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

[Sean Wagner]

Let me now when I can sign up for this in Iceland! (Just got home from a photography trip to Iceland, what a beautifull country! Can’t wait to go back!)

Should include a warning to potential visitors, though: the sheer mass of people walking around in parrot costumes can at times be overwhelming, especially in the megacities. I do wonder how this got started.

Oh yes, a useful contribution. I only recently discovered the German Handelsblatt now features a dedicated online EV magazine: Edison - Die Heimat der Generation E

While there's a manager-magazin article from Feb 18th that delves into the nitty gritty of VW's budding Zwickau EV factory. It's evident that things are a-move. Thousands of people need retraining, and they're installing 1'700 new robot arms. Three excerpts:
...
Erst einmal wird es in Zwickau sowieso nicht einfacher – sondern deutlich komplizierter. Sechs verschiedene Modelle sollen auf den zwei neuen Linien gefertigt werden: der kompakte ID, das SUV-Coupé ID Crozz sowie ein weiterer VW, zwei Elektro-Audi und ein Elektro-Seat. Diese Komplexität nötigt selbst erfahrenen Automanagern Respekt ab. Einen „horrenden Steuerungsaufwand“ erwartet Reinhard de Vries (57), Geschäftsführer von VW Sachsen. „Das wird ganz anders laufen, als wir es heute kennen.“
...
Wie schnell im Werk produziert werden muss, damit die Gewinnschwelle erreicht wird, will der Geschäftsführer nicht sagen. Mit den ersten Elektromodellen von VW werde zwar kein Geld verdient, sagt de Vries. Aber: „Sie sind eine Investition in die Zukunft.“ Durch die Bündelungseffekte könne man dann schnell ans Geld kommen. „Das ist das, worin VW stark ist.“ Und zum Glück werde auch die Sofware immer intelligenter. „Sie hilft den Mitarbeitern.“
...
Immer wieder gelangen Industriezweige durch Innovationen an Wendepunkte. Durch die fortschreitende Digitalisierung und Automatisierung stehen fast alle Branchen derzeit vor grundlegenden Herausforderungen. Die Situation bei VW sei aber außergewöhnlich, sagt Britta Matthes (45), Leiterin der Forschungsgruppe Berufliche Arbeitsmärkte beim Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB) in Nürnberg. „Was sich sonst sukzessive in einer Industrie verändert, muss jetzt auf einmal passieren.“ ...
...
Source: Wie Volkswagen in Zwickau die erste Fabrik für Elektroautos baut

Briefest synopsis of the excerpts:
Six different models will eventually be procuded on the two lines. [!]
VW will not be making any money with its first EVs according to the plant [?] manager.
External researcher saying that this is an inflection point where everything has to happen at once.

One more:
China's IC sales have been negative for months. Nice graphic in the following article from Bloomberg New Energy:
Bullard: Dispelling the Myths of China's EV Market | Bloomberg NEF

 

[Unpilot]

I really hope someone makes a decent electric RV (ERV? REV?) soon. Maybe if the Mercedes Tesla collaboration happens we’ll see conversion vans.

Tesla Pick-up Pulling a 5th wheel trailer with Solar and a used tesla battery for energy....all electric RV heaven.

 

[Words of HABIT]

Fully charged tested the E-tron. Conclusion: Too heavy and too uninspired to drive with too short range. Love how the Audi spokesman try too answer the question of cars produced per year. It's at 21 minutes in the video. "Eeh uhm not 10k uhm only efficient if uhm maybe eeh 100k. Eeh uhm."

start at 24min:15sec "Is it (E-tron) exciting? Not really. Not really." (reviewers double talk for emphasis)

 

[kbM3]

Reliability and owner satisfaction can often be at opposites.

Owner satisfaction encompasses reliability as one of the aspects. The same group of Tesla owners that documented the minor reliability problems are the ones who voted the car most satisfying.

I.e. the owners are smart enough to realize that the minor aspects of paint issues, panel gaps, an initial screen problem immediately fixed, are smart enough to realize those things are very small issues easily outweighed by owning a car that’s got better performance than BMW, with 2 1/2 times the efficiency of a Prius, while being safer than a Volvo, and is the only car in its class that improves over time.

The question is why CR just assumed the owners don’t really know what they want?

 

[Tslynk67]

Some photos from Toronto International Auto Show
Tesla Booth:
View attachment 380013
Toyota Murai (facepalm)
View attachment 380014
Kia Niro
View attachment 380015
Jaguar I Pace
View attachment 380018

Wow, you can hardly see the Murai for the crowds of people round it...

 

[Hock1]

Should include a warning to potential visitors, though: the sheer mass of people walking around in parrot costumes can at times be overwhelming, especially in the megacities. I do wonder how this got started.

Oh yes, a useful contribution. I only recently discovered the German Handelsblatt now features a dedicated online EV magazine: Edison - Die Heimat der Generation E

While there's a manager-magazin article from Feb 18th that delves into the nitty gritty of VW's budding Zwickau EV factory. It's evident that things are a-move. Thousands of people need retraining, and they're installing 1'700 new robot arms. Three excerpts:
...
Erst einmal wird es in Zwickau sowieso nicht einfacher – sondern deutlich komplizierter. Sechs verschiedene Modelle sollen auf den zwei neuen Linien gefertigt werden: der kompakte ID, das SUV-Coupé ID Crozz sowie ein weiterer VW, zwei Elektro-Audi und ein Elektro-Seat. Diese Komplexität nötigt selbst erfahrenen Automanagern Respekt ab. Einen „horrenden Steuerungsaufwand“ erwartet Reinhard de Vries (57), Geschäftsführer von VW Sachsen. „Das wird ganz anders laufen, als wir es heute kennen.“
...
Wie schnell im Werk produziert werden muss, damit die Gewinnschwelle erreicht wird, will der Geschäftsführer nicht sagen. Mit den ersten Elektromodellen von VW werde zwar kein Geld verdient, sagt de Vries. Aber: „Sie sind eine Investition in die Zukunft.“ Durch die Bündelungseffekte könne man dann schnell ans Geld kommen. „Das ist das, worin VW stark ist.“ Und zum Glück werde auch die Sofware immer intelligenter. „Sie hilft den Mitarbeitern.“
...
Immer wieder gelangen Industriezweige durch Innovationen an Wendepunkte. Durch die fortschreitende Digitalisierung und Automatisierung stehen fast alle Branchen derzeit vor grundlegenden Herausforderungen. Die Situation bei VW sei aber außergewöhnlich, sagt Britta Matthes (45), Leiterin der Forschungsgruppe Berufliche Arbeitsmärkte beim Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB) in Nürnberg. „Was sich sonst sukzessive in einer Industrie verändert, muss jetzt auf einmal passieren.“ ...
...
Source: Wie Volkswagen in Zwickau die erste Fabrik für Elektroautos baut

Briefest synopsis of the excerpts:
Six different models will eventually be procuded on the two lines. [!]
VW will not be making any money with its first EVs according to the plant [?] manager.
External researcher saying that this is an inflection point where everything has to happen at once.

One more:
China's IC sales have been negative for months. Nice graphic in the following article from Bloomberg New Energy:
Bullard: Dispelling the Myths of China's EV Market | Bloomberg NEF

Meanwhile, AFAIK, there has been no plan forthcoming from VW to deal with the 300K+ diesel ICEs that are rotting away in lots across the US. It's been over 3 years now. Far too long to repurpose. And then this:

VW Dieselgate woes continue after German court decision | Autocar

Ouch!

 

[Chickenlittle]

[QUOTE="
One more:
China's IC sales have been negative for months. Nice graphic in the following article from Bloomberg New Energy:
Bullard: Dispelling the Myths of China's EV Market | Bloomberg NEF[/QUOTE]
Funny article states only 118% growth in percentage of new electric cars in China from 2011 to now. They should have measured from 2016 to now

 

[larmor]

Wow, you can hardly see the Murai for the crowds of people round it...

Clearly it is a quantum mechanical model where one cannot fix both time and space for the people circulating around the murai...

 

[KarenRei]

Meanwhile, AFAIK, there has been no plan forthcoming from VW to deal with the 300K+ diesel ICEs that are rotting away in lots across the US. It's been over 3 years now. Far too long to repurpose. And then this:

VW Dieselgate woes continue after German court decision | Autocar

Ouch!

IMHO, anyone who has long-term investments in VW right now is an idiot. It's great that the company is so motivated by EVs all of the sudden, but its finances are a minefield.

 

[avoigt]

Tesla Reliability: Consumer Reports, Your Wrong!

 

[KarenRei]

Tesla Reliability: Consumer Reports, Your Wrong!

"Your wrong"?

 

[ggr]

"Your wrong"?

One could argue that CR "owns" the "wrong".

 

[SunCatcher]

One could argue that CR "owns" the "wrong".

"My right, your wrong"
"I'm right, you're wrong"

 

[KarenRei]

At least it's not as bad as people who spell lose "loose" (aka, "loosers" )

 

[VValleyEV]

Someone rated this post as funny - it is not. It is frustrating as hell that we have people THIS ignorant on earth!

Yes, very un-funny that the guy at the top of AutoTrader and Kelly Blue book is so astoundingly clueless about EVs.

 

[CorneliusXX]

I guess a problem with a semi home is, where do you park them. Places with such a huge parking spot is rare.

Also, are there actually advantages with an ev semi in this setup? No need for gas hookup. AC with no fumes. Not really enough advantages.

Anyway, here's how I am planning to live in my retirement.

Semi, self-driving on a highway by itself. Half of it is a garage for my roadster and the other half is a cozy living area.

Picture me, driving up behind in my red roadster after meeting up for coffee with my friend in vegas and the semi open up the back to slide down a ramp so the roadster can self park into the garage. I unwind and check the map for more places to explore.

Weekend OT

That sounds like a great lifestyle. Autonomous vehicles and advances in communication do seem to open up endless questions around future realestate valuations. Why would someone get a house worth more than (say) $1m when they can live a wonderful life on the road for a much lower cost - seeing the world while staying in contact with family.

The shoeboxes being sold for several hundred thousand £ in London are a much worse lifestyle than an autonomous semi cruising around the country with a sweet roadster to take you into town when the need arises.

I think there is a non-zero chance of the advent of this tech causing a massive restructure of society with high cost of living cities being particularly badly hit as people realise there is a better option than a 30 year mortgage on a property that does not provide substantial quality of life.

 

[mongo]

One could argue that CR "owns" the "wrong".

Your fault.
Your article.
Your mistake.
Your wrong.
You're would mean 'you are wrong', unless it is also a contraction of 'you were wrong'. Thus possibly being an observation of them as an entity (depending on the strength of the linking to the previous topic. 'Regarding Tesla, you are wrong.')

And if I'm off on this, 'my bad'. (But I'm not bad in general, just at separating language from logic)

 

[jerry33]

Your fault.
Your article.
Your mistake.
Your wrong.
You're would mean 'you are wrong', unless it is also a contraction of 'you were wrong'. Thus possibly being an observation of them as an entity (depending on the strength of the linking to the previous topic. 'Regarding Tesla, you are wrong.')

And if I'm off on this, 'my bad'. (But I'm not bad in general, just at separating language from logic)

You're not wrong, but "your wrong" can mean "the wrong done is yours". It depends upon the context whether it's a typo or intentional.

 

[Causalien]

Weekend OT

That sounds like a great lifestyle. Autonomous vehicles and advances in communication do seem to open up endless questions around future realestate valuations. Why would someone get a house worth more than (say) $1m when they can live a wonderful life on the road for a much lower cost - seeing the world while staying in contact with family.

The shoeboxes being sold for several hundred thousand £ in London are a much worse lifestyle than an autonomous semi cruising around the country with a sweet roadster to take you into town when the need arises.

I think there is a non-zero chance of the advent of this tech causing a massive restructure of society with high cost of living cities being particularly badly hit as people realise there is a better option than a 30 year mortgage on a property that does not provide substantial quality of life.

I've been imagining this since model S. A future where drivers are not needed. What makes sense. What kind of cost can be cut by this new tech.

Using a semi is probably the ultimate luxury end of this lifestyle.CCurrently it is not possible as tge truck driver will intrude on your family and privacy. And driving it yourself is very tiresome.

I already got the interior style picked out too:

Trove - Luxury Auto Storage Condominiums

The detroit one.

 

[Navin]

Cmon shorts - your boring the longs into fights on grammars. Shirley - ewe can do butter