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Tesla Model 3 Hits Production

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Re: Tesla Model 3 Hits Production

#51

Post by sadface »

wyager wrote: post #39
dlgeek wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Furthermore, human CO2 emissions come from plants as part of the normal carbon cycle - they're not an ecological problem. It's carbon-from-the-ground that's a problem.

CO2 is fungible.

Yes, but surface-level biology is pretty much carbon neutral. All of the carbon you exhale to the atmosphere comes from the food you eat, which gets its carbon from the atmosphere via photosynthesis.

Obviously there are edge cases, but by and large Global Warming is happening because we're pulling carbon out of the ground and putting it in the sky.

Re: Tesla Model 3 Hits Production

#52

Post by webnrrd2k »

prostoalex wrote: post #46
dfabulich wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Don't worry, somehow, they are saving the environment in all this, despite the fact that most cars these days probably put out less emissions than a family that ate too many beans. First, this comparison is wrong. Cars generate roughly 5,000 liters of of CO2 per gallon. A human passes about one liter of gas per day, maybe two. But even if you were right, what's the point of this comparison? We can eliminate the CO2…

For context, after converting 50,000,000 vehicles from internal combustion to electric, the effect would be similar to eliminating 1 container ship (likely used to cargo all the materials and components necessary to build those cars). https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/apr/09/shipping...

I don't think this is a fair comparison. The article you reference specifically mentions "one giant container ship can emit almost the same amount of cancer and asthma-causing chemicals as 50m cars", but it doesn't seem to mention any comparison to Co2. The parent was talking about CO2.

It's fair to say that removing 50 million vehicles is equal to removing one container ship in terms of sulphur dioxide, or other pollutants, though

Re: Tesla Model 3 Hits Production

#53

Post by grecy »

wyager wrote: post #45
grecy wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No worries, they will add more. Before you disagree, remember there was a time they went from exactly zero HOV lanes to one.. which is an infinite increase. This time they will go from whatever they have now (usually one) to two, which is at most only a 100% increase. Also keep in mind the day will come that all roads will only permit electric vehicles, essentially meaning all lanes are "HOV". So from 2017 -> the fut…

> Also keep in mind the day will come that all roads will only permit electric vehicles, That would be pretty dumb. This is a very strange claim from an overlander (assuming you agree with it); surely you're aware that batteries are nowhere near the energy density of chemical fuel, and probably won't be for a long time. We're even further away from practical electric ATVs or motorcycles. Banning gas vehicles in the n…

I believe it will happen, it's not really relevant if I agree with it.

Think about how much battery tech has improved in the last 50 years, now extrapolate forward 50 more.

Gasoline and the fumes cars pump into our towns are carcinogenic, and it will be banned. Maybe not in my lifetime, but it will happen.

Re: Tesla Model 3 Hits Production

#54

Post by aquadrop »

_pmf_ wrote: post #47
Fej wrote: post #38

So is it likely (or even possible) that TSLA really is the most shorted stock on Earth? I've seen this tossed around repeatedly, although perhaps it's just a rumor. On the other hand, > Tesla said that it's now "rare" for a new Model X to have "initial quality problems." [1] doesn't sound very pretty. [1] http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/03/tesla-delivers-22000-vehicles...

Tying novel ideas in a mass road vehicle is a very, very bad idea. If these ideas include supply chain and QC shortcuts, it pretty much guarantees failure. I applaud Tesla for "making EV sexy" and pushing existing OEMs, but unless Musk gets his ego in check and starts tackling the boring (no pun intended) problems instead of trying to promote himself as autonomous driving messiah, I don't see the first batch of mass…

Why do you think they don't know about "boring" problems? They've been producing cars for years, it's their third model... Also, Musk isn't promoting himself as autonomous driving messiah, but as Mars colonization messiah :)

Re: Tesla Model 3 Hits Production

#55

Post by skgoa »

jondubois wrote: post #48

I wonder if Tesla is worried that this new model might cannibalize its more expensive, more profitable model S? Also, I should think that the level of automation required to produce a mass market car on the scale necessary to be profitable would be insane... And I bet Toyota, GM and all the others have patents on many, if not all of these production automation technologies.

The robots are mostly build by german companies. Tesla aquired one such company a while ago.

Re: Tesla Model 3 Hits Production

#56

Post by greenyoda »

imron wrote: post #24
greenyoda wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"The same is even more true of the US, I did the math out in an earlier HN post, IIRC it comes out to something ridiculous like double or triple all current residential electric usage on a yearly basis." In NYC, we get uncomfortably close to peak electrical capacity on hot summer days, to the point where the utilities beg us to reduce consumption (e.g., e-mails at work saying the power company is asking us to turn of…

> we fire up the dirty, old oil-fired power plants as the generators of last resort. But it's probably still a net win if that extra electricity is going to power electric cars, because a power plant is more efficient than thousands of internal combustion engines. See: https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/06/how-tesla-will-change-your-li...

It's not just a question of thermodynamic efficiency. Cars have emission control systems (catalytic converters, etc.) that mitigate some of the pollutants, and perhaps most importantly, use a much cleaner fuel (the heavy fuel oil burned in power plants produces soot, sulfur compounds, etc. which the more highly refined hydrocarbons in gasoline do not).

Re: Tesla Model 3 Hits Production

#58

Post by cjrp »

jondubois wrote: post #48

I wonder if Tesla is worried that this new model might cannibalize its more expensive, more profitable model S? Also, I should think that the level of automation required to produce a mass market car on the scale necessary to be profitable would be insane... And I bet Toyota, GM and all the others have patents on many, if not all of these production automation technologies.

> I wonder if Tesla is worried that this new model might cannibalize its more expensive, more profitable model S?

Obligatory "If you don't cannibalise yourself, someone else will" Steve Jobs quote! I see them aimed at different markets though; I could never justify buying a Model S, but a Model 3 is definitely feasible (especially in the UK where petrol prices are high).

Re: Tesla Model 3 Hits Production

#59

Post by agumonkey »

cjrp wrote: post #58
jondubois wrote: post #48

I wonder if Tesla is worried that this new model might cannibalize its more expensive, more profitable model S? Also, I should think that the level of automation required to produce a mass market car on the scale necessary to be profitable would be insane... And I bet Toyota, GM and all the others have patents on many, if not all of these production automation technologies.

> I wonder if Tesla is worried that this new model might cannibalize its more expensive, more profitable model S? Obligatory "If you don't cannibalise yourself, someone else will" Steve Jobs quote! I see them aimed at different markets though; I could never justify buying a Model S, but a Model 3 is definitely feasible (especially in the UK where petrol prices are high).

-- Kodak

Re: Tesla Model 3 Hits Production

#60

Post by headmelted »

jondubois wrote: post #48

I wonder if Tesla is worried that this new model might cannibalize its more expensive, more profitable model S? Also, I should think that the level of automation required to produce a mass market car on the scale necessary to be profitable would be insane... And I bet Toyota, GM and all the others have patents on many, if not all of these production automation technologies.

Not sure how much patents would be a problem.

They aren't selling car assembly robotics, so the biggest issue (one would think) would be acquiring the robotics in the first place, as it would be the theoretical company selling the robots that would be infringing any patents.

Tesla is (to my understanding) free to use whatever technology they like in their factories, patented or not, so long as the products they're selling are non-infringing.

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