A thread for links to Tesla-related news reports not found on the InsideEVs news site. From Business Insider: "Tesla owners are incredibly happy with their cars" From Electrek: "Tesla is up for a fight in New York as dealers start misinformation campaign ahead of new expansion bill" From Electrek: "Tesla starts deploying more charging stations directly with municipalities"
From Electrek: "A new Tesla Powerpack system brings business almost completely off-grid in France" From (Rhode Island) Providence Journal: "Electric car manufacturer Tesla granted licenses to sell direct in R.I." From Fortune: "The Tesla Model X Is (Almost) the Perfect Winter Car" From Supply Chain Drive: "What Tesla's semi truck says about the future of trucking"
So Tesla can now sell its cars in Rhode Island. I would like to see an updated article on how many and which states allow Tesla sales, stores, and service centers.
I've just been watching Max keisers report on Elon Musk & Tesla on the Keiser report. https://www.rt.com/shows/keiser-report/416244-episode-max-keiser-1177/
From USA Today: "Mixed review: Edmunds hits the road with Tesla's Model 3" I take Edmunds.com's reviews quite seriously. I think they try hard to do objective reviews, unlike many or most auto review magazines, which generally run articles and reviews biased in favor of auto makers. And unlike Consumer Reports, whose various reviews of Tesla cars seem to vary whimsically, almost wildly, perhaps by what mood the reviewers are in that day, Edmunds.com's car reviews seem well-informed, as well as actually fair and balanced. Edmunds says, in part: Tesla's scramble to increase its Model 3 production seems to have adversely affected Model 3 build quality, at least on the basis of our tiny sample of one. Body panel gaps are inconsistent, reflecting a lack of attention to detail, and this applies not only to our own car but even to Model 3s we've seen on display. I've seen some sharply differing opinions on this subject, with many or most actual Model 3 owners saying they didn't notice any fit-and-finish issues, and any problems are the very minor sorts of imperfections seen on almost any car. But if Edmunds.com says there is a problem with the build quality, then I think the issue should be taken seriously. But they still like driving the Model 3: Those issues aside, we enjoy driving the Model 3. It feels sorted and sporty when you're driving around turns, and the electric motor delivers plenty of thrust. It's dramatically quicker and more engaging to drive than other popular EVs such as the BMW i3 and the Chevrolet Bolt. That premium feel experienced in the Model S and the Model X is also present.-
I think that these are the same types of complaints people have had about Tesla for... oh, I dunno, 6 years or so? Somehow Tesla gets through them just fine. Having said that, we are hoping that the Model 3 is the first model to truly bridge between the EV enthusiast and the average car buyer. So we aren't sure if the average buyer is going to be as patient and excited as all of us fanboys are. But just like other technological advancements, I'm thinking that once they start driving the Model 3 (or other EVs) a significant number of the 'average' buyers will become EVangelists just like us!
From CleanTechnica: "8 'Impossible' Goals Tesla Achieved" From Electrek: "Tesla has grown to 45,000 employees despite laying off ~4,000 people earlier this year" From Inverse: "Tesla Software Could Completely Shake Up the Auto Industry"
I'm sure we'll see this news posted to the IEVs news site shortly: From CNBC: "Judge approves Elon Musk's settlement with SEC" My apologies for linking to such a biased, anti-Tesla news site, but I don't see the news reported at a less biased site as of yet.
I appreciate the problem and lately have noticed the bipolar nature of the 'shorts.' When the stock goes low encouraged by bad news, they cover their margins and book profit. But the stock needs to go up before they can repeat the cycle. With low stock price, they go silent and possibly encourage 'good news' to get the price up again ... lather, wash, rinse, repeat. A perfect parasite lives off of a host without killing it. Bob Wilson
True. I have to admit my assertion that short-selling anti-Tesla FUDsters are like ghouls, wanting to kill Tesla and feed off the corpse... that's a bit of an exaggeration. They don't actually want to kill their cash cow, they just want to suck as much blood from it as possible, as frequently as possible. As you say, successful parasites don't actually kill their host.
To me, it looks like they are sucking from Tesla investors ... especially those who bought high and decided to sell low. These losses are what feeds the short sellers. Worse, Tesla like most companies, has an employee stock purchase plan. They are the ones likely to be hurt by the short-seller pump-and-dump scams. Bob Wilson
Tesla's surprise offering of the Mid Range Model 3, and announcing an end to production of the LR RWD (Long Range, Rear Wheel Drive) Model 3, has received much coverage at the IEVs news site and elsewhere. (Quite soon, Tesla will offer the LR Model 3 only in dual-motor or AWD (All Wheel Drive) versions.) No need to repeat that news here. But here's an interesting analysis/ op-ed on why Tesla chose to put the Mid Range version into production: From Market Watch.com: "Tesla ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ on $35,000 Model 3: analyst"
From Wired.com: "Tesla’s New 'Mid-Range' Model 3 Is the iPhone XR of Cars" From Clean Technica: "Tesla Coverage Swings Positive In The Mass Media — #Pravduh Report 7" From Clean Technica: "Tesla Service Delivers 'The Repair Experience Of The Future'" From High Country News: "See what a tech production surge means for Tesla workers" With few housing options in Storey County, Nevada, new Gigafactory 1 employees are forced to find alternative living situations. From Boston.com: "The Tesla Model 3 shows off the future of automotive design"
. . . We define journalism as: the pursuit of facts and reporting on them. When you systematically report with a slant that doesn’t line up with reality, or omit facts that are inconvenient to your point of view, that distorts the general truth. In order to be as transparent as possible, all the data our analysis is based on are published at the end of each report. We report the facts and let you draw your own conclusions about the story behind these stories. . . . I like it! Bob Wilson
The following is certainly one of the most positive financial analyses I've ever seen about Tesla's future, from anyone who appears to be an informed analyst. What's doubly amazing is that this article isn't from a site with a clear pro-Tesla bias, such as Electrek or Clean Technica or Evannex; it's from Forbes! From Forbes.com: "Tesla Ready For German Competition, And Then Some: Report" Go Tesla!
From Forbes.com: "What Tesla Needs From Its New Chairman: Specialized Knowledge And The Chutzpah To Stand Up To Musk" I'd describe this more of an op-ed piece than a news report, but the first several paragraphs are interesting. However, I stopped reading when it got into the qualifications of many different potential candidates for the job. Perhaps you, gentle reader, will find the rest of the article more interesting. From Electrive.com [sic!]*: "Tesla planning multi-billion investments in Gigafactories" Quoting from Tesla's 10-Q filing: Considering the pipeline of new products planned at this point, and consistent with our current strategy of using a partner to manufacture cells, as well as considering all other infrastructure growth and expansion of Gigafactories 1, 2 and 3, we currently estimate that capital expenditures will be between $2.5 to $3.0 billion annually for the next two fiscal years. So once again -- dare I say "as usual"? -- Pushy was right about Tesla's near-future plans, and all those self-appointed "financial analysts" were wrong: Tesla most certainly is going to spend billions of dollars over the next two years to expand its manufacturing capacity! Go Tesla! *I guess all the good names for EV-related websites were already taken?
From Electrek: "Tesla is planning massive multi-billion investments in its gigafactories over the next 2 years" I'd prefer to link to a website that's more neutral toward Tesla -- Electrek has been frequently criticized for its pro-Tesla bias -- but I don't see any other article with good coverage of this particular subject. There's more "meat" in this article than the one I linked to above.
On the lighter side of fake news... A Faux Noise Fox News host loses his cool when interviewing Kimball Musk (Elon's brother) about the new Chairman of the Board at Tesla. Kimball absolutely refuses to go along with Fox's Tesla bashing, and uses the opportunity to plug his nonprofit's "Plant a Seed Day".
From Tech Crunch.com: "Tesla acquires trucking companies to squeeze in more deliveries before Dec. 31" From The New York Times Business: "What Tesla’s ‘Delivery Logistics Hell’ Is Like for Model 3 Buyers" Hmmm, there appears to be a rather large dose of anti-Tesla bias in this NYT story! The story claims cars shipped to legacy auto dealers almost never have any damage from shipping. Apparently the writer thinks that only happens to Tesla cars. From Green Car Reports: "Commentary: Tesla's carrot sells more electric cars than California's stick" From Clean Technica: "Tesla Slashes Solar Pricing 10–20% To Make Solar More Affordable" From Electrek: "Tesla could fit a Gigfactory 1 at its new site in China"