Did we mention, it's electric?

www.motorbiscuit.com

Instead we get this:

https://www.ford.com/suvs/mach-e/models/mach-e-gt/

blah.

 

[whitex]

Even if GM and Ford "catch up", they will never develop a Roadster type that runs an 8 second quarter mile in the streets. Only Musk is wild enough to produce a car like that. Musk pushes the limits. GM and Ford will only make car so fast because they are now government poster child of responsibility.

At the moment Elon's Roadster 2020 is no less of vaporware than the 2000hp Ford electric van. A prototype exists somewhere in the world, so what? Will Elon ever get the Roadster 2020 out to the world? Maybe (note that taking a deposit on a Tesla does not guarantee it will ever be made, just ask people who put a deposit on Elon's Plaid+ wet dream). But even if Elon pulls it off, and Roadster 2020 shows up half a decade late, so what - very low volume car. My point is, Tesla is quickly losing the edge on the volume cars. Maybe Tesla will transform into a contender in a some niche markets, like Lamborghini - cool looking, high performance, not practical for every driving cars, which most people cannot afford.