The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (2006)

#1

Post by Jarred » Mon, Apr 04, 2016, 5:39 AM UTC

The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (2006)
teslamotors.com

Re: The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (2006)

#2

Post by madads » Mon, Apr 04, 2016, 6:04 AM UTC

As he says in short the masterplan is to:

"Build sports car.

Use that money to build an affordable car.

Use that money to build an even more affordable car.

While doing above, also provide zero emission electric power generation options.

Don't tell anyone."

Re: The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (2006)

#3

Post by rgawdzik » Mon, Apr 04, 2016, 6:06 AM UTC

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. Mahatma Gandhi

Re: The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (2006)

#4

Post by jakobegger » Mon, Apr 04, 2016, 6:12 AM UTC

madads wrote: post #2

As he says in short the masterplan is to: "Build sports car. Use that money to build an affordable car. Use that money to build an even more affordable car. While doing above, also provide zero emission electric power generation options. Don't tell anyone."

They clearly underestimated the cost of the Model S (it's a luxury car, not a "sporty affordable family car"). But overall their strategy seems to be working out beautifully.

Re: The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (2006)

#5

Post by JayHost » Mon, Apr 04, 2016, 6:21 AM UTC

I remember their plan is basically how Ford operated.

It's just crazy to see them beat the competition so badly.

I remember seeing the concept car for the Chevy Volt a few years ago and thinking how cool it was.

Then they released it and made it aerodynamic and thus BORING.

It's pretty nuts this car is 35k and the list of advantages to disadvantages can be summed as.

There's no reason to buy any other car.

Re: The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (2006)

#6

Post by Fluid_Mechanics » Mon, Apr 04, 2016, 6:23 AM UTC

rgawdzik wrote: post #3

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. Mahatma Gandhi

"Misattributed quotes taken out of context can be used to defend anything"

-Mahatma Gandhi

http://www.snopes.com/first-they-ignore-you/

Re: The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (2006)

#7

Post by doctorcroc » Mon, Apr 04, 2016, 6:28 AM UTC

I am a fan of Tesla and am excited for the Model 3, but some of the hype around the car is a bit much. I think this is a good counter-perspective: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/31/tesla-s-mod...

Creating an affordable EV at mass consumer scale is a much harder problem than creating a luxury EV at modest volume. However, if there was anyone I would bet on making this work and building an amazing car, it would be Elon Musk and team.

Re: The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (2006)

#8

Post by tajen » Mon, Apr 04, 2016, 6:29 AM UTC

JayHost wrote: post #5

I remember their plan is basically how Ford operated. It's just crazy to see them beat the competition so badly. I remember seeing the concept car for the Chevy Volt a few years ago and thinking how cool it was. Then they released it and made it aerodynamic and thus BORING. It's pretty nuts this car is 35k and the list of advantages to disadvantages can be summed as. There's no reason to buy any other car.

The lifetime of most cars is 14-20 years (half of it on the second-hand market). Tesla's is 8 years, if I understand. It makes their cars twice as expensive in effect.

Re: The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (2006)

#9

Post by sudhirj » Mon, Apr 04, 2016, 6:32 AM UTC

tajen wrote: post #8

JayHost wrote: post #5

I remember their plan is basically how Ford operated. It's just crazy to see them beat the competition so badly. I remember seeing the concept car for the Chevy Volt a few years ago and thinking how cool it was. Then they released it and made it aerodynamic and thus BORING. It's pretty nuts this car is 35k and the list of advantages to disadvantages can be summed as. There's no reason to buy any other car.

The lifetime of most cars is 14-20 years (half of it on the second-hand market). Tesla's is 8 years, if I understand. It makes their cars twice as expensive in effect.

8 years for the battery or the car? The batteries are replacable in a minute or so.

Re: The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (2006)

#10

Post by huuu » Mon, Apr 04, 2016, 6:33 AM UTC

Related is Tesla's recycling program of batteries: https://www.teslamotors.com/nl_NL/blog/teslas-closed-loop-ba...

Some people are skeptical about electric cars because the estimate life span of a battery is around eight years. But reading the article above (and others) you can see the batteries are not an issue anymore.

I was also a little skeptical about electric cars but I think the absolute pros are:

  * Electricity can come from any source (coal, nuclear, sun, water, waste, aliens).
  * No emission (in cities).
  * No noise pollution.

But I still got one issue with a lot of those environment friendly solutions. Because why would you use a lot of energy for sensors, insane mode, automatic doors, displays, computers, and so on? I know you need some of them but in the end environment friendly means: using less energy (in any form).