Tesla

[Morris Minor]

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/henry-payne/2018/02/26/tesla-model-three-test-drive-detroit/110880692/
... It's the iPhone of autos. ...

^^ This - exactly  ^^

[Laconian]

At first I thought that the Bluetooth phone key was a gimmick, but then I remembered that many of the wireless key systems have been hacked and are therefore fare much worse than a BT solution.

BT's not great but at least you can't hack it with a braindead replay attack.

[Laconian]

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/a15070866/tesla-model-3-test-drive-review/

Has this been posted yet? Nice article with lots of great photos. The cabin is indeed very clean. I don't think that cleanliness is by default the ideal interface, but mission accomplished with maximizing curb appeal.

It sounds like they actually prefer the 3 over the S for some things, even:

Road and tire noise seeped into our Model S, while the Model 3 whooshed along in dampened silence; the studious minimalism of the 3's interior made the S's dash and door panels seem overadorned. Outward vision from the S's driver's seat feels needlessly clipped. The esophagus-squeezing rush of Ludicrous Mode is still as exhilarating as ever, but it makes the hefty, uneager-to-turn Model S feel like a one-trick ZEV. If the S was an ambitious and successful first experiment, the 3 benefits from everything Tesla has learned since.


And of course:
I can't say the same for the giant central display. It's easy enough to remember to look to the right to find your speed or odometer—gazing through the steering wheel at a featureless expanse of dashboard is a handy reminder. But it demands an extra thought to accomplish something that's been ingrained in every driver's mind. It's akin to a bottle company producing a righty-loosey, lefty-tighty jar. You'd get used to it, eventually, but only after un-learning a deeply habitual behavior.

[Morris Minor]

I was watching a vid of French road test of a Model S and they translated ludicrous mode as "mode démentiel."

This would be great for Tesla's next rung up on the bonkers ladder:
Insane Mode
Ludicrous Mode
and now Demented Mode.

[93JC]

"Ludicrous Mode" is a joke from Spaceballs. Logically, the next level is 'Plaid'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAWL8ejf2nM

[Soup DeVille]

Ludicrous Is Plaid.

In fact, the IP on the model S goes plaid during Ludicrous mode

[93JC]

Well that does it then, I'll never support Tesla if they fuck up that joke like that.

[2o6]

Wait.....ludicrous mode is a Spaceballs reference?



That's so damn corny.

[93JC]

Yes, of course it's a Spaceballs reference.

[12,000 RPM]

And Elon wonders why he has trouble with the ladies....

[Raza]

At first I thought that the Bluetooth phone key was a gimmick, but then I remembered that many of the wireless key systems have been hacked and are therefore fare much worse than a BT solution.

BT's not great but at least you can't hack it with a braindead replay attack.

Yeah, true. I wish car manufacturers would come out with an unhackable key. You know, like a key.


Humanity is so lazy that literally taking something out of your pocket is too much trouble and we'd rather have a system that someone can easily break into from a laptop. Fuck this world, for real. I'm surprised more people don't walk around with colostomy bags and catheters because taking your pants off to shit or piss is way too much work. Anything that isn't texting, society no longer wants to do.

[12,000 RPM]

Regular keys are hackable too Me and my Honda buddies would use each other's keys on different cars all the time,.

[CALL_911]

Yeah, true. I wish car manufacturers would come out with an unhackable key. You know, like a key.


Humanity is so lazy that literally taking something out of your pocket is too much trouble and we'd rather have a system that someone can easily break into from a laptop. Fuck this world, for real. I'm surprised more people don't walk around with colostomy bags and catheters because taking your pants off to shit or piss is way too much work. Anything that isn't texting, society no longer wants to do.

Dude u gotta relax- those keys are prob less secure than what we have today

[Soup DeVille]

Well that does it then, I'll never support Tesla if they fuck up that joke like that.

I was wrong; its the Roadster that goes plaid. The Model S is just Ludicrous.

[Soup DeVille]

Dude u gotta relax- those keys are prob less secure than what we have today

Tow truck trumps all.

IMO; the fewer contraptions that can stop a vehicle from running, the better. physical ignition switches Can be bypassed. This isn't always a bad thing.

[CALL_911]

Tow truck trumps all.

IMO; the fewer contraptions that can stop a vehicle from running, the better. physical ignition switches Can be bypassed. This isn't always a bad thing.

I don't disagree with you

[CaminoRacer]

Keys working on multiple vehicles isn't the fault of the key, it's laziness.

[giant_mtb]

I've seen more than one Facebook post from friends with FCA vehicles who can't start their cars in the cold via pushbutton because the battery in the fob is too cold to chooch. haha

Granted, a fresh battery will fix the problem, but.

[Raza]

Dude u gotta relax- those keys are prob less secure than what we have today

You think so?

[Morris Minor]

Interesting article in the paper today, basically saying that Tesla's approaching make or break: critical to ramp up Model 3 production now to generate cash, or it'll have to raise more capital. And the capital well is beginning to run dry, as lenders & analysts are already very twitchy about them.
The car's getting good reviews - it just needs to get more of them out there: as in 5,000 of them per week out there.

[AutobahnSHO]

Interesting article in the paper today, basically saying that Tesla's approaching make or break: critical to ramp up Model 3 production now to generate cash, or it'll have to raise more capital. And the capital well is beginning to run dry, as lenders & analysts are already very twitchy about them.
The car's getting good reviews - it just needs to get more of them out there: as in 5,000 of them per week out there.

Yup. good luck! 

[SJ_GTI]

Poking around the intertubes, it looks like Tesla sold 3,030 Model 3's in February. That was enough to make it the highest volume electric car, but still seems way behind where they expected to be. It was more than a 50% increase over January though.

[MX793]

Right now Tesla has been delivering to a sizeable backlog of pre-orders.  What will demand and sales look like when they finally make good on those pre-orders?  Will their sales charts look like the Gen5 Camaro, where pent up demand resulted in big sales for the first 2 years followed by a sharp decline once all of that pent up demand was met?

[GoCougs]

5th gen Camaro sales (April '09 - June '15) were, on say a 60 day rolling average, about flat; but in short, if the Model 3 similarly pulls off flat deliveries for the next 6 years, the auto industry will never be the same (I think it highly unlikely):

[Morris Minor]

It has begun. Tesla bonds have been downgraded, stock is down 23% on the month. Raising more debt to fund the cash burn just got a lot more difficult.

Either - Elon will pull a rabbit of of a hat so they can soldier on.
Or - Tesla will be taken over by someone.

[12,000 RPM]

O boy. And no green friendly Dem government to save them. I don't even think the Republik of Kalifornia can bail them out.

As someone (maybe you Morris?) said earlier, Tesla would make a great purchase for a real car company.

[SJ_GTI]

Saw an article on this subject. It mentioned that based on NTSB reporting that folks are estimating roughly ~1000 Model 3 units are being produced a week right now.

[Submariner]

Saw an article on this subject. It mentioned that based on NTSB reporting that folks are estimating roughly ~1000 Model 3 units are being produced a week right now.

Well, they're on a good trajectory (sort of).  Anyone know their breakevens/how much cash they have left to burn through? 

[Morris Minor]

O boy. And no green friendly Dem government to save them. I don't even think the Republik of Kalifornia can bail them out.

As someone (maybe you Morris?) said earlier, Tesla would make a great purchase for a real car company.

That's what it would take. A friendly government to give them an assist with a bailout, or a $5/gal Federal gasoline tax.

[Morris Minor]

Heavy selling of Tesla Inc. TSLA -7.67% shares and bonds persisted Wednesday, posing a new challenge to the electric-car maker that has relied on the faith of investors to meet pressing cash needs.

The company's shares fell $21.40, or 7.7%, to $257.78, extending a weekslong decline that deepened Tuesday amid broad weakness among technology stocks, increased scrutiny of the company's semiautonomous driving system, and a credit-rating downgrade from Moody's Investors Service.

Tesla's 5.3% unsecured bonds that mature in 2025, issued last August when the company's stock price was near its height, touched a low of 86 cents on the dollar—translating to a 7.8% yield—before ticking up to 88 cents, according to MarketAxess."
More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/tesla-bonds-reach-new-low-stock-falls-further-after-downgrade-accident-1522253660 (paywalled)

Note also that Waymo is buying 20,000 Jaguar EV SUVs for its taxi fleet... not Teslas...