Tesla Reports a Profit (Sorta) While Elon Musk Regrets Mentioning Hyperloop • Hacker News Board

Re: Tesla Reports a Profit (Sorta) While Elon Musk Regrets Mentioning Hyperloop

#31

Post by toomuchtodo » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:10 PM UTC

noamsml wrote: post #24

revelation wrote: post #5

How is this backtracking? Nothing has changed. He made it very clear from the beginning that this is an idea of his that he wants to release to the public, not work on it himself. Somebody then had the audacity to pester him with Hyperloop on the earnings call for Tesla. It's like asking the president about his veggie garden while hes giving a press conference on the war on (whistleblowers|drugs|terror).

That's not a fair assertion. Hyperloop has the potential to change the world far more than tesla and spaceX

Electrification of mobility & GOING TO MARS > Tube transportation

Re: Tesla Reports a Profit (Sorta) While Elon Musk Regrets Mentioning Hyperloop

#32

Post by toomuchtodo » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:10 PM UTC

salimmadjd wrote: post #10

If you're interested in undrestanding ZEV credits and its impact on Tesla's bottom line ($5000/car) read bellow [1] Also, worth noting other automakers are slowly catching up. Remember Tesla had a big start with their roadster, but expect fierce competition from Japanese and European automakers. Which is all good for consumers. 1 : http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/08/tesla-subsidy-vanishing...

Tesla owns key energy management system patents.

Disclaimer: I'm super-long TSLA.

Re: Tesla Reports a Profit (Sorta) While Elon Musk Regrets Mentioning Hyperloop

#33

Post by alexhawdon » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:15 PM UTC

nchuhoai wrote: post #23

Commentors point out that Elon is not really backtracking, though I would still be curious what he means by shooting himself in the foot. The article says he regrets mentioning the Hyperloop. So despite his intentions to open up his designs, there must be some downsides he is considering, whether outstanding personal profit or otherwise.

Given the context of the report I would imagine he's been fielding concerns from Tesla investors regarding burn-out or lack of focus. He's the very public driver (no pun intended) of the company so some might see talk of the Hyperloop as akin to Steve Jobs starting talking about a new found enthusiasm for swimming during a product launch.

Re: Tesla Reports a Profit (Sorta) While Elon Musk Regrets Mentioning Hyperloop

#34

Post by nrb » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:16 PM UTC

mparr4 wrote: post #22

mtgx wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Self-driving may be a bigger revolution in the end, but getting everyone off oil is also a huge revolution on its own. Yes, I know they're not the only ones to have an electric car ever, but without Tesla everyone would be dragging their feet with this. Heck, they are still doing that. Just look at BMW i3. BMW is still treating electric cars as some sort of "concept cars" for the mass market, rather than "real cars"…

I'm not quite sure if the Tesla is to electric cars as Apple is to smartphones analogy works just yet. Perhaps it will, but I live in the US and have still never even seen a Tesla vehicle. I've seen Nissan Leafs and Chevrolet Volts. My town even has charging stations. Maybe that's how things will shake out, but I don't think they're there yet.

FWIW they are all over the place in Chicago, and presumably the other major metros.

Re: Tesla Reports a Profit (Sorta) While Elon Musk Regrets Mentioning Hyperloop

#35

Post by TheAnimus » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:23 PM UTC

nchuhoai wrote: post #23

Commentors point out that Elon is not really backtracking, though I would still be curious what he means by shooting himself in the foot. The article says he regrets mentioning the Hyperloop. So despite his intentions to open up his designs, there must be some downsides he is considering, whether outstanding personal profit or otherwise.

> I would still be curious what he means by shooting himself in the foot.

I'd guess it's something to do with the fact on a Tesla earnings call, which has nothing to do with hyperloop, someone brought it up.

He is already doing a herculean feet with the work on SpaceX and Tesla, from an investors point of view you want to make sure he isn't going to ditch Tesla for this other transport project.

In that context his comment makes sense.

Re: Tesla Reports a Profit (Sorta) While Elon Musk Regrets Mentioning Hyperloop

#36

Post by ankitml » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:25 PM UTC

mparr4 wrote: post #16

ajiang wrote: post #9

"I'm sorry. I'm too busy revolutionizing the automotive and space travel industries."

Musk has unquestionably changed the space transportation industry. It remains to be seen whether he's "revolutionized" the automotive industry. With self driving cars on the horizon, it certainly feels like a revolution is looming, but Tesla doesn't seem to me to be nearly as singular of a force of change as SpaceX is to it's respective industry.

Everyone else in detroit and japan are trying to catch up on the bandwagon of electric cars. That is revolutionary for the industry atleast. In the long run, weather he is able to revolutionize mobility is yet to be seen.

Re: Tesla Reports a Profit (Sorta) While Elon Musk Regrets Mentioning Hyperloop

#37

Post by spaceman77 » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:31 PM UTC

nchuhoai wrote: post #23

Commentors point out that Elon is not really backtracking, though I would still be curious what he means by shooting himself in the foot. The article says he regrets mentioning the Hyperloop. So despite his intentions to open up his designs, there must be some downsides he is considering, whether outstanding personal profit or otherwise.

In a conversation with Sal Khan he says (in regards to Hyperloop) he is "kind of strung out" with all he is doing now. So I'm guessing he does not want to initiate the project yet because he is a very busy boy. He also has kids.

Re: Tesla Reports a Profit (Sorta) While Elon Musk Regrets Mentioning Hyperloop

#38

Post by TeMPOraL » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:33 PM UTC

There's a hangout with Elon Musk and Sir Richard Branson going on now; the host asked Elon about Hyperloop, and he spent nice 5 minutes avoiding to answer it :(. He only confirmed that it's a tube (but not evacuated), with little friction, and that you'll have to go a little bit faster than sound. He also said that details will be posted on-line.

Re: Tesla Reports a Profit (Sorta) While Elon Musk Regrets Mentioning Hyperloop

#39

Post by dkrich » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:35 PM UTC

Shivetya wrote: post #29

mtgx wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Self-driving may be a bigger revolution in the end, but getting everyone off oil is also a huge revolution on its own. Yes, I know they're not the only ones to have an electric car ever, but without Tesla everyone would be dragging their feet with this. Heck, they are still doing that. Just look at BMW i3. BMW is still treating electric cars as some sort of "concept cars" for the mass market, rather than "real cars"…

The Leaf had been in development over the same period of time as the S, if not before. The difference is that Nissan was trying to hit a harder goal, selling to the everyday driver, selling a car most buyers could afford. Similar to the requirements of the Volt and other electrics. The i3 is a special vehicle which has too many compromises to meet stupid laws in place by various governments, the worst being a require…

Agreed. I think most of Tesla's appeal comes from branding and the Elon Musk appeal and not merely from the fact that it is an electric vehicle.

As an example: had Ford released the Model S and sold the exact same volume with the same revenue and profit/loss, would they have added $3 billion of market cap with yesterday's earnings report? I for one doubt it.

So as much as people like to compare the Model S to the iPhone, I don't think the analogy fits. The Model S is not really a revolutionary vehicle in the way the iPhone was a revolutionary phone. Six years after its launch, every phone on the market looks like an iPhone. Even though the auto market has much longer sales cycles (several years for most cars) so one shouldn't expect to see an immediate market saturation, I don't think Tesla has a real sustainable advantage over other auto manufacturers the way Apple had over Dell/Samsung/Motorola because plenty of car companies in Tesla's price range already have the cool factor and the product is not different enough today to take over the market.

All that said, I love what Elon Musk is doing and plenty of companies have been built on brand alone so I'm certainly not writing off Tesla. I'm just arguing that people should check their expectations. I think the company is severely overvalued at current stock prices.

Re: Tesla Reports a Profit (Sorta) While Elon Musk Regrets Mentioning Hyperloop

#40

Post by njharman » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 4:38 PM UTC

mparr4 wrote: post #16

ajiang wrote: post #9

"I'm sorry. I'm too busy revolutionizing the automotive and space travel industries."

Musk has unquestionably changed the space transportation industry. It remains to be seen whether he's "revolutionized" the automotive industry. With self driving cars on the horizon, it certainly feels like a revolution is looming, but Tesla doesn't seem to me to be nearly as singular of a force of change as SpaceX is to it's respective industry.

Space Travel (even after we have gone to mars) is relatively small industry / impact to the world and humans compared to replacing fossil fuel burning automobiles.