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Palantir

By Palantir
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jeffmori7 Newbie

jeffmori7

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http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/ABEA-4CW8X0/523463770x0x889927/27EE2FDA-9C77-4D6A-8CEE-E8DFE45227BA/Q1_2016_Tesla_Shareholder_Letter.pdf

 

If you thought they were ambitious before... Advancing production schedule to 500k EVs by 2018 instead of 2020.

 

And here is a summary of the conference call: http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2016/05/04/tesla-results-to-include-model-x-sales-model-3-prep-live-blog/

 

As a Model III reservation holder, I am really happy with those news, they talk about 100000 in 2017! So, if they can achieve this planned ramp-up, considering what they have learned with the model X and how advanced they seem to be with the III, there is hope to get it delivered in 2018 for real! :)

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ERICOPOLY Newbie

ERICOPOLY

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It seems relatively likely that the two manufacturing executives were forced out.  After the Model S, there were problems with suppliers.  They were given a second chance.  Then with the Model X, there are problems again with the suppliers and those problems are holding up Model X production right now. 

 

So the executives are shown the door and new public expectations are being set (500,000 in 2018) so it's well understood to the replacements what will be expected of them.

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Uccmal Newbie

Uccmal

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Second video that I see of a Model S autopilot avoiding a collision:

 

http://electrek.co/2016/04/09/tesla-autopilot-avoid-collision-video/

 

It'll be neat when all cars on the road have autopilot-like safety features that help avoid accidents or mitigate them by braking much faster than a human could before a collision. Safer roads for all.

 

I wonder when the feature creep will occur... it won't be long before the debate rages on whether cars will be required to brake in school zones, to brake for red lights...  to brake for the speed limit!

 

I'm sure that will become an issue at some point, with vigorous debate on both side (who will be the next Ralph Nader?).

 

Maybe at some point it'll go too far, but then again, sometimes people are just afraid of change but in the end, it's for the better (there was a lot of resistance to seat belts and then air bags...).

 

What I would really like to see is built in alcohol breathylyzers in every vehicle as a legal requirement.  Set them to 0.08 and eliminate drunk driving forever.  We had a tragic accident up here last fall where a drunk dude driving a high end SUV plowed into a family and killed all three kids of a family and their grandfather.  The carnage never stops, no matter how much social pressure there is. 

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ERICOPOLY Newbie

ERICOPOLY

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Second video that I see of a Model S autopilot avoiding a collision:

 

http://electrek.co/2016/04/09/tesla-autopilot-avoid-collision-video/

 

It'll be neat when all cars on the road have autopilot-like safety features that help avoid accidents or mitigate them by braking much faster than a human could before a collision. Safer roads for all.

 

I wonder when the feature creep will occur... it won't be long before the debate rages on whether cars will be required to brake in school zones, to brake for red lights...  to brake for the speed limit!

 

 

At least on highways where pedestrians aren't an issue, do speed limits even make sense for autonomous vehicles?  Reaction times for the autonomous driving systems are much quicker than for human beings.

 

Under the banner of energy conservation they make sense.  And noise reduction for the communities alongside the roadway -- tire noise.

 

Energy conservation is a personal choice.  Energy costs money, you choose how much of it you wish to buy.  You should be able to set your vehicle to stay in the right lane and go slow if you wish to save energy or go faster if you wish to save time.  And noise, if you buy a home near a highway you know what you are buying.  Again money solves the problem.  If you wish to live in a quieter neighborhood then it will cost a little more to buy a home.  Or neighbors could get together and have sound barriers installed to help shield their neighborhood from the noise.

 

The 55 MPH speed limit is not personal choice, and it was created to save energy.

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abcd Newbie

abcd

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This might not go well with buyers, if true.

 

Quote:

Car buyers have always been able to load up new models with expensive features—bigger wheels, a better sound system—but Tesla is testing whether customers will be willing to pay thousands of dollars more for permission to take full advantage of the equipment that’s already on the car.

 

http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2016-tesla-model-s/

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TwoCitiesCapital Newbie

TwoCitiesCapital

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New reports suggest he was watching Harry Potter on the screen in the car at the time of the accident. For those who own a TSLA, how does that work? Most rental cars I have experience with won't even let me connect to the bluetooth if the cars not at a full stop. Do TSLA's allow you to play video while driving?

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Picasso Newbie

Picasso

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New reports suggest he was watching Harry Potter on the screen in the car at the time of the accident. For those who own a TSLA, how does that work? Most rental cars I have experience with won't even let me connect to the bluetooth if the cars not at a full stop. Do TSLA's allow you to play video while driving?

 

You can't watch videos on the console, but he had a portable DVD player with him.

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ERICOPOLY Newbie

ERICOPOLY

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Yes, this risks seriously damaging Tesla's image. Software-crippling products for $$$ is not a good idea. Either don't sell the cheaper crippled product or just lower the price for full functionality.

 

 

The Microsoft Windows CDs always had the full set of windows files on them.  The difference was in the Product Key -- it told setup which version to install.

 

So you pay for "Home Edition" and that's all you get installed -- even though the "Professional" version is also sitting on that disk.

 

History shows that Microsoft made a lot of money doing this.

 

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beerbaron Newbie

beerbaron

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Yes, this risks seriously damaging Tesla's image. Software-crippling products for $$$ is not a good idea. Either don't sell the cheaper crippled product or just lower the price for full functionality.

 

 

The Microsoft Windows CDs always had the full set of windows files on them.  The difference was in the Product Key -- it told setup which version to install.

 

So you pay for "Home Edition" and that's all you get installed -- even though the "Professional" version is also sitting on that disk.

 

History shows that Microsoft made a lot of money doing this.

 

Didn't Bausch & Lomb once get caught into a scandal because they were selling 90 days contact lenses that were identical to the 30 days ones? It seems that in people's mind there is a distinction between software and physical goods... it seems acceptable for software but not so much for hardware. I would put a car in the later case...

 

BeerBaron

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ERICOPOLY Newbie

ERICOPOLY

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Yes, this risks seriously damaging Tesla's image. Software-crippling products for $$$ is not a good idea. Either don't sell the cheaper crippled product or just lower the price for full functionality.

 

 

The Microsoft Windows CDs always had the full set of windows files on them.  The difference was in the Product Key -- it told setup which version to install.

 

So you pay for "Home Edition" and that's all you get installed -- even though the "Professional" version is also sitting on that disk.

 

History shows that Microsoft made a lot of money doing this.

 

Didn't Bausch & Lomb once get caught into a scandal because they were selling 90 days contact lenses that were identical to the 30 days ones? It seems that in people's mind there is a distinction between software and physical goods... it seems acceptable for software but not so much for hardware. I would put a car in the later case...

 

BeerBaron

 

Making things worse for the customers would be worse for Tesla too.

 

Tesla is doing what is best for the customer.

 

You guys are essentially proposing that the "less power" battery actually has fewer cells in it for the same $$$ spent by the customer.  Okay, let's say you win and they go ahead and actually ship the inferior battery that they are paying for.  Then when it's time to upgrade, it's not just a product key flip -- they've got to physically change the battery pack!!!  That will cost the customer more money.  They'd have to buy the bigger battery and find somebody to purchase the old one.

 

I'm pretty sure that the upgrade scenario would be worse for the customer who changes his mind.  Tesla is doing him a favor here by making the upgrade convenient/cheap.

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ERICOPOLY Newbie

ERICOPOLY

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It's kind of like a form of financing -- like an installment plan of sorts.

 

Pay less money upfront and get less functionality.  After a few more paychecks you fork over more money and get the full version.

 

That's actually better.

 

I wish I could buy a house that way.  Imagine buying a 4 bedroom house for something like a 25% price discount, with bedrooms #3 and #4 locked off by the builder.  You can't get the keys to unlock those rooms until you pay the final 1/4 of the house price.  That would work great because initially you buy the house before you have kids, but you don't have to buy the 3rd and 4th bedrooms until you actually want them.  But they are there the whole time -- you just can't use them.

 

I wish the world worked like that!

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Picasso Newbie

Picasso

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In case Tesla goes under, how likely will the face value of these convertibles  be not impaired?

 

 

http://www.valuewalk.com/2016/02/stanphyl-capital-short-tesla-motors-inc-tsla/

 

Bought some Tesla convertibles today, probably buy more as we go into the Model 3 unveil.

 

The SCTY potential acquisition certainly makes that a tough question to answer, and it's definitely a negative credit event. 

 

I sold my TSLA convertibles since the SCTY convertibles are at 15% yields and you'll see convergence in yields if the deal goes through.  It would make more sense to simply buy the SCTY bonds, but if the deal doesn't happen then the TSLA convertibles will likely get back into the mid 90's.  I can't make that much sense of the situation anymore.  I'm personally surprised by the timing of this deal announcement.  Why not wait until the Model 3 is over and done with?  If the deal ends up working out, then Musk is on some other level of genius because I can't find many people who think this is as good move.  Myself included.

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