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

[lafrisbee]

I didn't order a palid+, but I damn sure feel they should be thrown a bone to anyone that did...

 

[Krugerrand]

Last week I mentioned how the front under-fairing of my P Model 3 had become damaged last winter by running it over snow plow debris at the end of my driveway and/or travelling primitive mountain roads with limited ground clearance. It was finally ripped mostly off from aerodynamic forces at 145 mph in a flapping mess. I assumed with parts and labor this would cost significant money to repair.

On Monday I checked my local Service Center for available appointments and saw they had a whole bunch of open service slots starting Wednesday mid-day. With the volume of cars Tesla has been selling in Washington, I take this as an indicator of the reliability of these cars. I didn't know if they had the necessary under-fairing component but decided to make an appointment for yesterday and see what would happen. Sure enough, they confirmed my appointment for Wednesday mid-day!

I can tell you I had a very pleasant service experience. Even after owning two Tesla for 3 years we have very limited experience with Service Centers and I was a little apprehensive having read forum stories about huge wait times, high prices and out of stock parts, shipping lead times, etc. But the Service Center exuded a vibe of happiness with various employees buzzing about, I was greeted and checked in in a most pleasant manner. I was told this kind of repair shouldn't take long and decided to wait. I was pleased to discover they had a simple but pleasant waiting area with plenty of natural light and a water dispenser.

After a while an employee found me in the waiting area and used his tablet to bring up a photo of the underside of my car and explained the fairing mount had been bent from impact but they could install the new fairing and they could replace the bent part at a later date if I liked. After I indicated I understood he added that he probably wouldn't bother replacing it.

The big surprise is when they sent me on my way an hour and a half after arrival, with new fairing parts installed and a bill of $0.00! Because the damage was obviously caused by impact, I was really surprised there were no charges for parts and labor. They also replaced a trunk liner clip that mobile service must have broken when they replaced my water damaged trunk button in my carport a few months ago. At a traditional dealership there is no way this would be considered a goodwill repair but this guy acted like he was really pleased to be able to provide such service at no charge and to spread goodwill in the world. A night and day difference from a dealership experience!

I shared this experience because it is one more example of how the negative Tesla stories and my actual first-hand experiences are like two completely different movies! The best part was I met a nice gentleman my age named Lorne in the waiting area who was preparing to take delivery of his first Tesla ever, a black Dual Motor Model 3. He had a two and a half hour drive ahead of him as he had to drive into lower B.C. to get to his home in Point Roberts, WA, a small community of barely 1000 residents, so I was able to give him a few new owner tips and the pleasant conversation caused the time to fly by far too quickly. He wasn't well versed in all things Tesla, of course, but he did comment that he liked "the way Tesla did business" and he referred to all the car lots filled with unsold cars at traditional dealerships and how inefficient that business model seemed. He had learned that Tesla were good cars because there are a couple of Tesla owners in Pt. Roberts that had educated him.

The delivery specialist came by to tell Lorne his new car was ready and she enthusiastically and genuinely commented that she loved to see Tesla owners talking with one another! She's right, in the Ford Service waiting area I typically observe everyone, myself included, meekly keeping to themselves as they quietly worry about how much the "damage" will be! I let Lorne know I thought he was in for a treat and to enjoy his trip home in his new ride!

But did you tell him to buy the stock?!

I am of the opinion that each makes out of an experience what they put into it and what they want. A miserable, unhappy person will have a miserable, unhappy experience regardless of red carpet treatment, there will be something to complain about.

Having read hundreds of your posts, unless you’re a real good liar that can keep up a consistent facade, there was no chance you’d have had a ‘bad’ experience even if your out-of-pocket expense was high, the water warm, the waiting room cold, and Lorne a crotchety old man.

You simply don’t appear to me to work in a constant state of negativity but rather a consistently positive one. So to have a ‘bad’ experience would have required something extraordinarily disastrous.

 

[SarahsDad]

Looks like early plaid+ orders will not have to pay the recent $10K price hike...

View attachment 674467

Very interesting. As a dejected early Plaid reservation holder (which evolved into the Plaid +), I was ready to hold out for a real Plaid +, even if that meant waiting until 2023. But with the $10K “discount”, I’m ready to pull the trigger on a Plaid now. Smart decision by Elon to pull sales forward.

 

[Nocturnal]

I didn't order a palid+, but I damn sure feel they should be thrown a bone to anyone that did...

I'm not sure of the details on that. My + reservation is still in my account and they called me last week to see if I wanted to convert to plaid. I get the feeling this might be more about Tesla's notorious lack of communication vs over charging buyers.

Edit, well there we go. I really don't need any more motivation to upgrade.

i dont understand how that man has time to run multiple businesses, let alone respond to all the trolls on the interwebz.

It's a dumb comment anyway. Automatic transmissions own drag racing. They do everything they can to get their cars to be as consistent as possible. Sure, manual cars are fun, but don't tell me speed doesn't matter.

 

[Prunesquallor]

What’s up with the SP today? No MMD, no afternoon walk down? Is the Shorting Machine™ broken? Better get it fixed by tomorrow!

 

[Oil4AsphaultOnly]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1405594337300213760

Can someone popular reply to the original twit with:
"So in other words, tune/drive something slower to be less slow?"

 

[capster]

Sure, if Superchargers are opened up to some other brands, there will probably be a few initial bugs or kinks that will need to be worked out for each new entrant. But I also think Tesla simply has better talent when it comes to interpreting specs and writing conforming code. They have a culture that lends itself to getting the job done well.

Also, Tesla, as the owner of the network, has the right to support only a narrow range of specifications to get the job done in the most efficient manner. No doubt, brands that want their cars to be compatible with Superchargers will have to make certain accommodations. Yes, multiple standards exist, including the Supercharging standard. There is no rule that says Tesla must accommodate every standard. It will be up to other manufacturers to agree to Tesla's (probably reasonable) requirements. In other words, Tesla will accommodate when it makes sense to accommodate, and require those joining to conform when it makes sense for them to conform.

The de-facto owner of the network, Tesla, enters into these agreements from a position of strength. Having said all this, I really don't see joining the Supercharger network as compatible with legacy manufacturer's goals of selling as many ICE vehicles as possible before no one will buy them. Because it would cause them to become a new source of revenue for the building out of new DC fast-charging locations more rapidly. They would only do that once they actually intended to make a rapid switch to EV's only. Legacy makers really are between a rock and a hard place in so many ways it's not even funny. Considering that none of them have truly visionary leadership, it makes no sense that their share prices are as high as they are.

Tesla might set a minimum threshold on the size of a competitor’s EV sales, e.g. 500K to 1M per year, for those EV’s to be allowed to share the network. The objective being to show that the competitor is serious enough about EV’s for it to be worthwhile for Tesla to share.

Since most ICEmakers only want to sell compliance EV’s and take whatever wind out of Tesla’s sails as they collectively can, it makes no sense for Tesla to help them when their volumes are low.

 

[StealthP3D]

But did you tell him to buy the stock?!

I am of the opinion that each makes out of an experience what they put into it and what they want. A miserable, unhappy person will have a miserable, unhappy experience regardless of red carpet treatment, there will be something to complain about.

Having read hundreds of your posts, unless you’re a real good liar that can keep up a consistent facade, there was no chance you’d have had a ‘bad’ experience even if your out-of-pocket expense was high, the water warm, the waiting room cold, and Lorne a crotchety old man.

You simply don’t appear to me to work in a constant state of negativity but rather a consistently positive one. So to have a ‘bad’ experience would have required something extraordinarily disastrous.

Well, you only live once, so yes, I tend to be a positive person. Only an idiot would not have the most fun they can manage and try to make the best out of any situation.

But I take the servicing of vehicles pretty seriously and I can't tell you how common it is for me to have bad experiences at local dealerships and even Les Schwab. Les Schwab, three different Ford dealerships, Mazda dealership who blatantly lied to me and tried to rip me off, a VW/Jeep/Chrysler dealership that used a Chrystler Service checklist to do the scheduled maintenance on my VW Eurovan and acted like that was a perfectly reasonable thing to do since they are both cars (even though they have different service intervals). I could go on for four pages.

My point is, it difficult to get competent and reasonable service and I do expect that and I don't expect it to be cheap. So, no, if I was treated like I'm accustomed to at other auto shops I would not be writing anything but a scathing review.

I thought about recommending the stock or asking if he had any but I guessed he wasn't a big stock investor and there were much more interesting things to talk about. Probably best to let him enjoy his delivery day without filling his head with thoughts of stocks!

 

[Drumheller]

i dont understand how that man has time to run multiple businesses, let alone respond to all the trolls on the interwebz.

Everybody has toilet time.

 

[ZeApelido]

Everybody has toilet time.

Give the man more fiber and Twitter revenues might plummet.

 

[ByeByeJohnny]

One of the Swedish players in Euro 2020 (being played right now) had an electric car back home catch fire yesterday. Plenty of articles in the papers. Called an electric car throughout every story. Several times in each article.

Here's one in the largest newspaper in the country.

Sebastian Larsson om dramat: ”Tacksam att mina tjejer är oskadda”

Finally found a picture with additional text that mentioned it was a BMW (presumably i3).

I wonder if BMW spends more on ads than Tesla?

Edit: Apparently it was a BMW X5 hybrid.

 

[Mokuzai]

You're spending $130K on a car and you're worried about losing free supercharging? That's worth maybe $200 a year. You can get the fastest car in the world right now... go for it! You can always trade it in for a roadster in a year or two.

Ya, I'm not pretending it makes sense. It's a weird psychological thing to want to hold onto. Now that it seems like it'll be possible to get the price before the $10k increase it's something to consider. I also had FSD locked in at $8k but also curious on how the subscription will be priced. Anyway the spec I want (white/white/carbon fiber) isn't available until August so have some time to mull it over.

 

[Duffer]

The ‘Tesla economist’ who I believe is an excellent follow believes for a variety of sound reasons that the plaid S HAS the 4680’s. As you said; time will tell.

I do agree with him that 1) due to the proximity to the Kato Road facility…2) the delayed release of the plaid S, and 3)…the complication of building the model S with a different battery and then having to convert the whole line to later accept the 4680 would not fit the Tesla business model that we have come to know and love.

I'm not convinced certainly; but I know some have ruled it out; and I think this may be a fools errand.

Regarding the bolded.

Except the 4680's are, per Battery Day, structural which would necessitate converting the line. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't heard anything about the the equipment needed to form a structural center section for the Model "S" and there hasn't been any scrap center section castings seen. Therefore, an upgraded 18650 is the most probable cell being used.

 

[insaneoctane]

Auto Journalist Jason Cammisa on the Plaid

Verdict Tesla Model S Plaid: Sorry, S-Class, your reign is over.

Tesla has released basically no info on the Plaid except 1020 hp and < 1.99 seconds 0-60. I can verify that it’s easily the fastest car in the world. Ever. Of all time. With nothing else close.

I banged off a 2.14-second 0-60 with a VBox. With a passenger. With the A/C blasting. With only 63% battery. After climbing a mountain.

I have no doubt the magazines will see sub-2-second runs. But that’s not the big deal: the big deal is that the speed doesn’t relent. The #Plaid Model S pulls as hard from 100 mph as a Model 3 Performance does from 30.

It just. Doesn’t. Stop. Pulling.

You’d be a fool to race one of these, full stop.

But it’s not a Hellcat: this is no one-trick pony. The new interior is a genuinely huge improvement, combining the best of the Model 3/Y UX with some great new features and the fastest-responding screen I’ve ever seen.

The yoke? NBD if you normally drive with your hands at 9 and 3 — until you go to park the thing. Then, you grab for the rim that’s not there. Gimmick.

Auto-gear selection worked way better than I expected on my short test drive.

Highway cruising is obscenely quiet - and the ride is incredible. Those are most certainly magnetic dampers to give the level of control and adjustability they do. (See the screen.) Criticism: a little too much spring for the dampers, so the ride gets flinty over bumps in its most aggressive setting. But that’s nitpicking. This is a hell of a luxury sedan.

Handling is way improved. Great body control, some understeer. Aggressive ESC that you really want with this level of power — but I’d want it off for track. On slow mountain roads, you don’t feel any torque-vectoring from the rear, but you do get torque-steer up front through the yoke.

The seats are supportive and the rear is no longer a park bench. This car had not one squeak or rattle.

Judged as a Chiron-beatingly fast, everyday luxury car, I must say with apologizes to Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz, and every automaker on the planet: good luck catching up. You’ll need it.

And at $130k nobody has a chance.

Jason Cammisa on Instagram: "Verdict Tesla Model S Plaid: Sorry, S-Class, your reign is over. Tesla has released basically no info on the Plaid except 1020 hp and < 1.99 seconds 0-60. I can verify that it’s easily the fastest car in the world. Ever

12K likes, 883 comments - jasoncammisa on June 16, 2021: "Verdict Tesla Model S Plaid: Sorry, S-Class, your reign is over. Tesla has released basically no info on the Plaid except 1020 hp and <..."

www.instagram.com

This^^^

This review reads exactly like I imagined a Plaid review ought to read. So nice to have it materialize. So rewarding to read about the non-relenting power, “It just. Doesn’t. Stop. Pulling.” (which matches the insane power curve shared during the delivery event). “You’d be a fool to race one of these, full stop.”…that’s true for most Teslas, but SO SO true for the Plaid. “And at $130k nobody has a chance.” I feel vindicated. Elon and Tesla must too, only x100!

 

[M|S|M MYP]

This^^^

This review reads exactly like I imagined a Plaid review ought to read. So nice to have it materialize. So rewarding to read about the non-relenting power, “It just. Doesn’t. Stop. Pulling.” (which matches the insane power curve shared during the delivery event). “You’d be a fool to race one of these, full stop.”…that’s true for most Tesla’s, but SO SO true for the Plaid. “And at $130k nobody has a chance.” I feel vindicated. Elon and Tesla must too, only x100!

YES! From what i got out of your post....$TSLA is going to x100! Convince me i am wrong!

 

[Duffer]

Market is too stupid to realize there's no room for F and GM to grow. The more money they "invest" in EV, the worse their 10-K is going to look. There's no upsides in growth or gross margin in store for them. Only downhill from here.

Unfortunately, the Market won't change their tune even when it's government bail out money that is being "invested".

 

[M|S|M MYP]

PSA: Parents...please do not raise your kids to be like this guy:

 

[M|S|M MYP]

Where do they get all this extra $$??

Ford to pay $495 mln to Brazilian state of Bahia -report

Ford Motor (F.N) will pay roughly 2.5 billion reais ($495 million) to the state of Bahia after deciding to close its plants in Brazil, newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported on Thursday.

www.reuters.com

 

[Tes La Ferrari]

I am experiencing deeply conflicted emotions now that the first 1/2 of my avatar has defeated the last 1/2; in a drag race.


From Motor Trend:

"With an air of anticipation, we lined up the Model S Plaid for its acceleration tests and waited impatiently as the car spent the next 10 minutes or so readying itself in Drag Strip mode. The times to beat in order to be the quickest production car we've ever tested: 0-60 mph in 2.28 seconds, achieved in 2017 at the same track with a Model S P100D Ludicrous+, and a quarter-mile run of 9.74 seconds at 148.5 mph, done in 2015 in a Ferrari LaFerrari."


I now know what Nikola Tesla must have felt as he rolled in his grave; when Nikola was suing Tesla.

 

[Discoducky]

“It just. Doesn’t. Stop. Pulling.”

...lap after lap after lap after lap. Once I hear this, I'll most likely mash the order button. I really wanted the extra range for full track days, but maybe if get more superchargers this becomes less of an issue.