Tesla, TSLA & the Investment World: the Perpetual Investors' Roundtable

[Xepa777]

Anyways, before being disillusioned by the nonsense i read here…

What I actually came to post about. My wife is a professor at an Ivy League institution and at her departments annual retreat today everyone saw her in our Model 3 and asked about it hahaha. “How does charging work? Oh wow superchargers are that fast?” “Oh I wish I had enough money the Tesla is the first thing I’d get.” I told her to memorize the $37k price point line from now on lol. Driving adoption one conversation at a time

 

[Krugerrand]

Honestly what’s wrong with bear opinions? I’d rather someone look into supercharger locations to see if that statement is logical or bullshit rather than low effort “oh new member fudding must be false!” Post. Then again don’t expect anything less from @Krugerrand who I don’t believe has ever said anything critical about tesla in her post history.

Before you start salivating, you might want to read more carefully. It was the ridiculous claim that Tesla wouldn’t let the person test drive two different vehicles, an X and a Y, but rather only one of them that I responded to - not the other post about SuperChargers. If you can’t smell the lie in that, then I have a great stock opportunity for you called Nikola Motor. And once a new member posts such a fabrication, anything they post thereafter is immediately suspect for obvious reasons.

Secondly, despite your attempt to negatively frame my personal choice to predominately keep criticism of Tesla between me and Tesla (just as I do for other companies I have done business with), I still won’t be changing because of anything you say, suggest, imply or otherwise. So you just keep on believing that your vocal criticism and negativity makes you a better poster and person.

Maybe if people considered these perspective (instead of laughing off low price targets from JP Morgan and such which were actually hit) then some people would’ve been better positioned for where we are.

 

[SO16]

I was considering an X, and get multiple texts from sales. I'm 4 hours from a test drive location. I made a road trip and requested to drive a Y and X and I was told I can only drive one. So I am going to buy a $100k car and drive 6 hours to test drive it and Tesla sales tells me I can only drive one vehicle? Another reason I probably won't buy another Tesla

So odd. When I was at my service center to get a CCS upgrade, they offered to let me take the demo plaid S or model Y for lunch. I didn’t even ask for a test drive. I turned them down since I had already eaten. (Model X was being driven by someone else at the moment.)

 

[jw934]

Tesla has a NPS score of 97. Far above industry average of 0 and GM's score of 3.

Source: Link to the bird.

 

[jw934]

Elon Musk Uncut: New WSJ Interview (AI, Politics, Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter)​

One hour WSJ interview from yesterday, May 23, 2023

 

[mongo]

Before you start salivating, you might want to read more carefully. It was the ridiculous claim that Tesla wouldn’t let the person test drive two different vehicles, an X and a Y, but rather only one of them that I responded to - not the other post about SuperChargers.

It's not ridiculous. Limiting test drives to one model is a thing that actually happens. Demo vehicles and advisors are a limited resource.
Short notice, unscheduled test drives are also a thing, but we did that long ago (got lucky they had time when we dropped in).
Working the system, if there are two drivers, they might each be able to schedule a drive, but be prepared to be split up.

 

[Singuy]

Yah, (1) completely avoiding my incredibly logical point, (2) ignoring the fact that no one else is even trying to sell a consumer FSD package and actually advertises an adas system rather than a $10,000+ option people have been paying for years that’s an inevitable class action lawsuit waiting to happen, (3) straw manning with the assumption that if I am not satisfied with FSD then I should sell like it’s the only criteria I care about, (4) I’m not evaluating the technology compared to its peers I’m evaluating it compared to the CEO of the company who keeps talking about it every effing earnings call and literally said the company is “worthless” if it doesn’t figure out robotaxi level autonomy.

But ya nice quip to harvest like reactions

This is the type of low quality content devoid of insight that lowers the quality of this place with its bunker down mentality. Closer to religious worshipping than critical and constant evaluation of a stock’a investment thesis.

Other company advertise lane keep and charge you but they barely lane keep. Also you are stuck with that awful software for a decade as it doesn't update. Where is that pitch fork?

Also your "logical" point is arguing that the person "shouldn't be excited" from no fsd to fsd because it cannot drive 100m city miles before a critical disengagement...which my position is...okay that's like just your opinion man because different people has different levels of achievement they consider exciting.

 

[Singuy]

Xpeng earnings result of Tesla price cuts most likely.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1661312807860834306

 

[Bobfitz1]

Just wanted to give a little different perspective on the distance from a Service Center (living 3-4 hours from the nearest SC but never needing one yet with our 2018 Model 3). Do potential purchasers generally know about Mobile Service? What is the likelihood that a Tesla needs to go to a SC in the first 2, 5 or 10 years of ownership? Presumably Tesla has that data and, if favourable, could be made known to potential purchasers. Obviously that would not sway everyone to buy a Tesla but it may influence a significant number.

Tesla recommends lubricating the brake caliper pins annually if you live in northern areas where roads are salted. Maybe for those in southern climates every 2 or 3 years is okay. Your SC can advise you. No doubt you can get this done at a tire service center near you that handles brake work. If you want to be certain they lube every spot where a SC tech would your SC will give you the extra details to pass on to the service manager where you take it.

 

[lafrisbee]

Anyways, before being disillusioned by the nonsense i read here…

What I actually came to post about. My wife is a professor at an Ivy League institution and at her departments annual retreat today everyone saw her in our Model 3 and asked about it hahaha. “How does charging work? Oh wow superchargers are that fast?” “Oh I wish I had enough money the Tesla is the first thing I’d get.” I told her to memorize the $37k price point line from now on lol. Driving adoption one conversation at a time

and those are the "intelligent people" in our society.

 

[lafrisbee]

Yah, (1) completely avoiding my incredibly logical point, (2) ignoring the fact that no one else is even trying to sell a consumer FSD package and actually advertises an adas system rather than a $10,000+ option people have been paying for years that’s an inevitable class action lawsuit waiting to happen, (3) straw manning with the assumption that if I am not satisfied with FSD then I should sell like it’s the only criteria I care about, (4) I’m not evaluating the technology compared to its peers I’m evaluating it compared to the CEO of the company who keeps talking about it every effing earnings call and literally said the company is “worthless” if it doesn’t figure out robotaxi level autonomy.

But ya nice quip to harvest like reactions

This is the type of low quality content devoid of insight that lowers the quality of this place with its bunker down mentality. Closer to religious worshipping than critical and constant evaluation of a stock’a investment thesis.

Unfortunately this Messageboard is dominated by humans.
Signed,
Ant

 

[Mengy]

Looks like the debt crisis issue has got the markets scared now, everything is dipping today.

 

[2daMoon]

In this article by Teslarati, they poke fun at how Electrify America is using Tesla Storage to supply their chargers during peak use. This is all well and good and only slightly amusing at best. It seems like a logical choice for them.

What I take issue with is the author's choice to write,
"..., but it does highlight the fact that Tesla’s batteries are reliable enough to be used by one of the Supercharger Network’s largest rivals in the United States."

This is a somewhat dubious statement as there is little rivalry between these charging systems. They don't (for the most part) compete with one another for the same customers, the total charging network is still expanding, and Tesla Superchargers are predominantly Tesla-only chargers (though they have plans to add more CCS slots).

Considering the need for expansion of charging networks into many under-served areas it doesn't seem to me there will be any rivalry for some years to come. It isn't as if you have your choice of charging stations on each corner of a busy intersection like with gas stations.

Oh well, I guess they feel it necessary to add a little drama to their story, even if unrealistic.

 

[Webeevdrivers]

Owned my Tesla for 2 years now. Drove 2+ hours to pick it up.

Haven't been there since. They have added 2 that are a bit closer since I bought it, but I haven't been there either.

I needed one service thing and it was remote. I guess I'm behind on service? I think I need air filters.

Yah. Same here. Our service centre is 5 hours away. We have bought two teslas there and never had to go back. They have been super reliable for us. We had one ranger call where the tech came to the driveway for a minor item (what other company would do that). And our model Y sees hard miles. Of the 20,000 kilometres in the last year over 15000 have been pulling a trailer. We are pretty loyal tesla custumers. Headed out on another long trip in the BC mountains on Monday

 

[Snerruc]

Honestly what’s wrong with bear opinions? I’d rather someone look into supercharger locations to see if that statement is logical or bullshit rather than low effort “oh new member fudding must be false!” Post. Then again don’t expect anything less from @Krugerrand who I don’t believe has ever said anything critical about tesla in her post history.

Maybe if people considered these perspective (instead of laughing off low price targets from JP Morgan and such which were actually hit) then some people would’ve been better positioned for where we are.

He was talking about service centers. He lives in NW Florida. As a fellow Floridian,I believe him. When I lived on the Big Island, it was a 2 day trip by barge to the service center one way. I think that’s still true.

 

[Drumheller]

Before you start salivating, you might want to read more carefully. It was the ridiculous claim that Tesla wouldn’t let the person test drive two different vehicles, an X and a Y, but rather only one of them that I responded to - not the other post about SuperChargers. If you can’t smell the lie in that, then I have a great stock opportunity for you called Nikola Motor. And once a new member posts such a fabrication, anything they post thereafter is immediately suspect for obvious reasons.

it might not be a lie. Last year I was at the newest service center in my area getting some work done on my Y. I still miss the old Model S and was looking at a used Plaid S on the lot. Commented as much to the saleswoman working the room and asked about a test drive. Her answer, "Elon does not allow test drives of the Plaid vehicles. You either buy it or not. " I showed skepticism towards her answer and she affirmed that it was a new policy and that Elon's ego had grown a bit.

Earlier this year I was back there to replace a mirror cover. Didn't see her around. Commented about that experience to my service tech. He looked uncomfortable and told me I should contact "other location" and would be able get my test drive over there.

 

[Krugerrand]

It's not ridiculous. Limiting test drives to one model is a thing that actually happens. Demo vehicles and advisors are a limited resource.
Short notice, unscheduled test drives are also a thing, but we did that long ago (got lucky they had time when we dropped in).
Working the system, if there are two drivers, they might each be able to schedule a drive, but be prepared to be split up.

It is utterly ridiculous. That a person couldn’t or wouldn’t call ahead when they were such a distance away as the OP stated and simply prebook a double slot is beyond ridiculous. It’s not 2013 nor 2018 nor are either of those models new to the market, though one is still in a high demand period which could cause a delay in test driving availability.

And because demo vehicles and advisors can still be a limited resource here’s another thought, one could book a single test drive of the vehicle they’re most leaning toward and come back a month or 6 later and book to test drive the other model.

Or one could book a test drive of one vehicle at one location and book the other vehicle at a different location and simply time such test drives when they’re in the area visiting family, friends or when on vacation, or, or, or. Tesla is not going to stop a person from doing those things.

Obviously, if you just show up there may not be a time slot available or the vehicle you want to test drive available. That happens at dealerships too you know, where at some locations vehicles and salesmen can be a limited resource.

Don’t be a dumb human and not think ahead. Don’t be a dumb, arrogant, entitled human and think you’re somehow special and that anyone is going to drop everything and cater to you because you’re spending some money.

I guarantee I could contact the Tesla location in question and manage to get myself a test drive in both vehicles if they were available by being pleasant, reasonable and understanding. Yes, part of being those things would be to compromise if needs be and maybe not getting the test drives exactly at the times I’d most prefer.

What I don’t do is make my first post on a Tesla enthusiast’s forum about how Tesla won’t let me test drive two vehicles and go on about how much money I’m prepared to spend. That person calls me to book an appointment for anything and instantly my schedule is full from now until you know what freezes over.

 

[JRP3]

I guarantee I could contact the Tesla location in question and manage to get myself a test drive in both vehicles if they were available by being pleasant, reasonable and understanding.

Now that I find hard to believe.

 

[Krugerrand]

it might not be a lie. Last year I was at the newest service center in my area getting some work done on my Y. I still miss the old Model S and was looking at a used Plaid S on the lot. Commented as much to the saleswoman working the room and asked about a test drive. Her answer, "Elon does not allow test drives of the Plaid vehicles. You either buy it or not. " I showed skepticism towards her answer and she affirmed that it was a new policy and that Elon's ego had grown a bit.

Earlier this year I was back there to replace a mirror cover. Didn't see her around. Commented about that experience to my service tech. He looked uncomfortable and told me I should contact "other location" and would be able get my test drive over there.

Right. So it’s not ‘Tesla’. It’s individual locales or individual people at locales. That specification needs to be made. Elon or any other higher up executive would fire such a person you describe on the spot if they knew such behavior was happening.

However, I also know that people who post in the manner as the OP are people who often are unable to get others to be accommodating.

 

[unk45]

Yah. Same here. Our service centre is 5 hours away. We have bought two teslas there and never had to go back. They have been super reliable for us. We had one ranger call where the tech came to the driveway for a minor item (what other company would do that). And our model Y sees hard miles. Of the 20,000 kilometres in the last year over 15000 have been pulling a trailer. We are pretty loyal tesla custumers. Headed out on another long trip in the BC mountains on Monday

View attachment 940630

At the other extreme, my Tesla resides about a two minute walk from the local service center. The last time my Plaid S visited there was in early September 2021 when it was delivered.
My previous Model 3P did not list an SC except for after a friend had an accident driving my car. It never again visited an SC. Obviously these are anecdotes so are not necessarily indicative of Tesla reliability. But...
Warranty Week does a good service by actually comparing per vehicle costs:

Those numbers clearly show Tesla's superior quality control. This chart only compared the two other US owned OEM's. They do have other charts that show many more, but those become a trifle cumbersome to view here. For those who care a search for "Warranty Week" is the quick solution. FWIW, historically most warranty claims happen during the first six months of use, hence are biased to reflect assembly, shipping and dealer prep defects. During Tesla's early years there we common shipping damage problems but these have diminished rapidly due to, essentially, better scale with shippers.

When we discuss Tesla's mobile service, Service Centers and similar issues it si appropriate to understand that the absolute scale of Tesla service facility needs can scale more slowly than it would were not quality so good. We can expect more Service Centers globally, but smaller and less expensive ones that would be needed for other OEMs. It is very logical to expect more stores, more popups, and more Superchargers scaling simply because those three directly help sell products.

As Tesla designs and production processes improve, vehicle design continues to simplify, the trends in the chart above will continue to diverge from other OEM experience.

For context just consider only three things:
-front and rear megacasting, eliminating hundreds of individual parts;
-new automated paint shops, vastly reducing rework;
-structural battery packs, whether Tesla or BYD, both reduce parts counts, simplify assembly;
Every single such item ends out with lower service needs, reduced warranty expense and cheaper build.

All of those things in aggregate allow lower prices, better margins and happier customers.
We should all remember those things as we agonize over issues related to rapid scaling, shouldn't we?