I, for one, still miss my Blackberry. No good for internet browsing, but I could hammer out emails without even looking at the keyboard.:)

I would say it is Shaun who trolled the thread.

I believe I read this somewhere
I think that has been the idea all along. Car thing was just to get the bill for the battery factory on the taxpayer's bill

I hate leasing and prefer to keep cars longterm, but we leases a Model S in April of 2017 for several reasons, one being the long term viability of Tesla. If they were to go bankrupt, we wouldn't be holding an orphaned car, however remote that possibility is. Second, with all the upgrades coming to their cars, we wanted to be able to get the next upgraded model in three years time, kind of like iPhones.

Like others here, I love the instant power, the large display, and the ability to avoid gas stations (when driving locally). I look forward to having other manufactures join the e-race. Their lack of offerings is actually holding me back from trading in my 2012 BMW.

I recently discovered the shared garage where I keep my Porsche is now next to a new Tesla..Model 3? There is NO badging on it what so ever... But like the Model S , it looks good. "S" is for sexy.. At the very least he made good looking electric cars, which is what the industry needed. Tesla designs are pretty great, though maybe not that Mini van-thing, what's that the Model X? Ah, but those doors (!) gull wing .. you know people are fools for these doors, weird & faddish. I actually miss the Tesla Roadster that was my personal fave, w/ a nice Lotus body, bet that was a hoot to drive.





Disclaimer : Never driven anything electric, yet. Only ridden in Leaf, Volt and Priuses..

That most likely was a 3. They have no external badging.

Tesla is circling the drain.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/07/tesla-sinks-8percent-after-bizarre-musk-podcast-appearance-cao-exit.html

Not good news.....don't understand why the guy can't just go to work and keep his private life private. Another chief executive left (after just being hired) and he's smoking pot and drinking whiskey for publicity....

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-09-07/tesla-tumbles-after-chief-accounting-officer-quits-after-just-one-month

I think Tesla can survive. I think the board needs to eject Musk and bring in a top executive from GM, Ford or Chrysler.

If you are sleeping at the job-site, then you are doing it wrong.

After that pod cast, all I could think of was Delorean and the giant bags of cocaine. I went as Delorean for halloween that year.

^^^this. Musk can sleep on a park bench for all I care. I’d like to see Tesla continue to play the rabbit for all the other companies to chase. Of the big boys, GM seems closest behind. Maybe a good place to find Musk’s replacement. The Model 3 needs to keep delivering cars at the current pace, just without the QC issues.

The issue with the above is similar to the Apple events (Jobs1.1), Tesla is living off the vision and subsequent believers of Musk(at all levels of Tesla), he is a deity to that team. The board will be shocked at what they're left with when he's gone. But I agree he will be gone soon.

...and people on your lawn I bet. :D :D

There is a reasonably priced sensible looking and practical electric car on the market, the Hyundai Ioniq, oh, and its SUV style sister the Kia Niro. And the Hyundai Kona EV order book has just been opened in the UK,
300 mile range for £35K or 200 mile for £30K ish.

Maybe. Thing is Musk, and his altruistic schtick are a big part of Tesla's appeal. That is, the brand has a certain cache with Musk - the man who doesn't seem to care about profits. So a bit of a painted corner. But, perhaps, if they start selling cars priced with profit in mind, the riff-raff won't have them. Exclusivity. People who can afford exclusivity like it.

Electric cars were a bit dorky until EM came along, Prius That Honda thing.. Leaf not nice designs. They are also by price-point, a bit elitist, but imagine, at one time even Ford's 'Model A' was a trinket for the wealthy. Seems everyone wants to see E. Musk fail: The 'Big Three', the oil industry etc.

Wait wait... there is a difference between wanting him to fail and EXPECTING him to fail.

A full-up electric car simply cannot compete Economically until a better battery tech comes along.

That is not to say people won't PAY for unicorn farts. -they will! Clearly.

I will note that if the cost of IC engined cars or fuel can be bureaucratically pushed to extremes then a full-up electric car simply can compete "Economically." But of course, that falls into "False economy."

In 2009 Obama gave Tesla Billions in guaranteed loans, and electric cars got massive tax credits at purchase. - saved their butts.

Billions = $465M. Repaid with interest. Another view on this...https://electrek.co/2016/11/25/tesla-subsidies-big-three-oil-industry/

Musk and his shtick were effective for a number of years, but, IMO, that’s really not a thing nowadays. People are just interested in the cars, and If Musk completely burns out to produce them...oh well. I see Model 3s everyday here in SoCal. Not yet to the level of Model Ss, but still, a fair number. It shouldn’t be long before the cheaper (base) Model 3s are being cranked out of their factory.

Great comment, petrolhead611, about the Hyundai and Kia EVs. I’ve seen them around, but not to a great extent. I totally forgot about them.

The Hyundai looks good. I also like the Chevy sedan.. what is that? the Volt? My sister her husband and their kid ALL have one: Red, White and Blue .. not on purpose ..maybe..but it brings up a good point about Tesla, also made in the USA. Lots of jobs around a car industry.

Right, Tesla took 'only' 1/2 Billion in guaranteed govt. loans and has repaid that early.

But, speaking of Billions....
That's a pretty big corporate tax break. Oh wait, that wasn't for Tesla, but rather ONLY for Tesla's customers. :rolleyes: