The Future Is Now

[LocuMob]

I saw more Tesla's in the Minneapolis/St. Paul are over the past two weeks, somewhere around twenty if them. This charging station had one or two at most times during the day. Saw all the various models and a ton of colors.

 

[CBODY67]

Maybe they are "staged" there for the exposure? Until they can run from DFW to Houston, or El Paso, in mid-July with the a/c blowing cold, at 80mph cruise, they will be limited in their appeal, I suspect. Not very many hotels have charging stations, but there is a map of where the stations are online somewhere.

 

[LocuMob]

There were different cars there each time, maybe saw one of them twice. I saw them all over the area, but that charging station was what drew my attention initially.

We have a charging station for two cars in my little town of 3600 people, lots of folks thought it was a waste, but the city person behind it thinks it's a big deal. Don't have any data on its usage,or lack thereof.

 

[CBODY67]

In looking at the map of the DFW area, the stations are usually at new car dealers (which have some sort of electric/hybrid cars they sell new (Nissan, Chevy, Mitsu, etc.), Walgreens and CVS drug stores, some shopping centers, some restaurants, and such. Not very many Teslas, although there is a Cadillac store that also sold Fiskers. Closest Tesla sales place is in Dallas.

For many people, the hybrids make sense. Especially people who don't venture out of a 10 mile radius from their home, very much. Battery technology will be the key.

For smaller towns which desire to have tourism, charging stations can be key, in the future, I suspect. Not sure what it costs to put in a station, but it might depend upon if it's a normal charge or "fast charge".

Enjoy!
CBODY67

 

[BLUPORT]

Sheetz has been adding a lot of Tesla stations.

 

[traintech55]

Sheetz has been adding a lot of Tesla stations.

So has Target. I have nothing against alternative fuels, and as far as electric cars are concerned, the technology already exists to get farther range out of them. The power companies want to be just like the oil companies and hold us hostage. The world is going to be a much different place in 50 years.

 

[Moseman]

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I saw more Tesla's in the Minneapolis/St. Paul are over the past two weeks, somewhere around twenty if them. This charging station had one or two at most times during the day. Saw all the various models and a ton of colors.

We put "Powered By Coal" stickers on every Tesla charging station we find!

 

[live4theking]

We put "Powered By Coal" stickers on every Tesla charging station we find!

I love it, except the graffiti part.

Did you see the news about Tesla's second quarter losses?

I saw an article a month or so ago about a guy in California that uses parts out of wrecked hybrids. He had a car run 1000 miles. The story really wasn't about the car so they didn't give a lot of details. It was about him going to prison for violating some law because he was recycling computers and somehow did something that got under Microsofts skin.

 

[Davea Lux]

I love it, except the graffiti part.

Did you see the news about Tesla's second quarter losses?

I saw an article a month or so ago about a guy in California that uses parts out of wrecked hybrids. He had a car run 1000 miles. The story really wasn't about the car so they didn't give a lot of details. It was about him going to prison for violating some law because he was recycling computers and somehow did something that got under Microsofts skin.

Tesla is still going broke. Not suprising when it takes as much as six months to get spare parts. The only reason they are still in business is lots of govt money. They also sell billions worth of "clean air"carbon credits to GM and Chrysler as those hybrid programs have not been generating the sales numbers that they were supposed to.

Dave

 

[Mike66Chryslers]

I usually see multiple Teslas on my 1/2-hour work commute in southern Ontario. Model-3 is the most plentiful, followed by the S and then the X. I'm sure that the generous incentives under the former provincial government bolstered their popularity here, which was the intention naturally.

I was just up camping in northern Ontario "cottage country" for a week and I thought there were a surprising number of Teslas even up there. it rather dispels the image that electric cars are only suitable as urban commuting vehicles and you need a "real" car for any significant travel.

 

[monaco75]

Seen a video on YouTube the other day about some Tesla charging stations at a gas station in Utah (I believe it was). Tesla was supposed to be renting the spot for the charging stations that were placed on the gas stations property. Owner claimed he hadn’t seen any money since the stations were placed there after agreement back in November.

The owner was covering all the stations up for no use, as no money was being sent to him. A lot of people were arguing that the stations have their own power meter, that send the bill straight to Tesla to be paid, however they don’t own the land the equipment sits on.

 

[rapidtrans]

Just off hand. How much does it cost to use one of these stations?
I have noticed card readers on the charge stations in our downtown parking decks.
Waste of parking spots as they are seldom in use.

 

[LocuMob]

Just off hand. How much does it cost to use one of these stations?
I have noticed card readers on the charge stations in our downtown parking decks.
Waste of parking spots as they are seldom in use.

Unless there was something on the back, I saw no means of paying, no keypad, nothing, just the plug and a cord. I'll investigate more when I go back next week.

 

[Fratzog]

Tesla is still going broke.

To survive they need to increase production and reduce costs significantly. TBD I guess. Here's some info on the last 1/4.
Tesla reports larger-than-expected losses of $408 million in second quarter – TechCrunch

 

[Davea Lux]

To survive they need to increase production and reduce costs significantly. TBD I guess. Here's some info on the last 1/4.
Tesla reports larger-than-expected losses of $408 million in second quarter – TechCrunch

Their economic model is smoke and mirrors, the more cars they produce it seems like the more money they lose.

Dave

 

[Fratzog]

Their economic model is smoke and mirrors, the more cars they produce it seems like the more money they lose.

Dave

True my rational side agrees with you but my emotional side can't help but hope against all odds for a comeback. I've been in the showroom looking at them close up. They are stunning.

 

[70NEWYORKER]

Unless there was something on the back, I saw no means of paying, no keypad, nothing, just the plug and a cord. I'll investigate more when I go back next week.

Let us know. If they're free I'm gonna figure a way to hook up a toaster oven and broil me a steak.

 

[Mike66Chryslers]

Their economic model is smoke and mirrors, the more cars they produce it seems like the more money they lose.

Dave

The cars themselves are sold at a profit, but not enough. They have not figured out how to benefit form economies of scale, reducing input costs as volumes increase. They also botched the launch of the Model-3 thanks to Elon Musk's hubris, and are paying dearly for it. On top of that, all their profits are going into R&D of new models and the self-driving capabilities.

 

[fury fan]

The cars themselves are sold at a profit, but not enough. They have not figured out how to benefit form economies of scale, reducing input costs as volumes increase. They also botched the launch of the Model-3 thanks to Elon Musk's hubris, and are paying dearly for it. On top of that, all their profits are going into R&D of new models and the self-driving capabilities.

And that's the core of their problem.
80% is good enough to decide to move from R&D and start production intention, designs, and plans.
80% is not good enough when you are in production.
We can criticize big OEMs for a number of things, but they don't leave their owners on a limb like Tesla has.

You don't shift your focus to self-driving cars when your current products still need it.
Just my opinion, based on 20 years in automotive design and mfg.

 

[saforwardlook]

Teslas are everywhere in Southern California, and all the owners seem to really love them. The model S, even after quite a few years of production with few changes (except for the automatic over the air updates they get) is still one of the most desired luxury automobiles out here. Charging stations are everywhere too, and stores make them available for free to entice customers to shop there. And favored parking positions also help. When people want to take long road trip vacations, they rent something else such as an Escalade or glamour Truck. For everything else, the Teslas are the vehicle of choice out here.

And say what you want about Elon Musk, but he is really driving technology hard and fast, and neither Detroit (nor anyone else) can keep up with him. He is also pushing battery technology hard. And the U.S. needs that advantage from a world perspective to keep ahead in the technology race that every major country is in these days. Advanced technology translates into more jobs and enhances our production. The Chinese in particular are a formidable foe in terms of taking over the automobile industry and pushing electric vehicles harder and faster than anyone else.

If we sit back and enjoy the fruit of our labors of the past and neglect a stong emphasis on innovation anymore, we die a slow painful death economically as a country. The best way to address the need to MAGA is to not let it get to that point in the first place. And affordable higher education is another way to do that as well.