TeslaVets cammo Model S

[Red Sage]

So, to review:

• The car is a customized Model S that belongs to Tesla Motors, noting that they have a focus toward employing Veterans of the armed services
• Many Americans are really concerned about retaining their right to bear arms
• Some Europeans are indoctrinated about Military Service in a completely different manner than is taught in the US
• Way too many people in the US who are mentally unstable have direct access to firearms
• The whole point of the #TeslaVets promotion is to pay homage to the people who served their country, not necessarily the military might itself
• I can't wait to see an ECTO-1 Model X!

 

[ecarfan]

Model 3"?, Model x ?

At TMC Connect yesterday, for Tesla VP of Production Josh Ensign's presentation, his first slide showed a photo of the "Vet" car being discussed here. He is a former US military logistics officer, and he still looks like an officer (close cut hair, military bearing, no nonsense goal-focused demeanor). I suspect that he had something to do with the Vet car. Seemed like a nice guy, gave an interesting presentation about Tesla production.
He said Tesla was experimenting with "High Speed Blow Forming" using hot air to shape aluminum panels. The new production Line 2 initially will be X production only for the first few days but it will also build S very early on. The new North Paint Shop line is under construction and will eventually handle all cars, at least 500,000 vehicles annually, it will start painting its first vehicle in early August. Will recycle all water used in painting, highly efficient, 190 robots.
He said the X has about 25% "more content" than the S. Line 2 speed will increase by 90% over Line 1 because it will use even more robots. Tesla is driving towards more vertical integration so that takes up space in Fremont. Seemed to imply that in the future when Line 3 is built out for Model 3 production there will be no more room in the factory. He was asked if the 3 would use aluminum panels like the S and he only said that they were evaluating a number of possibilities.

 

[Saghost]

At TMC Connect yesterday, for Tesla VP of Production Josh Ensign's presentation, his first slide showed a photo of the "Vet" car being discussed here. He is a former US military logistics officer, and he still looks like an officer (close cut hair, military bearing, no nonsense goal-focused demeanor). I suspect that he had something to do with the Vet car. Seemed like a nice guy, gave an interesting presentation about Tesla production.
He said Tesla was experimenting with "High Speed Blow Forming" using hot air to shape aluminum panels. The new production Line 2 initially will be X production only for the first few days but it will also build S very early on. The new North Paint Shop line is under construction and will eventually handle all cars, at least 500,000 vehicles annually, it will start painting its first vehicle in early August. Will recycle all water used in painting, highly efficient, 190 robots.
He said the X has about 25% "more content" than the S. Line 2 speed will increase by 90% over Line 1 because it will use even more robots. Tesla is driving towards more vertical integration so that takes up space in Fremont. Seemed to imply that in the future when Line 3 is built out for Model 3 production there will be no more room in the factory. He was asked if the 3 would use aluminum panels like the S and he only said that they were evaluating a number of possibilities.

I think I sense an answer here... In another thread, someone was told that there weren't going to be any tours the week of 8 August. There was also something about the second line starting in early august I believe.

Now the new paint shop will start that week, too - and line 2 will build the Model X first. So suddenly I'm thinking Model X production will start the week of 8 August. Now they just have to get around to revealing it for us...
Walter

 

[ecarfan]

I think I sense an answer here... In another thread, someone was told that there weren't going to be any tours the week of 8 August. There was also something about the second line starting in early august I believe. Now the new paint shop will start that week, too - and line 2 will build the Model X first. So suddenly I'm thinking Model X production will start the week of 8 August.

I suspect that is about right. NOTE: Line 1 will not build the X, and the implication was that for however long the current Line 1 is in use it will only build the S. Line 2 is where all X's will be built but that line will also build S's if needed.

 

[Saghost]

I suspect that is about right. NOTE: Line 1 will not build the X, and the implication was that for however long the current Line 1 is in use it will only build the S. Line 2 is where all X's will be built but that line will also build S's if needed.

Which is interesting, because my expectation would have been that the overall demand for the X will continue to be stronger than the S even after the current backlog is worked off. Maybe Tesla thinks differently? Maybe they expect to upgrade Line 1 as soon as they have the X in full production on Line 2?

Unless they think they'll have trouble ramping X production rates, I'm not sure why they'd need the ability to produce the S on Line 2 (except during/after an upgrade to Line 1, of course.)

 

[gimmi80]

Why is the U.S. flag on the car flying on reverse? Shouldn't the square part containing the stars be on the top left side instead of the top right?

 

[bollar]

Why is the U.S. flag on the car flying on reverse? Shouldn't the square part containing the stars be on the top left side instead of the top right?

Traditionally flags are shown in the direction wind would blow them, so backwards on the right / forwards on the left.

 

[WarpedOne]

Which is interesting, because my expectation would have been that the overall demand for the X will continue to be stronger than the S even after the current backlog is worked off. Maybe Tesla thinks differently? Maybe they expect to upgrade Line 1 as soon as they have the X in full production on Line 2?

Unless they think they'll have trouble ramping X production rates, I'm not sure why they'd need the ability to produce the S on Line 2 (except during/after an upgrade to Line 1, of course.)

Some reporter that toured the factory commented that line 2 has much more robots than line 1. He said at lewst three times more. That somewhat translates into three times larger production capacity. So, they can build Xes and Ses alongsiee line 1 building only Ses and still end up with more Xes built.

 

[Saghost]

Some reporter that toured the factory commented that line 2 has much more robots than line 1. He said at lewst three times more. That somewhat translates into three times larger production capacity. So, they can build Xes and Ses alongsiee line 1 building only Ses and still end up with more Xes built.

Ah, I hadn't seen that. Thank you.

 

[MassModel3]

Why is the U.S. flag on the car flying on reverse? Shouldn't the square part containing the stars be on the top left side instead of the top right?

It's similar to when the US began operations in the middle east as part of a joint forces task force. The decision was made that all joint forces personnel would wear the joint forces patch on the left arm, which meant that the US forces had to wear the US patch on the right arm. The flag patch was designed "backwards" with the stars on the right so that the union would always lead the flag into battle and have the effect of 'flying in the breeze'.

 

[Gizmotoy]

Traditionally flags are shown in the direction wind would blow them, so backwards on the right / forwards on the left.

Right. The flag is tricky. We had a flag hanging vertically on a wall for awhile and would always get complaints it was backwards. I don't know how many times I had to explain that when hung vertically on a wall, the corner with the stars (the "union") must be pointing North or East, even if that makes it look like the stars are on the right when you're looking at it. Notably, the rules change again if hung vertically over a road or sidewalk. The flag has lots of rules.

I was hoping we'd see the TeslaVets car at the factory after seeing the slide in Josh Ensign's presentation. There's an Army Recruitment center just a few miles from the factory. I suppose it probably lives up there.

 

[mibaro2]

I don't want to take this any further offtopic but I have to at least try and clarify my former statements:
First and foremost: to anyone who was offended personally by my remarks: a sincere sorry from my part. I didn't mean to offend anyone by my remarks.

But try to understand my position also. And before anyone jumps to the wrong conclusions: I did serve in the German military myself for the time I had to, so it is not like I haven't seen that side as well... <snip>.

Thanks for the clarification. It helped understand your viewpoint and post.
--
As for the picture..
Boy, that is a cool looking vet car. Way to go Tesla!

 

[BoerumHill]

This is my favorite shot of #teslavets - the 5 service branch flags behind it, POW-MIA flag on the far right, U.S.A. & CA flags in the center.







AustinPowers, I appreciate you sharing your differing viewpoint. There's a time and a place, bro. This thread wasn't it.

I'm not too far apart from you on the madness of our gun centric of our culture. But that has absolutely nothing to with honoring our veterans.

- EW1 (sw) 1983-89

 

[ElektroPionir]

It has nothing to do with gun fetishes or fanaticism. This was a tribute to veterans--you know the people who put their lives in danger to protect their country's freedom? No need to go on a rant about what you think US politicians actually use the military for.. I won't argue that we find ourselves in places we shouldn't be at times.

But the bottom line is that this was about the vets, not the guns or wars.

Yeah, you almost made me think about poor us troops that somehow manage to lose their compass and wander all over the world, gently planting their tomahawks.
Please, next time stop at veterans because the deeper you go - the harder you get out of it without sounding pathetic.

US of A definitely got some bad karma during last 70 years (see how i took out ww2?) and be prepared when it comes back to kick you in your lower back.

Nikola Tesla was a member of a nation that took some beating from your homedefendingfreedomfighting heroes and that is the real irony of defending your combat honour on a forum named after Tesla.

Read some books, do some research. For starters go for Noam Chomsky...

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry for offtopic, i was a bit irritated...

 

[MassModel3]

Sorry for offtopic, i was a bit irritated...

Yup, politics and religion -- two subjects that should never find their way to these forums. And military operations definitely are guided by politics.

 

[mikes_fsd]

Yeah, you almost made me think about poor us troops that somehow manage to lose their compass and wander all over the world, gently planting their tomahawks.
Please, next time stop at veterans because the deeper you go - the harder you get out of it without sounding pathetic.

US of A definitely got some bad karma during last 70 years (see how i took out ww2?) and be prepared when it comes back to kick you in your lower back.

Nikola Tesla was a member of a nation that took some beating from your homedefendingfreedomfighting heroes and that is the real irony of defending your combat honour on a forum named after Tesla.

Read some books, do some research. For starters go for Noam Chomsky...

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry for offtopic, i was a bit irritated...

Yet, Nikola Tesla made US of A his home!
Must hurt your ego to realize that!

 

[muleferg]

Proud to be a Vet. 1951-55 Korea. USN Naval Mine Warfare.

 

[ElektroPionir]

Yet, Nikola Tesla made US of A his home!
Must hurt your ego to realize that!

Actually no.

First of all, I am too young to have an ego.

Second, USA was a land of opportunity back then (we are talking about first half of 20th century) and still is, but your country turned into an economic behemoth that eats other countries in order to survive, and at the same time conducting dirty business for all sorts of lobby groups (too bad for us Serbs, we got albanian drug lords, islamic fundamentalist and catholic lobbyists on our back).
To put aside our serbian story, USA is a sad story by itself. And that is a shame, I have met tons of people from US that are of sweetest and kindest sort. And that is what really matters to me. Majority of you guys are very nice folks.

Sorry for offtopic, I will stop now...

 

[MassModel3]

Actually no.

First of all, I am too young to have an ego.

Second, USA was a land of opportunity back then (we are talking about first half of 20th century) and still is, but your country turned into an economic behemoth that eats other countries in order to survive, and at the same time conducting dirty business for all sorts of lobby groups (too bad for us Serbs, we got albanian drug lords, islamic fundamentalist and catholic lobbyists on our back).
To put aside our serbian story, USA is a sad story by itself. And that is a shame, I have met tons of people from US that are of sweetest and kindest sort. And that is what really matters to me. Majority of you guys are very nice folks.

What's any of that have to do with the camo car or its purpose?

Realize how many people you're going to anger with a statement like you've just made. Slippery slope, my friend...

Let's change the focus back to Tesla and get away from politics, please.

 

[mikes_fsd]

Second, USA was a land of opportunity back then (we are talking about first half of 20th century) and still is, but your country turned into an economic behemoth that eats other countries in order to survive, and at the same time conducting dirty business for all sorts of lobby groups (too bad for us Serbs, we got albanian drug lords, islamic fundamentalist and catholic lobbyists on our back).
To put aside our serbian story, USA is a sad story by itself. And that is a shame, I have met tons of people from US that are of sweetest and kindest sort. And that is what really matters to me. Majority of you guys are very nice folks.

I am really saddened to hear that, mainly because being a Ukrainian-born-raised, but now a naturalized US citizen, I see this same mentality in other Slavs, who while living in the US after watching Russian TV/propaganda as their sole source of information on world affairs, have the same attitude as you.
Always looking for someone to blame for the problems in the world instead of working through the problems at hand to get to a better world.


My family and I are a living example that the US is still a HUGE land of opportunity!