311–320 of 460 posts
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MSRP is exactly the same as Model 3. The fact that they have to offer them 40% off MSRP because no one wants them isn't a good thing.
And yet, miraculously, the Bolt is cheaper. The Bolt is the best value for money EV in the world at the moment. It's untouchable in price for range.
It feels to me like there is a symmetry of arrogance here. Traditional car companies are finding that making an electric car is hard (emphasis on electric) Tesla is finding that making an electric car is hard (emphasis on car)
My view of the economics is that most recently Tesla knows how to make a car. The battery pack is still more expensive than an ICE drivetrain, but that is a matter of time. My view of that is based on the rapid construction of the China gigafactory, and the sooner-than-expected Model Y deliveries. The only company with proper prioritization of EV development outside of Tesla is VW. GM would be next, but they still ar…
That is simply not true.
All of the manufacturers apart from say Toyota have made EV the number one priority for their companies. Mainly because of the impending EU regulations on emissions.
Porsche has the best EV car on the market. BMW sacked their CEO because of a lack of EV progress, Mercedes has most of their innovation going into the EQC series. There are stories everywhere on how the companies are rapidly shifting to EV.
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I would argue this is Tesla's real business - battery production. I don't believe they intend to stay in the auto market forever. They're in the market to create demand for quality electric cars, goad the traditional auto makers into making them, and then selling those traditional auto makers the batteries they need to make them work well. I believe that is Tesla's long-term business plan.
Batteries are a commodity, so I doubt Tesla would want to reduce themselves to an OEM and shrink their margins. Their energy business might eventually be bigger than their automotive one, but either way I think they will continue selling vertically integrated products.
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Agreed, I have a 2019 Model 3. My car does have a few panel gaps that are not the exact same width from one side of the car to the other, but you are literally talking about a millimeter or two here or there, no one would ever notice. I've never heard of anyone complaining about the paint job on a Tesla, the paint on ours looks perfect. The interior seats are super comfortable, probably the most comfortable car seats…
> Overall Tesla's customer satisfaction is really, really high That's because most of the owners have new cars. Wait until they need to have their car serviced by Tesla or until their batteries degrade and are subject to a forced OTA "upgrade" that removes capacity i.e. Model S. https://electrek.co/2019/10/04/tesla-software-updat-battery-...
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Seems like they made a calculated tradeoff here to sacrifice some reliability in further-toward-the-fringe conditions (extremes of heat & humidity) in order to get some wow factor with the screen.
They did make a calculated tradeoff. They also made a calculated decision not to recall the device nor properly replace the screens for those affected. Forums are littered with stories of people who suffer from the yellowing and are forced to live with it.
Lots of people have had success getting the yellowing fixed without charge after going through arbitration. I'd prefer if they would fix it under warranty, obviously, but it's not a huge deal.
This is grand, apart from the build quality of the mechanics is ~10 years behind. Go to a tesla showroom, Look at the doors of the model three. Note that they don't line up. Look at the paint job, notice that there are bumps and chips, especailly on the edges of the doors. This is on a _demo_ car, stuck in a showroom. these should be perfect. Even a budget Kia has better build quality than this. Its not the isolated…
Nevertheless buyers don't seem to care that much about this.
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in the article: "This is the takeaway from Nikkei Business Publications' teardown of the Model 3, the most affordable car in the U.S. automaker's all-electric lineup, starting at about $33,000."
That shows that Nikkei did not do their research. $33k is Tesla's deceptive advertising of "Price after Est. Savings". The cheapest car actually costs $40,000 plus tax.
I thought there was, though, previous discussion of Tesla using non-automotive grade electronics in places. Using stuff that's rated for the heat, moisture, vibration, etc, implies lag time as opposed to "latest/greatest".
The big screen is the common example of this, as they couldn't source an automative-grade screen that big. It's suffered several issues due to heat and UV exposure.
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It has been burned, but the solution was to control the temperature of the car, not be behind by 10 years. Both have pros and cons. It just usually sucks to pay a lot of money for a car that's so far behind all the cheap devices that I have.
You can't control the temperature in a car all the time. A car left outside in the south-west US will get very hot . Often up to 80 degrees C (170F). It's a greenhouse. Likewise a car parked outside in Montreal in winter might reach -40 degrees C (-40F) inside. Your electronics need to work through that entire temperature range, cope with repeatedly thermally cycling between extreme and room temperature and then keep…
Similarly if plugged in (which I do when I'm below -20F and not driving) it will heat thing to protect itself.
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I hear this fit and finish critique of Tesla often. But the whole package of a Tesla is clearly compelling to people, who are willing to pay a luxury price for it. High end Volvo’s are a good example of old-school quality — gorgeous interiors, beautiful trim. But they’re still predominantly internal combustion engine era designs. The height of it from a luxury finish standpoint. But, Tesla’s different . Maybe it’s th…
Fit and Finish are exterior indicators of the quality of the entire vehicle. If they don’t care enough to make the panels line up, what assurances do we have that they do care enough to torque all of the bolts correctly, to ensure that the motor is mounted correctly, to ensure that the suspension has been properly calibrated? Also, the condition of the body and the interior matter more to the vehicle’s resale value t…