Hi guys. Long-term Tesla investor here, been reading this forum for a while. After the last month's crazy bull run, I thought it was time to see whether anyone has any input on a question that's been bothering me. I'm thinking about the deprecation and repair costs of Tesla's vehicles.
I live in Norway, which is famous for its harsh winters and also for being Tesla's biggest foreign market. The killer of cars in this climate is invariably rust. During the winter season, the roads are salted with calcium chloride in order to lower the freezing point of snow and reduce the burden on the snow plowing crews. This is a long-standing tradition over all of Northern Europe, and it is not going away for a Californian carmaker. The salted roads cause a continous spray of salt water on the car, which produces one of the harshest climates for on-shore metal machinery in the world.
Foreign carmakers have stepped in this trap multiple times. Toyota was at one point (during the 80s) notorious for making cars that rusted to death after two winters. Many of the smaller carmakers from Southern Europe are also known for these problems. Most other manufacturers have since then caught up. As another example, the intercity rail in Oslo has recently discovered that all of their trains have lethal rust problems and need to be replaced. The trains are made in Italy.
So my question is, has Tesla thought about these issues? Tesla is a California-based carmaker which intends to sell globally. I am aware that Tesla have been doing cold-weather testing, but testing the handling and performance of your car in cold weather is not the same as subjecting it to three winters of negative (Farenheit) temperatures where the underside is sprayed with jets of salt water every time you drive. This is something that can only be simulated, not tested by taking a drive up to Canada.
I am especially concerned when I look at the battery pack, which appears to be made of steel and is mounted underneath the car. If this rusts, it isn't merely an inconvenience that will deprecate the value of the vehicle - it is a safety risk that could necessitate a recall, which we all know could be disastrous at this point in Tesla's history. (Also, Norwegian law would require Tesla to pay for all repairs during the first five years after purchase, so any losses due to rust would be carried by the investors).
So that was a bit of worst-case scenario thinking. I don't have any opinion as to whether Tesla has thought about these concerns during engineering, but I hope they have since they employ a lot of experienced automotive engineers.
The big question: Can anyone allay my fears?
I live in Norway, which is famous for its harsh winters and also for being Tesla's biggest foreign market. The killer of cars in this climate is invariably rust. During the winter season, the roads are salted with calcium chloride in order to lower the freezing point of snow and reduce the burden on the snow plowing crews. This is a long-standing tradition over all of Northern Europe, and it is not going away for a Californian carmaker. The salted roads cause a continous spray of salt water on the car, which produces one of the harshest climates for on-shore metal machinery in the world.
Foreign carmakers have stepped in this trap multiple times. Toyota was at one point (during the 80s) notorious for making cars that rusted to death after two winters. Many of the smaller carmakers from Southern Europe are also known for these problems. Most other manufacturers have since then caught up. As another example, the intercity rail in Oslo has recently discovered that all of their trains have lethal rust problems and need to be replaced. The trains are made in Italy.
So my question is, has Tesla thought about these issues? Tesla is a California-based carmaker which intends to sell globally. I am aware that Tesla have been doing cold-weather testing, but testing the handling and performance of your car in cold weather is not the same as subjecting it to three winters of negative (Farenheit) temperatures where the underside is sprayed with jets of salt water every time you drive. This is something that can only be simulated, not tested by taking a drive up to Canada.
I am especially concerned when I look at the battery pack, which appears to be made of steel and is mounted underneath the car. If this rusts, it isn't merely an inconvenience that will deprecate the value of the vehicle - it is a safety risk that could necessitate a recall, which we all know could be disastrous at this point in Tesla's history. (Also, Norwegian law would require Tesla to pay for all repairs during the first five years after purchase, so any losses due to rust would be carried by the investors).
So that was a bit of worst-case scenario thinking. I don't have any opinion as to whether Tesla has thought about these concerns during engineering, but I hope they have since they employ a lot of experienced automotive engineers.
The big question: Can anyone allay my fears?
. Well done.
