Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by LaminatorX on Thursday January 15 2015, @01:22PM   Printer-friendly
from the rolling-thunder dept.

Reuters reports that Elon Musk, speaking at an industry conference in Detroit, said Tesla may not be profitable until 2020 but that Tesla plans to boost production of electric cars to "at least a few million a year" by 2025. Musk told attendees at the Automotive News World Congress that "we could make money now if we weren't investing" in new technology and vehicles such as the Model 3 and expanded retail networks.

Musk does not see the Chevrolet Bolt as a potential competitor to the Model 3. "It's not going to affect us if someone builds a few hundred thousand vehicles," said Musk. "I'd be pleased to see other manufacturers make electric cars." On another topic, Musk said he was open to partnerships with retailers to sell Tesla vehicles, but not until after the company no longer has production bottlenecks. "Before considering taking on franchised dealers, we also have to establish (more of) our own stores," said Musk adding that "we will consider" franchising "if we find the right partner." Musk did not elaborate, but said Tesla "is not actively seeking any partnerships" with other manufacturers "because our focus is so heavily on improving our production" in Fremont. Last year, Tesla delivered about 33,000 Model S sedans and said the current wait for delivery is one to four months. Tesla has already presold every Model S X that it plans to build in 2015. “If you ordered a car today, you wouldn’t get it until 2016."

[Update] The above links presented conflicting reports as to whether it was the Model S or the Model X whose 2015 orders were sold out. According to Tesla Motor's own web page, it was the Model X :

The delivery estimate for new reservations is early 2016.

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 1) by tftp on Friday January 16 2015, @07:32PM

    by tftp (806) on Friday January 16 2015, @07:32PM (#135486) Homepage

    That would be what rental cars are for. Wouldn't you like the added assurance that if you have some mechanical issue, there will be a replacement set of keys in your hand within hours, and you don't have to care about the one you're leaving behind?

    Rental cars cost money on calendar basis, separately from distance driven. If you rent such a car for a week-long trip to relatives who live on a ranch, you are in for a surprise in the nearest credit card bill.

    Additionally, how would one rent a car? Some rental companies actually deliver and pickup cars, but other do not. It is maybe 10 miles of driving from my home to a nearest rental location. Should I leave my car at their parking lot for a week? I don't think so. Anything else (such as asking a friend) quickly devolves into a complicated, limiting scheme. Compare to just starting *your* car and driving wherever you want.

    When we look at other issues, no, I am not willing to pay for a set of replacement keys. I prefer to not lose my keys. I have a spare with me on long trips anyway. I don't want to trust a car that may have a mechanical problem, or that was repeatedly redlined by a careless customer. I don't want to drive a car that may have traces of drugs in it, left by an earlier customer. There are all kinds of problems with a car that you don't know anything about. It's safe to use in a city; but if you need to cross Nevada using one of those smaller desert roads where gas stations are available every 100 miles, you need to be careful.

    Most certainly a rental vehicle is not a good idea for trips that one makes regularly. It's too much hassle and it's too expensive. As others have already pointed out, it's most reasonable to buy a car that does all that you need. Some people even buy trucks, even though they rarely carry such a load. Specialized cars - one for grocery shopping, one for road trips - are not efficient. Not today, at least. My personal expectation is that eventually the network of chargers will expand, and the charge time will go down. If a car can be recharged in 15 minutes at every gas station, and if it can then drive 250 miles (which is already possible) then it becomes a useful vehicle for all purposes. What is missing today is first the chargers, and second the shorter charging time. I'm even willing to negotiate on the charging time. But lack of chargers caused that NYT journalist to become stranded. A 120V outlet is *not* enough for an EV - it barely can keep the battery from discharging on its own, sitting still.

    The few hundred dollars that costs is less than the insurance, road tax, maintenance, and depreciation on a car that you own.

    I'm paying, I think, about $300 per year for insurance on my car. It is considerably less than cost of a rental car for a week or two. Maintenance is very cheap and, for me, done twice per year regardless of the mileage. Depreciation is driven not only by miles driven but also by the calendar age of the car, so it won't help you much if you don't drive it. As matter of fact, the most effective use of a car is to drive it as much as possible, like taxis or city buses. A car that doesn't move still gets older.

  • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday January 17 2015, @11:54AM

    by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Saturday January 17 2015, @11:54AM (#135645) Homepage
    Regarding "keys", please look up "synecdoche" in your nearest dictionary. I conclude you're American, and aparently irony isn't the only trope you have no clue about.
    --
    Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves