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

[Singuy]

With all of this talk about how to drum up sales via advertisement etc, it got me thinking on the sales impact of more delivery and service centers. Infortunately some of it is out of teslas control (ie delivery centers in NY state)?

For central New Yorkers the nearest SC is 1.5 hours away. That is a deal breaker for many. Also, when buying, the nearest delivery center is 4hrs away (8 hrs round trip), again, a deal breaker for many. People living in western NY (Buffalo) have it even worse as the delivery center is 6-7 hours away (12-14 hours round trip).

Once it’s convneient to do test drives and make purchases, and have a nearby SC, I think sales would dramatically increase. I am assuming Tesla has some data on how this impacts sales and I would be very curious to know.

Maybe this is just a NY state issue?

During an earnings call I think back in 2019? Elon said having a SC within reasonable range is the single biggest contributor to demand.

 

[navguy12]

I am 100% sure every ICE car that drives by a WAWAs has zero clue that there's a supercharger station in the back. Maybe they'll see it when they are trying to vacuum their car. These signs need to be out in the open on major roads.

"Where can I charge the car?" should never be a question someone ask about a Tesla, and yet it's a question I get 100% of the time. I should be hearing "I have been seeing supercharger stations all over town, how fast can your car charge?".

This is the advertising that is needed.

Nobody, outside of Tesla owners and a few other EV owners, have no clue about the superchargers.

 

[Nocturnal]

This is the advertising that is needed.

Nobody, outside of Tesla owners and a few other EV owners, have no clue about the superchargers.

It is funny though that the other charging networks like to claim they have more or at least an equivalent number of locations as Tesla does but I don't think I've ever actually seen one in person. Meanwhile the Tesla chargers are at grocery stores, gas stations like WaWA etc.

 

[hobbes]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1661104305666162688

 

[aronth5]

With all of this talk about how to drum up sales via advertisement etc, it got me thinking on the sales impact of more delivery and service centers. Infortunately some of it is out of teslas control (ie delivery centers in NY state)?

For central New Yorkers the nearest SC is 1.5 hours away. That is a deal breaker for many. Also, when buying, the nearest delivery center is 4hrs away (8 hrs round trip), again, a deal breaker for many. People living in western NY (Buffalo) have it even worse as the delivery center is 6-7 hours away (12-14 hours round trip).

Once it’s convneient to do test drives and make purchases, and have a nearby SC, I think sales would dramatically increase. I am assuming Tesla has some data on how this impacts sales and I would be very curious to know.

Maybe this is just a NY state issue?

Tesla has nothing in Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine although South Burlington VT has approved one.
I know lots of people who won't purchase a Tesla until there is something closer than greater Boston.

 

[jerry33]

thats what the Nav screen is for.

>20,000 miles first year in my LRMY

example:
(it's a bit tight behind the Winn-Dixie grocery store in the Florida Keys on Pine key to put a bill board for one example, and the charger pedestals are quite distinctive so hard to miss, so i demur)

True for most cases, but a few are rather hidden.

 

[Thekiwi]

I like how Fox and Trump ranks worst than FTX and dead last, but no CNN or MSNBC....so are they picking and choosing who is on the 100?

Because it’s a survey on companies that featured in survey responses, and CNN & MSNBC aren’t companies. (CNN is owned by Warner Bros Discovery, MSNBC is owned by comcast.)

People were asked what they considered the best and worst companies, so it’s not a list of the 100 best companies, but more a scale of most respected to least respected well known companies.

As long as method used is the same, the drop in Teslas reputation level in the results was significant, and lends to support to the increasing amount of anecdotes from members of this board of their interactions with acquaintances, friends & family regarding Tesla.

 

[jerry33]

It's just the nature of gas stations being for fast filling gas that prime space is at the front and the parking is at the side or back so you can walk safely to/from the convenience store.

Grocery store chargers can be more much obvious because the subprime parking is closer to the highway. For example here in Central Maine, the Waterville Superchargers are very close to the passing road, so don't need signage, while the Augusta Supercharger is up a hill at the top end of a mall so would would need a sign at the mall entrance.

Paying for visible Supercharger signage where it's not obvious could certainly be a reasonable place to spend marketing money. The risk is letting the haters know where they are.

The new Supercharger location in Abilene, KS cannot be seen from either the road or the grocery store parking lot. It's hidden behind a fence. If not for the Nav system, no one would know it's even there.

 

[loquitur]

Something new and different. For me, anyway.

Just received an email from Tesla. Out of the blue. A satisfaction survey. Subject: "Share Your Tesla Experience". From "Tesla <[email protected]>".

I happen to use Thunderbird and am naturally suspicious. So, did the <CTRL>-U gambit and took a very close look at the source code. Dkim signatures match, it was sent from a Tesla server, and the code in the email sure didn't seem malicious. The antivirus didn't find anything, either. The email wanted me to click a link labeled, "Take the Survey". Careful inspection revealed that the web page it pointed at was hosted on Tesla.com, with no funny alternate characters, either. The email address it was sent to is the address over at Tesla.

Took my life in my hands and clicked on the link. Up popped a web page. Careful checking of the https stuff revealed it really was a Tesla.com address; all the certs matched up. Wow. Not a scammer. How unusual.

Not much of a survey, in some respects. I should have taken a capture. There were, I think, five questions, with the usual n/a, don't-like-to-outstanding buttons to press for each. The below is my rough memory of them:

1. How do you like your Tesla?
2. How do you like the stuff for sale on the web site?
3. Would you buy a Tesla for your next car?
4. Would you recommend a Tesla to somebody else?
5. How could the Tesla experience be improved?

I gave it legit answers. But, for #5, I complained about Musk and his antics. As it happens, I have brother and sister-in-law that are in the market for a BEV and who refuse to consider having anything to do with Tesla, primarily because of Musk's anti-social behavior.

Finished it off and sent it in.

However: The S.O. and I have had Teslas since 2018 and have never received any communique from Tesla like this. the occasional recall notice, sure, but that's government-mandated. We've gotten similar.. marketing? emails from other car companies over the decades, but never from Tesla.

Wonder if this has anything to do with Musk's pledge to begin doing a little advertising. I suppose that if one is actually starting up a marketing department, it makes some sense to find out where one is with one's customers and this survey might be one a sign of that.

There is also the Bloomberg survey for Tesla owners discussed in post #407,228

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

Picked up 50 more (and haven't sold since last purchase)! I'm over budget, but then Cybertruck!!! Just grabbed another 100 with the proceeds from my SBNY puts.

teslamotorsclub.com

and #407,230 here, supposedly crafted by a Tesla-favorable journalist. It was no trouble
for me to give a very favorable rating regarding my 2018 Model 3, and also to give them an
earful in another category best left for the Elon/Twitter thread.

 

[Words of HABIT]

I would look for somewhere with cheap labor. One key ingredient of the 25k mass produced car is cheaper labor. Tesla only looked at China as a possibility before gigaMexico.

From an article written more than two years ago:

Inside Tesla's Crazy AI Manufacturing Revolution | StreetFins®

Tesla’s Gigafactory in Fremont, California is probably one of the most popular car factories in the world. About a decade ago, Tesla was a struggling startup

streetfins.com

"Tesla’s revolutionary car manufacturing process directly results from the company’s choice to avoid the standard methods of other car manufacturers. Instead, the company chose to apply innovative methods to make production as efficient as possible. Tesla has found itself a lovely niche somewhere between being an automotive company and being a tech company. As such, they have revolutionized the way cars are made, potentially setting a new standard for other car manufacturers."

Tesla continues to improve efficiencies in manufacturing. Cheap labour (Canadian spelling) is far less important that having a pool of talented high tech labour, infrastructure (transportation logistics) and a politically stable government with government incentives. This is why Stallantis and Volkswagen both chose Canada for their new respective $3.7B USD and $14.7B USD EV battery plants. That, and the maple syrup.

 

[Andy O]

the sales impact of more delivery and service centers.

And, regarding signage for superchargers,

This is the advertising that is needed.

There is another kind of promotion that should be possible, beneficial, and cheap. Here, as elsewhere, there are Tesla rangers who rent garage space, but there is no signage. The general population is left with the idea that Tesla service is completely unavailable locally.

On a related idea, the nearest delivery centre to me is 800 km (500 miles) away. And there are no superchargers north of my city, and very few non-super chargers. Both these things discourage sales.

I hesitate to advise any one in most of western Canada to buy a Tesla car because trips north of the Trans-Canada highway are too difficult. >> Build more infrastructure, Elon.

 

[FireMedic]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1661104305666162688

Subscribed today. I’ve been waiting for this day…when I can just subscribe, and turn on beta; if it works for me, I keep it. If it doesn’t, I can unsubscribe and wait for a future build.

I really think this could be a major turning point for FSD take rate. I will follow up with what my experience is.

 

[UncaNed]

It's just the nature of gas stations being for fast filling gas that prime space is at the front and the parking is at the side or back so you can walk safely to/from the convenience store.

Grocery store chargers can be more much obvious because the subprime parking is closer to the highway. For example here in Central Maine, the Waterville Superchargers are very close to the passing road, so don't need signage, while the Augusta Supercharger is up a hill at the top end of a mall so would would need a sign at the mall entrance.

Paying for visible Supercharger signage where it's not obvious could certainly be a reasonable place to spend marketing money. The risk is letting the haters know where they are.

In many cases, a couple of simple, double or triple-height extended charging pedestals with the logo at the top would help everyone see exactly where they are at minimal cost to Tesla, just enough so they show up over the tops of vehicles and street signs.

 

[Xepa777]

Home

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www.teslafsdtracker.com

Updates aren't anything to get excited about until this thing starts to go hockey stick.

From Reddit: "There’s 1.37 deaths per 100 million miles driven for human drivers. Tesla has to prove that critical disengagements, assuming this would have led to an accident and fatality without the human backup driver, happen less often. Right now it’s 105 city miles to critical disengagement vs 100 million miles. Tesla has a long way to go."

...yah.

Also random musing, Elon in the earnings call saying a production of the Cybertruck at 250k (depending on "demand") means they're releasing the expensive version first. Very disappointing, but my guess is the price will start high because the 4680 isn't ramped enough yet to get the single motor version out (in the forseeable future like Model Y SR).

Pretty disappointed as basically all the Tesla investors here on TMC were talking about taking it to the F150 with its price point and Elon directly attacking it with spec comparisons. While 10 year future is unchanged, just one more short term disappointment after another.

 

[UncaNed]

During an earnings call I think back in 2019? Elon said having a SC within reasonable range is the single biggest contributor to demand.

You mean a Super Center or do you mean a Service Charger??

 

[nativewolf]

It is funny though that the other charging networks like to claim they have more or at least an equivalent number of locations as Tesla does but I don't think I've ever actually seen one in person. Meanwhile the Tesla chargers are at grocery stores, gas stations like WaWA etc.

Sadly I have to hunt out chargers and I have been surprised by density outside of a few pockets. Electrify America is in many many Walmarts, Sheetz, etc. I would say going down i81 there is a EA every 30-50 miles but PlugShare would tell you better than I can. They are occasionally getting crowded now. This is neat and without Tesla it would never have happened. I have seen two lucid air, a hummer, many e-mustangs , mb, Hyundai, etc. I guess the Hyundai and mustang are the two I have seen the most.

 

[AudubonB]

I can share, without breaking any NDAs at all, where the new Gigafactory is going.

It’s being put in NotAlaska.

You’re welcome.

 

[nativewolf]

With the CT finally coming all we need in Alaska is some dang SCs. CT will be a great vehicle for Alaska in my opinion. One day we'll have one on the farm, I am resigned to that day being 2026+ but one day.

 

[Singuy]

Home

FSD Community Tracker

www.teslafsdtracker.com

Updates aren't anything to get excited about until this thing starts to go hockey stick.

From Reddit: "There’s 1.37 deaths per 100 million miles driven for human drivers. Tesla has to prove that critical disengagements, assuming this would have led to an accident and fatality without the human backup driver, happen less often. Right now it’s 105 city miles to critical disengagement vs 100 million miles. Tesla has a long way to go."

...yah.

Also random musing, Elon in the earnings call saying a production of the Cybertruck at 250k (depending on "demand") means they're releasing the expensive version first. Very disappointing, but my guess is the price will start high because the 4680 isn't ramped enough yet to get the single motor version out (in the forseeable future like Model Y SR).

Pretty disappointed as basically all the Tesla investors here on TMC were talking about taking it to the F150 with its price point and Elon directly attacking it with spec comparisons. While 10 year future is unchanged, just one more short term disappointment after another.

Tesla is in the league of one. No other company has any purchasable car that can even stop at a stop light today, let alone having "105 city miles to disengagement". So maybe you're not grateful or wowed by Tesla's self driving tech, then perhaps you can go find an alternative that doesn't exist.

 

[Nocturnal]

The new Supercharger location in Abilene, KS cannot be seen from either the road or the grocery store parking lot. It's hidden behind a fence. If not for the Nav system, no one would know it's even there.

We can say the same for Abilene itself.

Most of the SCs along I70 are pretty well positioned in terms of visibility at least.