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Tesla is beginning to deliver a small number of Model 3 cars, but there are concerns that Tesla will not be able to produce enough cars to meet demand:
Wall Street finally got to see all the details of the Tesla Model 3 during the car's launch event Friday. So far investors have given it the thumbs down with the electric car maker's shares down more than 2 percent midday Monday.
"We believe the Model 3 was as good as or better than expected, and pricing was as expected with considerable initial upsell. That said, the rubber now hits the road, and the fundamental questions remain unanswered," Bernstein's Toni Sacconaghi wrote in a note to clients Monday. "CEO Elon Musk sounds increasingly squeamish about the production ramp." The analyst cited how the $35,000 Model 3 car will not be available until early 2018 with only a higher-priced $49,000 model available this year. He also noted Musk's comment to employees to prepare for "production hell."
Speaking of "production hell", Tesla employees in California are threatening to unionize:
Employees at the electric automaker's factory in Fremont, California, have been agitating for a union since Jose Moran, a production associate, wrote a Medium post in January detailing difficult work conditions at the flagship plant. The bulk of the demands has since centered on improving equipment to reduce workplace injuries.
[...] Musk originally called injury allegations at the Fremont plant "disingenuous or outright false" but has since told employees to report injuries directly to him.
Although the base price of the car is $35,000, that can rise to $55,000 or more after options.
Also at MarketWatch, Ars Technica, and CNET.
(Score: 1) by Zobeid Zuma on Tuesday August 01 2017, @03:48PM (1 child)
Your views of the user interface are directly counter to my own experience. A couple of years ago I got a new Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the control layout on that thing is a nightmare. It has a small touch screen, buttons, dials, more buttons on the steering wheel, everything. The touch screen is very laggy and unresponsive, the interface seems designed to confuse. It's hard to even tell what gear it's in, and the shifter is highly erratic. It also seems very determined to run the heater in summertime and the A/C in winter. Getting it to communicate with my phone was an adventure too. Oh, and I had to pay a large extra fee to "activate" navigation, which turned out to be awful. After owning the Jeep for a year, it was still tripping me up and doing things I didn't understand.
Then I got to borrow a Tesla Model S. The huge touch screen seemed strange at first, but I only had to poke around at the interface for about five minutes, and I had it figured out. It was a night-and-day difference. It was an epiphany, like going from an old flip-phone to an iPhone. Suddenly I realized just how awful most car controls really are, and that it doesn't have to be that way.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Grishnakh on Tuesday August 01 2017, @04:27PM
A couple of years ago I got a new Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the control layout on that thing is a nightmare. ... The touch screen is very laggy and unresponsive, ... It's hard to even tell what gear it's in, and the shifter is highly erratic.
Why did you buy that POS if it has that many problems? Those are things you can tell on a quick test-drive. And the shifter thing is something those Jeeps are infamous for, and really should be recalled for, as they're downright dangerous.
Your experience isn't indicative of touchscreen vs. controls. Most cars have discrete controls, and people get along just fine with them, as long as they're not Jeep Grand Cherokees. My 2015 Mazda has lots of buttons and controls, and works great.
Then I got to borrow a Tesla Model S. The huge touch screen seemed strange at first, but I only had to poke around at the interface for about five minutes, and I had it figured out.
Great... now, I want you to open the sunroof without looking at the touchscreen. If you can't do that, then the UI is a total failure. Similarly, I want you to turn the heat up or down, without looking at the touchscreen. Looking away from the road is dangerous, so if you have to do that, it's a failure. I can do all these things in my car (and all the cars before it) solely by touch, because the switches are located in specific locations, and they have tactile response. The problem is that these days, hipster idiots like you don't understand the value of tactile response, and don't understand why you have to keep your eyes in front of you instead of looking at a big touchscreen.