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Tesla Third Quarter 2018 Update [pdf]

ir.tesla.com

21–30 of 418 posts

Re: Tesla Third Quarter 2018 Update [pdf]

#21
post #5

This is a really, really big deal. They've still got a long way to go (as I'm sure Musk would be the first person to admit), but turning a profit is no small feat and should be applauded as such.

It is. Musk shall enjoy the pride of having cracked through the glass ceiling. I wasn't happy with everything he did but still.

Re: Tesla Third Quarter 2018 Update [pdf]

#22
post #13

My understanding is that the conditions inside of Tesla's manufacturing are brutal. I have friends who work on the production side and they effectively tell me corporate culture is driven by fear. I am definitely cheering Tesla on for global warming reasons but I worry that Musk is running a Faustian bargain that may bite him in the backside long term. These numbers though are really exciting.

I have friends that work there too and I've heard from some that they love it and some that they didn't. It's been enough of a spread that I suspect it's just normal "my manager is bad" type of variety.

yeah, it was a big question around the 5000/week ramp up, but if nothing cracked I guess everything is back to normal~.

Re: Tesla Third Quarter 2018 Update [pdf]

#23
post #13

My understanding is that the conditions inside of Tesla's manufacturing are brutal. I have friends who work on the production side and they effectively tell me corporate culture is driven by fear. I am definitely cheering Tesla on for global warming reasons but I worry that Musk is running a Faustian bargain that may bite him in the backside long term. These numbers though are really exciting.

I've got a friend on the assembly line in Fremont. He says he doesn't mind the hours too much. However, they basically keep adding extra or overtime shifts to his schedule. I think right now he might be working 5 or 6 day weeks, and I'm fairly sure they're minimum 8 hours, and obviously with overtime could be several hours above that.

Sounds awful, but in some ways isn't that how manufacturing has sort of always been?

Re: Tesla Third Quarter 2018 Update [pdf]

#24
Tesla could realistically hit 500,000 cars next year, almost 10% of total cars sold in America. The electric revolution is here and it’s finally profitable! Budget EVs with solid range are coming next year too with the 2019 leaf!

Convince congress to extend the federal tax rebate (no real increase in spending just keeping what’s already there) by like 2 years which is just maybe $1-2B more and electric will be the way to go for good!

Re: Tesla Third Quarter 2018 Update [pdf]

#25

One thing to consider that an analyst pointed out. Telsa has alot of net 60 and 90 and 120 day relationships with suppliers, but gets paid from car sales much quicker. This means that they can "financially engineer" quarters to make their cash flow look much better than it would if the payment periods were all net 30. Pre Close: - bit of a perfect storm for Tesla to make a profit - Model X ramp up spend is mostly don…

> Musk said he wants to start producing cars in China next year, this is a put up or shutup situation as theyv'e sat on the factory and done nothing since announcing it

They've bought the land and started grading it, as of a few days ago, I think.

Re: Tesla Third Quarter 2018 Update [pdf]

#26
post #13

My understanding is that the conditions inside of Tesla's manufacturing are brutal. I have friends who work on the production side and they effectively tell me corporate culture is driven by fear. I am definitely cheering Tesla on for global warming reasons but I worry that Musk is running a Faustian bargain that may bite him in the backside long term. These numbers though are really exciting.

I'm sure a lot of that will go away as their manufacturing process settles down. I like the recent announcement that they're going to simplify interior options, and that tells me that they're taking a look at optimizing their process.

Simplifying the process means better quality control, which means more predictability, which means less stress for employees.

I'd love to see them get on par with other car manufacturers on cars produced per employee per factory.

Re: Tesla Third Quarter 2018 Update [pdf]

#27
post #24

Tesla could realistically hit 500,000 cars next year, almost 10% of total cars sold in America. The electric revolution is here and it’s finally profitable! Budget EVs with solid range are coming next year too with the 2019 leaf! Convince congress to extend the federal tax rebate (no real increase in spending just keeping what’s already there) by like 2 years which is just maybe $1-2B more and electric will be the wa…

What's just as amazing is that this whole revolution is done off the back of the Li-Ion 18650/21700 battery cell.

Time will tell how good of a choice it is.

Re: Tesla Third Quarter 2018 Update [pdf]

#29
post #12

Just shows how fake all of the "expert analysis" is. It's so painfully obvious that all of the expectations of losses of 15 cents/share were just paid for by either the govt./big oil.

Or maybe that "expert analysis" is really difficult, with a lot of complicated factors that are hard to reason about effectively?

Re: Tesla Third Quarter 2018 Update [pdf]

#30
post #24

Tesla could realistically hit 500,000 cars next year, almost 10% of total cars sold in America. The electric revolution is here and it’s finally profitable! Budget EVs with solid range are coming next year too with the 2019 leaf! Convince congress to extend the federal tax rebate (no real increase in spending just keeping what’s already there) by like 2 years which is just maybe $1-2B more and electric will be the wa…

If the electric revolution requires a federal subsidy to compete then it has not, in fact, arrived.
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