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Tesla Q3 Financial Results

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Re: Tesla Q3 Financial Results

#121

Post by aazaa »

Tesla as a long term investment going forward largely depends on whether you view the electric car as a disruptive innovation (breaks established car companies' business models) or sustaining innovation (does not break established car companies' business models).

Established players tend to have the upper hand for sustaining innovation. Sustaining innovation can start at the top of a market and work down.

Disruptive innovation favors the upstart. However, disruptive innovation starts at the bottom of a market and moves up.

The more I see what Tesla and other car companies are doing with EVs, the more it seems that the electric car is actually a sustaining innovation.

Re: Tesla Q3 Financial Results

#123

Post by synaesthesisx »

hizanberg wrote: post #41

Normally I invest in companies who I believe are undervalued and have solid fundamentals/profitability and are well positioned for future growth. TSLA is one of my few "emotional investments" of companies I've invested in because I want it to succeed. IMO its share price is highly speculatively priced, but I expect they'll eventually be able to maintain profitability to justify it as they're best positioned to benefi…

I feel the same way - as someone who has been invested in $TSLA since it was $34 my risk is now effectively zero. I look forward to watching the company continue to succeed beyond imagination (although I have a serious disdain for FUD-spreading shorts).

Re: Tesla Q3 Financial Results

#124

Post by OnlineGladiator »

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #115
OnlineGladiator wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the hope is the Porsche Taycan will be a legitimate track car. Teslas are still known to overheat, and I have yet to find a single example of someone tracking a Tesla for even 5 laps in a row (I am aware of the Model 3 Track mode, but either nobody is using it or it doesn't work). EDIT: Found this article: https://insideevs.com/news/367599/video-tesla-model-3-track-... So it is doing significantly better than…

I will definitely concede that Tesla's cooling is insufficient for track use. Track mode pre-cools the batteries when you enable it (among other things), which allows you to go for longer, but it only delays the inevitable. I'm interested to see if the Model S Plaid edition and Roadster 2.0 have better cooling to make them better on a track.

I think it's just really hard to keep their batteries where they need to be. In order to get better performance/range, Tesla chose NCA batteries.

https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/types_of_lithium...

The problem with NCA is it is more volatile, and if it overheats it literally explodes violently. I am not saying this is insurmountable, but looking at the progress Tesla is making versus the reality of how long you can drive the cars hard, I think Teslas might never be great track vehicles.

Although every EV car will have this problem to some extent, so it's not limited to Tesla. If Porsche can't figure out how to cool an EV well, then it's a long way away because they are famous for their engine cooling technology.

Re: Tesla Q3 Financial Results

#125

Post by hw »

rainyMammoth wrote: post #39
julienchastang wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually know somebody who did this but for AAPL many years back. At the time, I too thought he was insane, but it worked out very well for him. A propos TSLA price, the problem is they are about to face a lot more competition from companies with sophisticated, established, distribution networks, etc.

This is exactly what I think. They did a very good job capturing the early market given the void left by traditional auto makers. The next 5 years will be very tough. They will be competing on the efficiency of the production chain. Toyota and Volkswagen are unbeatable at that game. Regarding your story with AAPL: Good for him but how many others will we never hear about? Betting everything on a single stock is the n…

It's not just about mass producing an EV though. It's also about the software and tech, and building not just a moving battery pack but one that comes together well with the software, self driving tech, and a supercharging network will be where Tesla will have an advantage for many more years to come.

Re: Tesla Q3 Financial Results

#126

Post by erikpukinskis »

Ancalagon wrote: post #95
thinkingkong wrote: post #7

The Shanghai Gigafactory going from breaking ground to production ready in 10 months is staggering. Has anything like that been accomplished in NA in the last 10 years?

maybe not but how many people in china were displaced and what was the human cost and environmental cost?

Judging by the photos of the site before construction... maybe 10? There were a couple of rustic structures and an open field.

Re: Tesla Q3 Financial Results

#127

Post by manacit »

thinkingkong wrote: post #7

The Shanghai Gigafactory going from breaking ground to production ready in 10 months is staggering. Has anything like that been accomplished in NA in the last 10 years?

When we want to, I think it's possible. It's not apples to oranges, but the incidents that come to mind are usually when critical transportation infrastructure fails and is too important to let sit.

An example is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Saint_Anthony_Falls_Brid..., in which they were able to skip the typical three year timeframe and condense it down to a bit over one year from collapse to opening. For a 10 lane, 1,200 foot bridge with a 500 foot main span, that's not bad!

When https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_85_bridge_collapse happened, six sections of road were replaced in 43 days, likely a lot shorter than it would have been otherwie.

In normal circumstances (e.g. when it's not an emergency), no, and that's by design. If we needed to, it could absolutely be done.

Re: Tesla Q3 Financial Results

#128

Post by Barrin92 »

LeftHandPath wrote: post #71
nyczomg wrote: post #45

Sorry if this is slightly off topic, but it is amazing to me how differently various publications are spinning the same basic facts. Some headline samples: "Tesla shares soar after crushing third-quarter earnings" CNBC "Tesla's Quarterly Profit Drops 54%" WSJ "Tesla returns to profitability and tops Wall Street's third-quarter earnings" Business Insider "Tesla ekes out a profit as all eyes turn to its China Gigafacto…

This is why you just go to the [EDGAR files]( https://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml ) and think on your own. If you want entertainment, read the interpretation given by a news organization with your preferred bias. If you want real insight, read articles with conflicting agendas. I suggest Barrons and WSJ as the obvious conservative-agenda choices, and Bloomberg and Financial Times as liberal-agenda choices.

not to diminish the effort of reading different viewpoints but I have to chuckle about the fact that we live in times were the ideological spectrum spans the astonishing distance from the Wall Street Journal on the one side to the Financial Times on the other

Re: Tesla Q3 Financial Results

#130

Post by Retric »

OnlineGladiator wrote: post #111
Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Some of these cars are superior to Tesla e.g. Porsche Taycan Depends on your metrics. IMO, the Model 3 Performance is the superior car. Half the price, quicker, longer range, and has access to the largest fast-charging network in the country.

I think the hope is the Porsche Taycan will be a legitimate track car. Teslas are still known to overheat, and I have yet to find a single example of someone tracking a Tesla for even 5 laps in a row (I am aware of the Model 3 Track mode, but either nobody is using it or it doesn't work). EDIT: Found this article: https://insideevs.com/news/367599/video-tesla-model-3-track-... So it is doing significantly better than…

What’s the importance of trac performance in this context?

The Tuscan also quickly runs out of charge at top speed and then be forced into a car or battery swap.

PS: At the extreme Indy cars average 1.92 MPG, batteries are just a poor fit for any kind of endurance racing.

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