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

[Captkerosene]

comment on the no stalks been driving CT for over a month now

there is absolutely no need for stalks especially turn signals ... no need to even move hand... been driving over 40 years and i don't miss the stalks at all

and i will repeat SBW is game changer ... i find myself unable to drive my MS ...SBW is so tight and more fun to drive

It's almost as big as the invention of power steering. The speed at which you can input control is amazing. Helped me tank turn out of being stuck in snow. Great for avoiding squirrels (or other living things) at low speeds. Will help on icy roads when full control inputs can be needed quickly. Gotta believe the Semi will have it.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

That is superficially true, but irrelevant to the Tesla mission which uses 'sustainable' as the term of reference. They are often equated but never are so equated by me, nor by the visionary J B Straubel, nor by the visionary Elon Musk.

It's not superficially true. It's wholly true. Renewable does not mean sustainable or low impact.
If you mean something else, say something else.

 

[DarkandStormy]

Tesla Cybertruck recalled again, this time over faulty wiper and trim

Cyber dumptruck.

www.theverge.com

Tesla is again issuing a physical recall of its Cybertruck. This time it’s recalling 11,688 of its electric pickups due to a faulty windshield wiper that could reduce visibility for the driver, and 11,383 Cybertrucks due to trim in the truck bed that could come loose and create a road hazard for others.

Tesla recalls all 3,878 Cybertrucks over faulty accelerator pedal

The “Cyberstuck” defect will be fixed at no additional cost to customers.

www.theverge.com

April 17, 2024: The recall impacts “all Model Year (‘MY’) 2024 Cybertruck vehicles manufactured from November 13, 2023, to April 4, 2024,” with the fault estimated to be present in 100 percent of the total 3,878 vehicles. This is essentially every Cybertruck delivered to customers since its launch event last year.

11,688 less the 3,878 vehicles recalled on April 17th means Tesla has produced 7,810 Cybertrucks since April 19th (when CT production resumed), a span of nearly 9.5 weeks. It imputes a 820/week run rate, if, of course, production was level (it almost certainly was not).

April 23rd, Earnings Call:
Lars Moravy -- Vice President, Vehicle Engineering

I can take that one, too. Cybertruck had 1K a week just a couple of weeks ago. This happened in the first four to five months since we SOP late last year.

Tesla produces 1,300 Cybertrucks per week, moving from Foundations Series next quarter

Tesla confirmed that it managed to produce 1,300 Cybertrucks in a week and it is moving from its Foundations Series...

electrek.co

June 14th: Tesla confirmed that it managed to produce 1,300 Cybertrucks in a week and it is moving from its Foundations Series production run next quarter.

So the first or second week of April, they supposedly were producing 1,000/week. Since then, they've averaged ~820/week, while also claiming to hit 1,300/week in the second week of June.

Either they were *very slow* to restart production after the mid-April recall, or the math is off. Just another example of how you can't extrapolate a one-time rate of production that Tesla chooses to share.

 

[Doggydogworld]

11,688 less the 3,878 vehicles recalled on April 17th means Tesla has produced 7,810 Cybertrucks since April 17th, a span of nearly 10 weeks.

3878 was through April 4, 11,688 was through June 6, so 7810 in 9 weeks or 868/week. Tesla's "xxx in a week" is always a surge number, but they know investors love to extrapolate.

 

[AndrewZ]

It’s possible that more than 11,688 Cybertrucks have been produced but after #11,688 they switched from the problematic motor to a mini version of Optimus under the hood watching for rain and turning a little hand crank attached to the wiper.

 

[CitizenKane]

Try steering in the roundabout just using your index finger of your left hand on the top of the left of the wheel. Your thumb will be just above the indicator button you need to press when exiting the roundabout.
It’s only on very small roundabouts where it gets difficult to us this technique.

Thanks, I'll try that!

 

[chillerjt]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1805696971493019773

Smart or not so much

 

[hobbes]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1805696971493019773

 

[uscbucsfan]

Rivian is saved.

 

[hitchhiker]

Intersting. I knew someone would get it at some point, but i figured there'd be a bankruptcy then a buyout.

 

[sunwarriors]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1805696971493019773

Smart or not so much

Their cash flow concerns, that's been an overhang for the stock should probably be quiet for a bit, especially if VW does follow through and invests a bit more. Rivian is "only" valued at $11 billion, a 10% stake now, another $4 billion investment in the future. Not surprising like other's posted, but unlike Fisker, their tech/vehicles seems half decent.

From the reviews I've seen of the gen 2 R1, there is a pretty large reduction in cost. OT: Stock Ionic 5 N up pike's peak pretty insane as well (no thermal issues).

 

[insaneoctane]

Wow. Tesla's SW/firmware infrastructure is SO fresh compared to the competition. Now even Rivian, also a clean sheet startup from this century, will have VW's baggage to deal with.

 

[sunwarriors]

Wow. Tesla's SW/firmware infrastructure is SO fresh compared to the competition. Now even Rivian, also a clean sheet startup from this century, will have VW's baggage to deal with.

It's more like out with the baggage, in with the new:

From the WSJ piece:
"VW said it would invest $2 billion in the creation of a jointly-owned software company that uses Rivian's vehicle technology as the foundation for programs that will go into both automakers' future vehicles in the latter half of the decade."

I remember 1st gen ID.4 SW was horrid, current ones are better, but assume, if they don't screw it up, will just use Rivian tech as that's what the articles state. Still have to execute of course.

 

[SO16]

Wow. Tesla's SW/firmware infrastructure is SO fresh compared to the competition. Now even Rivian, also a clean sheet startup from this century, will have VW's baggage to deal with.

Maybe VW will use Rivian’s software.

The stock market is certainly going gangbusters on the news. I guess ole Gary Black is vindicated after all.

 

[insaneoctane]

Mostly TRUTH. RARE.

Tesla still has one massive leg up on every automaker

• Tesla is building electric vehicles for cheaper than anyone else.
• Lower input costs allow Tesla to set prices lower in a price-sensitive EV market.
• Still, Tesla's price-slashing method has started to show cracks.

Spoiler: Article text

Tesla is building electric vehicles for cheaper than anyone else, and it's giving Elon Musk's car company a leg up even as more competition floods the market.

Tesla's input cost per vehicle — the amount the company spends on components like metal, glass, battery packs, wheels, and tires — averages under $30,000 a vehicle, a new analysis from Bank of America found.

That's $17,000 cheaper than non-Tesla EV component costs and about $10,000 cheaper than the industry average including Tesla, the bank's analysts estimate.

It's cost savings like this that have fed Tesla's bottom line for years, driving industry-leading automotive profit margins that have allowed Musk to essentially control pricing for the EV market — and left competitors racing to catch up.

Even as Tesla's margins shrink and sales slow, the lower input costs keep Musk ahead of his legacy competition. Companies like Ford and GM are relying heavily on their gas-powered profits to fund their electric futures — neither company has turned a profit on its EVs.

Input costs are key drivers for how automakers set individual vehicle prices, so higher input costs will always lead to higher EV prices for consumers, putting anyone other than Tesla at a disadvantage in a price-sensitive green-car market.

Essentially, as long as it still costs Tesla's competition more to build more EVs, these legacy automakers will never win Musk's price war.

That's especially problematic for companies like Ford and GM as wealthy early adopters drop out of the EV market and are replaced by more frugal and practical green-car shoppers.

Still, Tesla's price-slashing method is starting to show some cracks.

The EV-industry leader is finally starting to feel the pressure of a slowdown in EV-segment growth, reporting disappointing sales and earnings in the first quarter of this year.

Tesla is expected to report June delivery numbers, a closely watched metric by investors, shortly after July 1.

Source : Tesla still has one massive leg up on every automaker

 

[uscbucsfan]

It's more like out with the baggage, in with the new:

From the WSJ piece:
"VW said it would invest $2 billion in the creation of a jointly-owned software company that uses Rivian's vehicle technology as the foundation for programs that will go into both automakers' future vehicles in the latter half of the decade."

I remember 1st gen ID.4 SW was horrid, current ones are better, but assume, if they don't screw it up, will just use Rivian tech as that's what the articles state. Still have to execute of course.

The rumor is that Rivian will use the money to build their GA plant and the Scout will be built by them, but it's just a rumor.

 

[Thekiwi]

I went to a family reunion a few weeks ago and my one cousin brought her new Subaru Solterra. Along with my Model Y we were the only two EV's there.

At one point a group formed around us and we got lots of questions about our EV's. It quickly became very obvious that my MY was better than her Solterra. Faster charging for the MY, I've had no issues charging on road trips while she's had tons of issues with Electrify America, the MY gets like a third more range than hers does, she's had software issues where I haven't, her navigation is crappy while mine works wonderfully, etc.

What surprised me the most though was how shocked the Solterra owner was to hear how good my MY was. She had no idea whatsoever that Tesla's were that much better than the Solterra. I was dumbfounded that an EV owner had not done their homework before buying an EV, she simply traded her Forester in for a Subaru EV and never bothered to look into it any further. In fact she had only heard BAD things about Tesla's. Poor quality, too expensive, bad customer support, very dangerous due to Autopilot and FSD, etc.

FUD works, and even today many people do not know the realities of EV's, even other EV owners sadly enough.

If only there was an information delivery method that would enable Tesla to fight these misconceptions to educate the mass market about their products.

(Other automakers and their dealers spend $30 Billion+ annually in North America alone on advertising).

 

[larmor]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1805696971493019773

Well at least Rivian won't have to worry about those pesky fuel economy and emissions testing...

 

[AndrewZ]

I’d expect the after hours reaction on Rivian to fade tomorrow, who knows what the stock market will do of course but

The stock being up $5b in market cap on a $5b investment w/ dilution and joint venture, I don’t know if that makes much sense

 

[Doggydogworld]

I’d expect the after hours reaction on Rivian to fade tomorrow, who knows what the stock market will do of course but

The stock being up $5b in market cap on a $5b investment w/ dilution and joint venture, I don’t know if that makes much sense

Rivian market cap barely exceeded their cash balance due to significant survival risk, now alleviated.