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posted by
martyb
on Tuesday October 03 2017, @01:26AM
from the follows-highly-charged-negotiations dept.
from the follows-highly-charged-negotiations dept.
The plan to build the 100MW (129MWh) lithium battery grew out of a Twitter bet between Tesla boss Elon Musk and Australian software entrepreneur Mike Cannon-Brookes.
Mr Musk said Tesla would build the wind-charged battery in 100 days or the state would not have to pay for it.
[...] Tesla has given itself a good chance of hitting the self-imposed deadline because construction of the battery began long before the clock started counting down.
The official countdown to the end of the 100-day deadline commenced on 30 September, after the project was given approval by Australian energy regulators.
Mr Musk said that if Tesla missed the deadline it stood to lose about $50m (£38m).
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Tesla: World's Biggest Battery Half-Built
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Another good night not to sleep in a eucalyptus tree.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 03 2017, @03:34AM (11 children)
Can make bets involving huge taxpayer sums. It leaves a bad taste.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday October 03 2017, @03:37AM (2 children)
If Tesla doesn't finish it by the due date, it's the taxpayers' gain.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 03 2017, @03:47AM
You probably also think the supermarket is being generous when they have a two-for-one deal.
(Score: 3, Funny) by driverless on Tuesday October 03 2017, @06:48PM
Isn't the world's largest battery still waiting to be built? All you need to do is hook all the Australians up to a Matrix-style power bank and you're done. So strictly speaking Tesla's LiIon bank is the current world's largest battery, until they move ahead with phase 2.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 03 2017, @06:20AM (3 children)
Found a government contractor worried about the precedent! In the future, not completing the project on time could mean less money instead of more money :D
> Rich people can make bets involving huge taxpayer sums.
... isn't that what contracts with penalty clauses are?
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday October 03 2017, @08:28AM (1 child)
Contractors get paid, no matter what.
See "Norhconnex": http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/government-deciding-on-level-of-fines-for-trucks-that-fail-to-use-northconnex-20170918-gyjkaa.html [smh.com.au]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday October 03 2017, @08:54AM
Better (more explicit) link: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/transurban-to-get-paid-if-trucks-use-northconnex-motorway-and-if-they-dont-20170521-gw9r20.html [smh.com.au]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday October 03 2017, @05:54PM
The best thing about a battery system is that, with proper planning, a contractor delaying or walking away after only building half of it, still leaves you with a working battery, of half the capacity.
Can't say that about half a bridge, dam, or roof.
(Score: 3, Informative) by FatPhil on Tuesday October 03 2017, @09:22AM
And since when is Tesla a rich person? It's a publicly traded company. If Tesla don't deliver, only the shareholders suffer.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 5, Insightful) by lentilla on Tuesday October 03 2017, @09:33AM (2 children)
It's not really a bet. It's the ultimate form of respect for the customer (here: the taxpayer). The specified job will get done, for the agreed price, in the agreed timeframe, otherwise there's no charge. It's confident and clean - no weaseling around, no excuses.
This is business as it should be done. It doesn't leave a bad taste - it's honest, honourable, and both customer and businessman benefit from the exchange.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 03 2017, @12:31PM (1 child)
Cannot mod you higher. The problem here is the word "bet". I "bet" that I'll deliver you a new refrigerator you wanted on Thursday for $1000. If I win, you pay me $1000 for the refrigerator/delivery. If I lose, you don't pay anything.
In any sane world we don't call this a "Bet" - we call it a "Business Contract," or a "Money-Back Guarantee."
(Score: 2) by lentilla on Tuesday October 03 2017, @01:07PM
Pragmatically, same outcome.
If a wanted a fridge and the salesperson finished their pitch with an "I'll bet you", I'd raise an eyebrow and say "hell yes, buddy! I like your style!".