Speculation on what Tesla is still hiding

[Garlan Garner]

IMO, it also has to do with executive stock option vesting. Elon stands to get more than $1B in options for M3 reaching "production" status, as defined by themselves Meaning of Model 3 production may be far away from the definition used by the car industry.



Beta testing is not over. It was simply skipped because Elon said, Tesla can do all that in software simulation. Tesla went straight to some unheard of status called "release candidates"
Yeah, sure. Tesla will be making 5k M3 in October and 20K in December, while they are still track testing the Model 3 on weekends.

Tesla had a production reveal event. That eliminates beta.

Shame on them if they lied.

 

[Garlan Garner]

In the NICU? Post-birth, not quite ready to go home from the hospital yet?

I thought they had a going home event a little while ago when they sent 30 little babies home.

Is there some kind of future event we should all be looking forward to?

 

[ModelNforNerd]

There is only 1 single stock - TSLA.

Because SpaceX is actually privately held.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

Where is this Intel based center screen coming from? I'm guessing it's confusion around the Intel 5G news. The XMM7272 is, as far as I can tell from the very limited information, intended not for running a screen/user interaction but just as the cellular wireless bridge device complete with firewall functionality & etc. You can run "applications" on it but it lacks the stones to replace the existing Tegras used in the Tesla S/X, I find it hard to believe it will be driving the screen in the 3. The "application" capability is more like custom network related functionality, not running an actual user experience. It's a glorified cellular modem.

 

[03DSG]

Beta testing? I thought beta testing was over.

Wait a minute. What state is the Model 3 really in right now? I hear beta testing....I hear Elon talking about making 1500 this month.

Where is the Model 3 in its life? Is it born yet?

Tesla never officially did Beta testing. They went from Alpha's direct to RC's direct to production. Oh wait....you don't believe they are in production.

 

[cschock]

There is only 1 single stock - TSLA.

Tesla Energy and Solar City are part of Tesla Inc. However, SpaceX is a separate company with it's own ownership structure (stock) that is privately held, as opposed to Tesla Inc. which is publicly held. The fact that Elon Musk happens to be the Chief Executive Officer of both companies is a separate thing.

 

[N5329K]

What is Tesla "hiding"? Nothing, really. There's just not much they can say, or show, about a product that is essentially still in beta. Call it semi-stealth mode. Stuff is going to change between now and the car's release into the wild. And for a while thereafter, too.
Those of us who fulfill our place-holder reservations with an actual order will be glad for it.
Robin

 

[Brando]

Seems many have forgotten Elon telling everyone Tesla practises "continual improvement". Therefore no model years and improvements are implemented as soon as possible. Which always brings out the whinners when someone just misses the improved whatever. As Elon has said, if you want to wait for the best Tesla vehicle, you'll be waiting for ever as Tesla plans to keep on improving.

So look to your inner self. What do you actually want, when do you want to buy and make your decision. You will know the exact price and have a custom ordered car, that is exactly what you really want. Perhaps used is OK with you. Perhaps you can tolerate a couple of different colors, perhaps you can find better value on a used Tesla. You decide.

Or you can go to most any car dealer and pick something from their lot and drive home that day, credit allowing.

Beta testing? seriously? By some people, ALL Teslas are beta cars, get over it, or go buy from one of the traditional companies and get exactly what you deserve/want. And please don't buy a Tesla you don't really want and then come and complain/whine about it.

hint: Tesla has a slightly different business model. Prices are fixed, no special deals, you know exactly what you will pay and your car software will be updated. If you buy new, it will be the best vehicle Tesla can practically make on that date. Anything you don't like, you need not buy. Any problems -talk to Tesla directly and get it resolved.

 

[N5329K]

Brando:
As I am reading this thread, knowing exactly what you will pay is pretty settled. Knowing exactly what you will get, that's the rub.
Tesla knows this release has to go a lot more smoothly than any of their prior releases (especially the X). Everything, the company included, may depend upon it. So they're keeping silent until most issues move over from the unknown category to the known, and the proper fix applied.
Having the car get better with time is definitely one of the big advantages of buying a Tesla.
You're up on BI? We're thinking about relocating from a small, beautiful, seaside town where it doesn't rain enough, to a small, beautiful sound-side town where it does. PM me if you have any good thoughts about this. We'll probably visit come January to see BI at its darkest and wettest.
Robin

 

[nogajim]

I don't understand all the conspiracy theories. They are doing the ramp up exactly the way they said they would. The NDAs for employees getting a discounted car is hardly a surprise. They can work out the bugs without a bunch of bad press. As long as the numbers go up and the final quality is good, they're on the right track.

 

[run-the-joules]

The NDAs for employees getting a discounted car is hardly a surprise.

Employees do not receive discounts on the cars, FYI.

 

[Brando]

Brando:
...knowing exactly what you will pay is pretty settled. Knowing exactly what you will get, that's the rub.

Did anyone get less than they thought they were going to get?
Do people complain when they get the new improved versions of components?

Seems like complaints are about upgraded components they missed out on. Am I wrong?

Seems Auto-Pilot confuses many (Surely not you, Robin. Pilots get it, right?) and everyone wants it developed faster to FDS [Full Driving Service, did I get that right?]

 

[N5329K]

Did anyone get less than they thought they were going to get?
Do people complain when they get the new improved versions of components?

Seems like complaints are about upgraded components they missed out on. Am I wrong?

Seems Auto-Pilot confuses many (Surely not you, Robin. Pilots get it, right?) and everyone wants it developed faster to FDS [Full Driving Service, did I get that right?]

AFAIK only employees and VIP's can comment about whether they got what they thought they were going to get, and while the VIP's are really positive, the employees aren't talking, and properly so.
The sort of stuff I mean when I say, "what are we getting?" is more along the lines of durability, quality, fit and finish, glitches, all the surprises (big and small) that you expect in a big, complex and brand new product. Each of Tesla's releases has seen one or more of those things crop up. Some remain unresolved to this day.
That's why I started off with, "they aren't really hiding, they're refining". They did this in-house release (aka "beta"); to avoid anything that might compromise a make-or-break product.

 

[Runt8]

... faster to FDS [Full Driving Service, did I get that right?]

FSD = Full Self Driving

 

[Garlan Garner]

Tesla never officially did Beta testing. They went from Alpha's direct to RC's direct to production. Oh wait....you don't believe they are in production.

Oh wait. I absolutely know they are in production. That's why I'm calling for production VIN numbers to be in the 500's by now. Really? I don't believe they are in production? Really? Have you been reading my posts?

 

[Garlan Garner]

I don't understand all the conspiracy theories. They are doing the ramp up exactly the way they said they would. The NDAs for employees getting a discounted car is hardly a surprise. They can work out the bugs without a bunch of bad press. As long as the numbers go up and the final quality is good, they're on the right track.

What are you referring to when you say they are doing the ramp up exactly the way they said they would? What is it that they said? How many cars this month in their ramp up rate?

 

[GeekGirls]

Seems many have forgotten Elon telling everyone Tesla practises "continual improvement"

Take it from an early Model S owner: this isn’t just lip service, this is the way Tesla has done business all along. Just because the car is in production now doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of improvements by the time the line ramps up, and then on an ongoing basis until production stops at some distant time down the road. It’s one of the reasons I’m looking forward to getting an early vehicle but not too early.

 

[T34ME]

[QUOTE="Garlan Garner, post: 2313724, member: 45175" Have you been reading my posts?[/QUOTE]
I presume that is a rhetorical question, otherwise be prepared for some brutally honest answers!

 

[xav-]

I read somewhere that Tesla IS beta-testing the UI on the Model 3 with the employees that have the car now. That would explain things like the Model S showing up on the charging screen and the overall "unfinished" look to the UI screens.

I'm sure that they'll nail down a "production-release" version of the UI to go out on non-employee cars next month.

If they have not addressed the model S showing up on the charging screen it just means that they are working on higher priority issues. More likely they have a fix somewhere in a test environment and they have not deployed it to employee cars as yet. That fix is likely pending validation by their QA engineers first (testing the software on PCs as after all a lot of the functional testing doesn't require a car)

And the "production release" version will be shipped to employee cars first and employees will thoroughly test it. It's not like "oh let's include the production release of the software once we start shipping the car to customers"

 

[Brando]

... more along the lines of durability, quality, fit and finish, glitches, all the surprises (big and small) that you expect in a big, complex and brand new product. Each of Tesla's releases has seen one or more of those things crop up. Some remain unresolved to this day.

Well, the people who bought Roadsters were the REAL Pioneers, they put up with a lot for a very long time. And that SuperCharging was never going to be for them. I've suspected they only built 2,500 because that might have been all the Real Pioneers they could have found. Proof of concept - electric car could be better than an ICE car.

But what are some (is that more than one?) unresolved glitches do you still see?

I might note the following about Model S -
- hoped to sell about 20,000 per year (about 10% of luxury sedan market, seemed overly ambitious to many)
- Model S now 25% of the Luxury market - (50,000 per year by just the 4th year of production)

(I won't suspect people spending $100,000 would buy if "unresolved glitches" existed 0ver 95% say they will buy again)
Why would anyone "buy again" if there are "durability, quality, fit and finish, glitches," ??

8 year unlimited mile warranty on drivetrain [battery/gearbox/motor] durability?

PS- have you listened to Marc Tarpenning about Tesla founding? very informative.