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Tesla Smashes Earnings And Revenue Expectations

businessinsider.com

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Re: Tesla Smashes Earnings And Revenue Expectations

#111
post #73
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> in every single regard (except for range) And price, and convenience. > more convenient No it's not. The lower range, low number of charging stations, and long charging times make it quite inconvenient for long trips. I bought a used car 3 years ago for less than the cost Tesla charges for replacing the batteries on its car (which you are estimated to need to do after about 8 years). This car is a station wagon, so…

> The Tesla Model S is an amazing car. But claiming that it's more convenient, or is a better car in every way but range, is a vast overstatement. It would be absolutely awful for me, and many other people with similar needs. Obviously convenience is different for different people. The OP is probably someone who finds car maintenance very inconvenient and as the owner of a used station wagon I am guessing you are not…

I too find maintenance inconvenient; but my used station wagon doesn't require much of that either. In the past three years, I've only ever had to have it inspected, tires replaced, and oil changes. Now, the Tesla doesn't have oil changes, so that one aspect is removed, but it does have annual maintenance. So, I'm looking at maybe two oil changes per year, vs. one annual servicing; a small improvement in maintenance hassle, but not amazing.

But anyhow, I'm not claiming that there are no convenience advantages of a Tesla; just that there are also a lot of things that are quite inconvenient, especially if you don't have a driveway or need to take long trips. Claiming that the Tesla is better in every regard but range is vast hyperbole. For some use cases, it may be more convenient; for mine, far less.

Beyond that, the price is a major disadvantage; at 4 times the price of a new economy car for the entry level model, and twice the price of lower-end luxury brands, it's well outside many people's price range; and you don't even save that much because you're not buying gasoline, as the combined cost of electricity plus replacement batteries winds up being pretty close to the cost of gas you would pay for the same number of miles (depending on exactly how long the batteries last, and assuming that the relative costs of gasoline vs. electricity don't diverge too much; of course you could say that gas prices are likely to go up faster than electricity, but they may go down too).

Re: Tesla Smashes Earnings And Revenue Expectations

#112
post #19

If you've been in Silicon Valley for the past 6 months, this was obviously going to happen -- virtually everyone I know who could afford virtually any production supercar, and cares about cars, has or wants a Tesla. Not an R8, not a GTR, not a California, not a Panamera, not an M3, but a Tesla. As they ramp up their production (I think it's down to a few months wait), The only rich people (who own cars) not getting T…

I'm a huge Tesla fan, but you are definitely in an echo chamber out in SV. Tesla has a huge tech/geek appeal. I know plenty of non-tech rich people from other places who would still much rather have their Mercedes or Bentley.

I'm a huge Apple fan, but you are definitely in an echo chamber out in SV. Apple has huge tech/geek appeal. I know plenty of non-tech rich people from other places who would still much rather have Windows and Blackberries.

Re: Tesla Smashes Earnings And Revenue Expectations

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why, is there a quiet period just before the release of earnings?

I can't find a news story about the incident I'm thinking of, but there are SEC regulations about the release of information to investors. You basically have to try to ensure that they all get the same data at the same time.

There was a case where material news was released on Twitter. It lead to SEC adjusting their regulation to allow for social media to be an official news outlet for material information so long as the company discloses that it is a source of information ahead of time.

Edit: here's an article referring to the change http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=f8c96f0e-832c-...

Re: Tesla Smashes Earnings And Revenue Expectations

#114
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why, is there a quiet period just before the release of earnings?

I wonder, INAL but if he says something like that publicly then it's not insider trading to act on it, I would think anyway.

But OP isn't referring to insider trading. The comment was in regards to the timing of the information. The only time that I believe executives are restricted is during/after an IPO.

Another issue is making sure that material information is disclosed properly. Elon was essentially hinting that they were going to have a really good quarter. That kind of information is material and would likely need to be disclosed properly to all investors at once. However, I believe disclosing that information has nothing to do with the timing of earnings release. A company can disclose any information it would like at anytime, so long as it does so properly.

If I'm wrong, please let me know in reply. I'm very curious about whether I am making a mistake.

Re: Tesla Smashes Earnings And Revenue Expectations

#115

This is the first of many profitable quarters for Tesla. The Model S is a better car in every single regard (except for range), than any other car on the market. It is safer, faster, roomier, more fun to drive, has more storage, quieter, more convenient, and less polluting. Electric vehicles will displace combustion vehicles. Everything that makes a car, the electric car does better. Right now the electric vehicle ma…

Hyperbole much? The model S is a great car. It has a great combination of features. But aside from maybe its dashboard -- I can't think of a single attribute where there isn't a car that specialises in that to beat it. An M5 is faster, a 911 is better looking, a Hilux has more towing capability, a Tarago has more passenger space, a ft86 is more tuneable, a Camry is cheaper, etc, etc.

Its funny you had to mention 5 or 6 different cars to cover all the aspects of Tesla's 'inferiority'.

Re: Tesla Smashes Earnings And Revenue Expectations

#116
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of the people who can afford 100k cars (and/or who would be willing to buy 100k cars) live in SF, LA, NY, Boston, DC, etc. now. A better argument is that the total number of cars sold in those markets is like 1-2mm out of the 10mm US market, but even if Tesla just becomes Audi, that's pretty successful. Another thing about high cost of living in places like that is maybe you're willing to spend 10% as much on a…

I'm in NY and I've seen very few Teslas. I'm guessing the three biggest reasons why are the small amount of fueling stations compared to California, the controversial NYT review and just simply trusting what you're used to instead of living off the bleeding edge.

I think the bigger problem is that most people don't own cars in NY since they don't really need them and they're a pain to park unless you're paying for a parking spot. Even then that parking spot may not provide the ability to charge your car.

I suspect that if more people in NYC had garages in their owns we'd be seeing more Teslas.

Re: Tesla Smashes Earnings And Revenue Expectations

#117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hyperbole much? The model S is a great car. It has a great combination of features. But aside from maybe its dashboard -- I can't think of a single attribute where there isn't a car that specialises in that to beat it. An M5 is faster, a 911 is better looking, a Hilux has more towing capability, a Tarago has more passenger space, a ft86 is more tuneable, a Camry is cheaper, etc, etc.

Its funny you had to mention 5 or 6 different cars to cover all the aspects of Tesla's 'inferiority'.

He did that on purpose. To break it down, he was pointing out how there are cars out there that "specialize," as a selling point for that car. And, for the areas of specialization of those cars, almost by definition, they are better than anything tesla makes for these things.

He's not saying that these cars are better than the tesla at all things, but only in the things they make it a point to be beter at. Which should be immediately obvious if the OP wasn't resulting to hyperbole and a rather thin attempt at covering his bias towards this company.

Re: Tesla Smashes Earnings And Revenue Expectations

#118
post #104

I guess it's a California thing. You have to believe in global warming (In the mid-west we have had 20 degrees below normal now for 3 months and snow of 14 inches in May). My practical side says the Tesla is nice but if fighting CO2 is your aim you could buy a $20K Honda accord and convert it to run on ammonia ( nearest practical gas to hydrogen). Ammonia is already piped all over the midwest and in contrast to grid…

I think we'll start seeing very high mpg gasoline cars soon. Supercar makers are already demoing electronically controlled pneumatic valves and direct injection and doubly clutch gear boxes are now showing up on family sedans. Direct injection + independently variably valve timing + double clutch close ratio gear boxes + regenerative braking and plug-in hybrids should equate to extremely high mpg for gasoline based vehicles.

I agree with the few here that have stated that tesla is in a SV bubble right now. It's the just hip thing to do, similar to the prius situation 8 or so years ago, but with much less volume due to the price point.

Re: Tesla Smashes Earnings And Revenue Expectations

#119

I've never seen the fairness of after hours trading. The majority of people don't have access to it (that I've spoken to), yet that is when you see some major moves (up or down) in a stock. Congrats to Tesla for turning their first profit!

> The majority of people don't have access to it

Schwab supports after hours trading from their accounts.

Re: Tesla Smashes Earnings And Revenue Expectations

#120
post #67

This is the first of many profitable quarters for Tesla. The Model S is a better car in every single regard (except for range), than any other car on the market. It is safer, faster, roomier, more fun to drive, has more storage, quieter, more convenient, and less polluting. Electric vehicles will displace combustion vehicles. Everything that makes a car, the electric car does better. Right now the electric vehicle ma…

> in every single regard (except for range) And price, and convenience. > more convenient No it's not. The lower range, low number of charging stations, and long charging times make it quite inconvenient for long trips. I bought a used car 3 years ago for less than the cost Tesla charges for replacing the batteries on its car (which you are estimated to need to do after about 8 years). This car is a station wagon, so…

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