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Tesla Bull Talks Tesla’s Big Competitive Moat

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Published on November 8th, 2019 |

by Johnna Crider

Tesla Bull Talks Tesla’s Big Competitive Moat

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November 8th, 2019 by Johnna Crider

A Tesla bull named David recently addressed Tesla’s competitive moat in a Medium article. He actually wrote the article for friends who seem to think Tesla is just an electric car company that will most likely fail, but then decided to share with the world. David makes several good points in his article and sums up the mentality that people, especially the shorts, have about Tesla:

“It seems like the dominant notion is that Tesla is just another car company in a tough market which is dominated by titans, and so Tesla may not survive.” —David.

Tesla, however, has surrounded itself with a competitive moat that many can’t seem to swim across. Three things that David talks about in his article actually form Tesla’s competitive moat, and other companies — not just automakers — can learn from this. Several key points David covers in his article are:

The type of company Tesla really is
The location of Tesla
Tesla’s Advantage

Tesla, The Company
Tesla doesn’t just build cars, but also build the computers that run in cars. It builds software for the vehicles. Competing combustion cars can be seen as analog devices, while an electric Tesla is a digital (meaning connectable) device.

“What we end up with is an iPhone in an age of Nokia devices.” —David.

Location
The US is the world leader in the computer software industry, and Silicon Valley is the epicenter of that leadership. Which is why the location needed to be in Silicon Valley.

“[A]t some point, choosing a car with the right software will stop being an option. If you can’t call the car from your app, play video games while parked, get firmware updates overnight, see your dog while parked, get notifications on your mobile if someone gets close — you simply won’t consider it at all.” —David.

Advantage
Tesla’s main advantage over new companies such as Rivian is that it has a head start. David mentions that the electrification of automobiles has flattened out the competition in the same way the internet did. Who uses phone books when you can just look it up on Google Maps? Tesla’s current status and advantages is just one wave in Tesla’s competitive moat.

Tesla’s focus on the software gives it that sharp edge that has legacy automakers reaching for bandaids. But it’s only going to get worse for them.

What we are seeing with Tesla are the results of over a decade’s worth of innovation, hard work, and creativity. This force, if you will, will continue to grow. The beautiful thing is that all of this brilliant engineering started out as a mere thought, an idea. Imagine what you could create if you really put your all into it.
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About the Author

Johnna Crider Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge artist, gem and mineral collector, and Tesla shareholder who believes in Elon Musk and Tesla. Elon Musk advised her in 2018 to “Believe in Good.”

Tesla is one of many good things to believe in. You can find Johnna on Twitter

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Tesla Eye Candy: South Florida “Tesla Cars & Coffee” Event

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Published on November 2nd, 2019 |

by Matt Pressman

Tesla Eye Candy: South Florida “Tesla Cars & Coffee” Event

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November 2nd, 2019 by Matt Pressman

Originally posted EVANNEX.

Signature Custom Wraps recently held a “Cars and Coffee” event for Tesla owners — EVANNEX was a proud sponsor and excited attendee! Local owners from all over the state of Florida came out to enjoy coffee, cookies, and some the most tricked-out Teslas in the area. There was a raffle with EVANNEX products, a Tesla Wall Charger, and many other fun goodies.

Tesla owners come out for a “Cars and Coffee” event at Signature Custom Wraps in South Florida. (Photo by Casey Murphy, EVANNEX)

It was a great opportunity for us to see some of our friends and check out our aftermarket Tesla accessories in action. We love that the local Tesla community here in the Sunshine State is so tight! If your local Tesla club is having a similar type of event, please reach out — we’d love to see if we could play a role in making it a special occasion like this one!

Photos by Casey Murphy, EVANNEX. Special thanks to Signature Custom Wraps.
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Matt Pressman is all about Tesla. He’s a TSLA investor, pre-ordered the Model 3, and loves driving the family's Model S and Model X company cars. As co-founder of EVANNEX, a family business specializing in aftermarket Tesla accessories, he’s served as a contributor/editor of Electric Vehicle University (EVU) and the Owning Model S and Getting Ready for Model 3 books. He writes daily about Tesla and you can follow his work on the EVANNEX blog.

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Tesla Model 3 Performance vs. Hellcat, Trackhawk, Mustang, Camaro, & Viper On The Track (Videos)

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Published on November 8th, 2019 |

by Iqtidar Ali

Tesla Model 3 Performance vs. Hellcat, Trackhawk, Mustang, Camaro, & Viper On The Track (Videos)

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November 8th, 2019 by Iqtidar Ali

Originally posted on X Auto and EVANNEX.

Tesla Model 3 Performance is gaining a fearsome reputation on the drag strip. Case in point: one Tesla Model 3 Performance owner has gone up against well-established internal combustion engine (ICE) rivals — like the Jeep Trackhawk, Dodge Viper, Dodge Charger Hellcat, Chevrolet Camaro SS, and others — and the results are clear.

Tesla Model 3 Performance charging at Tesla chargers in Florida. Photo by Zach Shahan | CleanTechnica

Some of the drag races in the following videos are 1/4 mile and some are 1/2 mile. Regardless, the Tesla Model 3 Performance gives each brave competitor a hell of a tough time. It’s clear that after each of these drag races, owners of competing ICE cars gain a newfound respect for Tesla and the (often underestimated) power of electric cars.

Model 3 Performance vs. Ford Mustang
According to the Model 3 Performance owner, the year (and mods) of the Mustang in this race are unknown, but I really enjoyed how brutally the Tesla Model 3 defeated this gas guzzler. No need for the time slips here!

Model 3 Performance vs. Ford Mustang drag race video (YouTube: Mar10 W6)

Model 3 Performance vs. Dodge Viper
Tesla Model 3 Performance takes on the 510 hp Dodge Viper in 2 half-mile drag races. Critics who say Tesla can’t sustain speed on longer runs need to see this video — the top speed of a Tesla Model 3 is 162 mph (260 km/h). What is Dodge Viper’s top speed? I’m not sure (or even interested) after watching this 2-0 win by the Tesla.

Two half-mile drag races between Tesla Model 3 Performance and Dodge Viper (YouTube: Mar10 W6)

Model 3 Performance vs. 473 hp Camaro SS
Another beast from the ICE world, this machine is built for the drag strip. It didn’t matter, though — one of the most worthy challengers in the arena ate Tesla Model 3 Performance’s dust. In fact, the video description says that the “Camaro is cammed [with] long tube headers, ram-air intake, and exhaust running on drag radials. It has 473hp at the wheels. Model 3 Performance is stock with full interior including floor mats. This is the view from the Camaro.”

Tesla Model 3 Performance vs. 473 hp Chevrolet Camaro SS 1/4 mile drag race video (YouTube: Mar10 W6)

Model 3 Performance vs. Charger Hellcat
The Model 3 Performance owner took on the Charger Hellcat in one 1/4 mile and one 1/2 mile race. The results can be seen in the following videos. … Hellcat, huh!?

Tesla Model 3 Performance vs. Dodge Charger Hellcat 1/4 mile and 1/2 mile drag races (YouTube: Mar10 W6)

Model 3 Performance vs. Jeep Trackhawk
A stock Jeep Trackhawk is a 707 hp ICE monster. A while back it even gave Tesla Model X P100D a tough time and just lost to it by only 0.1 second in a quarter-mile drag. Although the Trackhawk was too much for the Model 3, the Jeep owner notes, “Actually it was side by side for about 3 seconds (about 60 mph). … Great race.” He also praised the Model 3’s Performance on the drag strip in another video’s comments section, “I love this hobby and love Tesla for showing us the future of this hobby is only going to be even better.”

Tesla Model 3 Performance vs. Jeep Trackhawk SUV (YouTube: Mar10 W6)

Haven’t had enough? Of course you haven’t. Be sure to check out the Tesla Model 3 Performance battle against the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat on the drag strip.
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About the Author

Iqtidar Ali Iqtidar Ali writes for X Auto about Tesla and electric vehicles. A true car enthusiast since his childhood, he covers his stories with an utmost passion, which is now guided by the mission towards sustainability.

With over 1 decade of website development experience, he’s also our IT resource at hand. He also writes about tech stuff at UXTechPlus.com occasionally.

Iqtidar can easily be reached on Twitter @IqtidarAlii (DM open for tips, feedback or a friendly message) or via email: iqtidar@xautoworld.com.

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Tesla Gigafactory 3 Drone Video Spots 15 Made-in-China Tesla Model 3s

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Published on November 3rd, 2019 |

by Guest Contributor

Tesla Gigafactory 3 Drone Video Spots 15 Made-in-China Tesla Model 3s

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November 3rd, 2019 by Guest Contributor

Update:

Originally published on X Auto.
by Iqtidar Ali | @IqtidarAlii

The latest Gigafactory Shanghai drone video shows 15 Made-in-China Tesla Model 3 cars parked in the facility’s parking lot, this looks like the first batch of trial production that started at the Gigafactory 3 earlier this month.

During the Tesla Q3 2019 earnings call last week, Elon Musk announced that trial production had started at the Gigafactory Shanghai:

“Regarding Gigafactory, Shanghai, this month we started with trial production at Giga Shanghai and built four vehicles from body, to paint, to general assembly. So this is a … this is a real factory with a tremendous amount of equipment in it. While a lot of people see the outside shell of the factory, which is enormous, and it was essentially underwater in January — it was below the water table literally — what is, I think, much more significant is that we’re able to install massive stamping machines, a fully operational paint shop, and a sophisticated general assembly line in the same period of time, in parallel with the building. I’d like to thank our China team for this extraordinary achievement I’m not aware of any factory of this magnitude in history being constructed in such a short period of time, approximately 10 months. As far as I know, this is unprecedented. And Gigafactory Shanghai will become a template for future growth. We’re planning to build Model Ys in Shanghai as well of course, and build a Gigafactory in Europe and we hope to announce the location to that Gigafactory. In fact, we will announce the location to that Gigafactory before the end of this year.”

All of the 15 trial production Tesla Model 3s we see in the following footage are in solid black color. We’re yet to see Made-in-China Model 3s that are a different color.

Building a giant car production facility like this in 9-10 months is a remarkable achievement, probably this only happens in China.

Tesla is one of the few exceptions of a foreign company or product having such a loyal fan base in China. Tesla enthusiasts continuously visit the Gigafactory 3 and cover the Tesla news. For example, Chao Zhou visited a while ago and brought us the following phase-II construction update.

Another extended video of the Gigafactory 3 from last week shows the enormous progress made since the place was only mud and water, when Elon Musk and other Chinese dignitaries attended the groundbreaking ceremony earlier this year.

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Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm Discusses Elon Musk’s Audacious Goals (Video)

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Published on November 7th, 2019 |

by Guest Contributor

Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm Discusses Elon Musk’s Audacious Goals (Video)

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November 7th, 2019 by Guest Contributor

Originally posted EVANNEX.
by Charles Morris

Elon Musk has often come in for criticism because of missed deadlines, over-ambitious forecasts, and, in a few cases, unfulfilled promises. It’s true that production dates for the company’s vehicles have often slipped, many owners are unhappy about delays in delivering Full Self-Driving capability, and the New York-to-Los Angeles driverless Odyssey, originally planned for late 2017, has yet to take place. Musk himself has admitted that he’s always had problems with timelines.

Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm

However, let’s look at the other side of the coin. Tesla has achieved the goals of Musk’s Master Plan, progressing from a limited-quantity boutique automobile (the Roadster) to a mass-market sedan (Model 3) on a timeline that, for the auto industry, counts as lightning speed. As other automakers (both incumbents and startups) struggle with their electrification efforts, Tesla is increasing sales, moving on to new models, opening up potentially huge new markets, earning a respectable margin, and making a profit. The word among analysts these days is that the California carmaker has at least a five-year head start on its so-called rivals.

As the old saying goes, whatever Tesla’s doing, it seems to be working. But what if the company is succeeding not in spite of Musk’s overambitious goals, but because of them? That’s what Tesla Chairwoman Robyn Denholm implied in a recent interview on CNBC.

Denholm, an Australian business executive with an extensive background in the auto and tech industries, replaced Musk as Chair of Tesla’s board in November 2018 as part of a settlement with the SEC over his naughty tweets. Her appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box represents a rare chance to hear inside insights about the company from someone whose name isn’t Musk.

“To achieve what Tesla has achieved over the last 5 years, over the last 10 years, you have to set audacious goals and big goals … and then have everybody in the company work like crazy to get there,” Denholm told CNBC. “I think part of it is setting those very big goals so that the company can rally and get behind them and move forward, and move the whole industry forward.”

Denholm sits down to chat with CNBC alongside Billionaire investor Ron Baron (YouTube: CNBC Television)

As examples of Muskian audacity, Denholm cited the California carmaker’s production of 97,000 vehicles last quarter, and its completion of Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai in a mere 10 months, achievements that took many by surprise.

Believe it or not, development of the Shanghai factory is actually ahead of schedule, and it has started production of Model 3 on a trial basis. “There is a huge opportunity for growth in China,” said Denholm with massive understatement.

The advent of electric vehicles has catalyzed a historic shift that will see much of the global auto industry migrate from the US to China (and to a lesser extent, to Europe). Although Tesla is the quintessential American company, it’s no exception to this trend — the firm’s recently announced quarterly results reveal that US sales declined by some 39% over the last year, as Chinese sales grew by 64% (European sales also surged).

Baron Capital founder Ron Baron, whose firm owns around $488 million worth of TSLA shares, joined Denholm on Squawk Box, and reminded us that, while the media makes Musk the focus of its Tesla coverage, the company is no one-man show. Musk may set the “unrealistic” goals, but it takes a massive amount of work by a huge number of people to make them reality.

“They have 42,000 employees. This is not reliant upon one man,” said Baron. “But he has empowered people to be able to make decisions and to be able to do what’s best for the company.”

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Tesla Has A Career Program For Veterans

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Published on November 7th, 2019 |

by Johnna Crider

Tesla Has A Career Program For Veterans

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November 7th, 2019 by Johnna Crider

Tesla, you may or may not know, has a career program for veterans who have served in the U.S. military. In a country that celebrates its veterans on television yet turns a blind eye to the needs of many vets who are struggling with all types of problems, ranging from PTSD to homelessness, Tesla is one of many American companies that are focusing on employing those who served in our military.

One of the main things Tesla is looking for in employees is that they have a leadership mentality and experience. Tesla wants people who can lead small teams, come up with a plan, and accomplish the mission. Some of the core values that Tesla appreciates in veterans is discipline, attention to detail, and dedication — that sense of loyalty and commitment that veterans often have. Tesla will not only help veterans transition from being members of the military into members of civilian life, but also values the experience that veterans have.

Why Veterans? Why Tesla?
People who have served in the military know how to deal with a crisis as soon as it comes up. That is a good skill for a nimble, fast-growing, constantly improving company.

Tesla is also working toward solving a crisis — one that has been around for a long time and is still unsolved. In fact, this crisis is one that many choose to turn a blind eye to and pretend away.

Solving the crisis of climate change requires more than a direct approach. One can’t just flip a switch and it’s solved. No, this crisis requires people with the passion to change it working many years to do so. It’s a good fit for someone who has come home from war who wants to continue serving our nation, or humanity as a whole.

The Plight of 67,495 U.S. Veterans Today
The idea of homeless veterans is appalling. When people go to serve in the military, the leave behind their families and sometimes end up in situations where there is a really high chance that they may die. When those who are fortunate enough to return home do so, they come home to a country that doesn’t necessarily respect or take care of them.

In an article by The Military Wallet, writer Ryan Guina states, “There are over 630,000 homeless people in America. 67,495 are veterans. It amazes me that in today’s society, over 1 in 10 homeless people in America are veterans.” Ryan shared an infographic that breaks down just how serious the situation is.

Almost a million veterans lived in poverty in the United States in 2018. 20,000 of them with government-sponsored mortgages lost their homes in 2010. 76% of homeless veterans struggle with alcohol, drug, or mental health issues. 30% of veterans ages 18–24 are unemployed.

That person standing in the middle of the road begging you for money as you drive by may have once put on a uniform and served this country. People being judged as junkies or crazies may have given up so much for this nation. Yes, turning to drugs and alcohol is a horrible thing, but instead of judgement, have compassion. Trauma is the number one cause of homelessness. People turn to drugs and alcohol to escape their pain. Sometimes their pain is too much for their minds to take.

With Veterans Day and the holiday season coming forth, we often fleetingly think of those much less fortunate than ourselves before putting them in the backs of our minds as we continue our day-to-day lives. People seem to forget about impoverished Americans, and when the topic comes up, the usual stereotypes come into play. Poor people must have done something wrong to now be poor.

Oh, he is on drugs, so that’s why. Maybe if he didn’t do drugs he wouldn’t be on the streets. Yes, go tell that to the veteran who lost a leg and is living on disability but can’t afford to pay rent because his monthly disability check is just $700.

Go tell the children of homeless parents that they need to just get a job and they will be okay — never mind they are too young to work.

This mentality we have toward the less fortunate needs to drop, because things do change and one day it can happen to you. Homelessness does not discriminate.

America shouldn’t say, “Thank you for your service,” to our veterans. America should demonstrate its gratitude instead. We need more than Veterans Day. We need more companies like Tesla stepping up to work with veterans.
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Johnna Crider Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge artist, gem and mineral collector, and Tesla shareholder who believes in Elon Musk and Tesla. Elon Musk advised her in 2018 to “Believe in Good.”

Tesla is one of many good things to believe in. You can find Johnna on Twitter

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Tesla Model S Plaid Prototype Laps the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:13

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Published on November 5th, 2019 |

by Dr. Maximilian Holland

Tesla Model S Plaid Prototype Laps the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:13

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November 5th, 2019 by Dr. Maximilian Holland

Respected German publication Auto Motor und Sport is reporting that the Tesla Model S Plaid prototype has been hand-timed lapping the Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 13 seconds, according to the outlet’s local source. Adjusting for race-compound tires, this puts the Tesla around 19 seconds ahead of the Taycan Turbo’s 7:42 lap time reported by Porsche in August. It’s also faster than every gas-powered 4-door series production car ’round the ‘ring.

We’ve covered Tesla’s ongoing adventures at the Nürburgring Nordschleife before, reporting initial versions of the Model S Plaid prototype clocking laps of 7:23 in mid September. With further tweaks, it appears Tesla has now shaved a further 10 seconds off this time and has been recorded lapping the ‘ring in 7:13 — on at least two separate occasions (according to Auto Motor und Sport).

Tesla may not be done yet. Winter is now setting in at the Nürburgring, with unfavorable weather and shortening hours of daylight — not ideal for setting lap times. Tesla will very likely be back at the ring at least once more before the Model S Plaid is planned to go on sale sometime in Q3 2020. Tesla will want to record a more formal lap time for the final production-spec Model S Plaid, to help market the car, which will sell for a premium over the regular Model S Performance.

The Plaid prototype was piloted around the ring by Thomas Mutsch, a professional driver experienced in both GT and endurance racing, who has several recent wins in 24 hour races around the Nordschleife. The Plaid prototype continues to be shod in race compound tires, which give an approximate 10 second lap time advantage over production vehicles that are typically tested wearing more standard sport compound road-biased tires. Nevertheless, assuming this would translate into a ~7:23 time on road-biased tires, the Tesla looks set to take the outright 4-door production car record at the circuit. The current standing for series production 4-door vehicles (adjusted for tire choices) is:

*Tesla Model S Plaid time is adjusted by 10 seconds to account for tire choice. Data from FastestLaps.com

Note that the list excludes limited special edition cars that are not in series production.

Porsche Taycan Turbo at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Image Courtesy: Porsche.

It’s unlikely that the legacy automakers will let their combustion engine expertise get overtaken by EVs without a fight. There’s evidence that Porsche is developing a faster Panamera version (codename “Lion”) with the intention to (temporarily) reclaim the top spot on the leaderboard for combustion power, with informal lap timing of 07:11. When and to what extent that will translate into a series production Panamera version is as yet unknown. Why doesn’t Porsche develop a version of the Taycan EV to take the top spot? Likely because its business model still involves making most of its income from selling combustion cars, like every other legacy automaker. Perhaps in another 10 years when Porsche is offering more EVs it will finally allow the superior technology to rise to their top spot.

With ever tightening emissions limits being unavoidable for combustion cars, and EVs only at the very start of their performance development curve, this is not a fight that combustion engine vehicles can hope to win in the long run. We have Tesla and the rivalry with the Porsche Taycan to thank for showing what’s already possible.

Article images courtesy of respective brands, author’s own graphic.
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Dr. Maximilian Holland Max is an anthropologist, social theorist and international political economist, trying to ask questions and encourage critical thinking about social and environmental justice, sustainability and the human condition. He has lived and worked in Europe and Asia, and is currently based in Barcelona. Follow Max on twitter @Dr_Maximilian and at MaximilianHolland.com, or contact him via LinkedIn.

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What We Think We Know About The Tesla Cybertruck

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Published on November 7th, 2019 |

by Johnna Crider

What We Think We Know About The Tesla Cybertruck

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November 7th, 2019 by Johnna Crider

In his new blog, Whole Mars, Omar Qazi (aka @Tesla_Truth) gives us some of his thoughts on what we already know — or at least, think we know — about the Tesla Cybertruck. I have some catching up to do, as I have never seen Blade Runner, which seems to be the theme of Tesla’s hottest new product.

I am sure, as is Omar, that there are going to be a lot of new features and surprises when we do see the truck in just a couple of weeks. So, besides some of those interesting Cybertruck renders (thanks, Earl and Eva!), Omar put together some of his thoughts to help us stay patient while Tesla builds up the suspense and momentum.

“Tesla will unveil its ‘Cybertruck’ electric pickup on November 21. Elon Musk has called the supposedly Blade Runner design ‘heart-stopping’, with better utility than a Ford F-150 and superior performance to a basic Porsche 911.” —Sean O’Kane, The Verge

What We Know
The Verge highlights that the Cybertruck will seat six people and the price will start at around $50,000. It will offer 400 to 500 miles of range in the highest-priced version and could be powered by a dual-motor setup. Also, something to look forward to is the ludicrous towing capacity of 300,000 pounds. 300,000 pounds is a lot.

The above is a great question. What are some items that weigh 300,000 pounds? Well, the Space Shuttle weighs 165,000 pounds, so, yes, the Cybertruck can tow a rocket and anything that weighs 300,000 pounds or less. It won’t be able to tow a Falcon 9, though. At just over 3 million pounds, perhaps the Tesla Semi would be a more suitable truck for towing the Falcon 9 rocket.

The truck can also tow, if China ever needed Tesla to do so for some reason, the Bell of Good Luck. Weighing 254,000 pounds, this 17-year-old bell is the heaviest bell in the world and is located in Henan, China. It’s 24 feet in height and more than 15 feet wide. The truck can also tow a railroad locomotive engine weighing 250,000 pounds or a 240,000 pound radio tower. We can definitely agree that these are some insane towing skills.

It will be interesting to see the Cybertruck compared to the Truckla, which used to be a Tesla Model 3. As we’ve written before, its owner, Simone Giertz, transformed her Model 3 into a pickup truck. In a 31 minute video, Simona, her mechanic, Marcos Ramirez, designer Laura Kampf, and car refurbisher Rich Benoit teamed up to completely transform the Model 3 into Tesla’s first-ever pickup truck, named the Truckla.

When Simone asked Elon if she and Truckla were invited, he said, “Of course.”

It would be fun to see both the Cybertruck and the Truckla on stage together, and perhaps Simone could inspire Elon to make a second pickup truck made from the Model 3 as she did with hers? One thing for sure is that, with Tesla, creativity is always abounding.

Aside from humongous towing capacity and tremendous torque, we also expect ports for electric power tools and compressed air tools to plug in, a suspension that dynamically adjusts for load, and perhaps a solar tonneau. See: “Elon Musk Solicits Input For The Tesla Truck As It Gets Serious About Electric Pickup #ElonTweets.”

For more, see our Tesla trucks and Tesla pickup truck archives.
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About the Author

Johnna Crider Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge artist, gem and mineral collector, and Tesla shareholder who believes in Elon Musk and Tesla. Elon Musk advised her in 2018 to “Believe in Good.”

Tesla is one of many good things to believe in. You can find Johnna on Twitter

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Walmart Is Re-Energizing Tesla Solar Systems After Settling Lawsuit With Tesla

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Batteries

Published on November 6th, 2019 |

by Johnna Crider

Walmart Is Re-Energizing Tesla Solar Systems After Settling Lawsuit With Tesla

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November 6th, 2019 by Johnna Crider

Reuters has reported that Walmart and Tesla have settled their lawsuit. The lawsuit Walmart filed back in July claimed that Tesla solar panels caught fire on the roof of 7 stores in the United States. On Monday, November 4th, 2019, a court filing showed that Walmart voluntarily discontinued without prejudice. In other words, Walmart dropped the lawsuit.

“Walmart and Tesla are pleased to have resolved the issues raised by Walmart concerning the Tesla solar installations at Walmart stores. Safety is a top priority for each company and with the concerns being addressed, we both look forward to a safe re-energization of our sustainable energy systems.” —Joint statement from Walmart and Tesla.

I’m sure that having Walmart withdraw its lawsuit against Tesla won’t stop some of those who march with the flag of TSLAQ from using other disasters to claim Tesla is going bankrupt, but this does show how their focus on Tesla and Elon Musk has become a bit of obsession. Some collect dockets of every one of Tesla’s court cases in the hopes that Tesla will go bankrupt, only to be disappointed by a simple and logical matter like a settlement. And when they are not collecting dockets, they spend their time online harassing Tesla owners.

The news of Walmart dropping the lawsuit and both companies settling will add some more free publicity for Tesla (and Walmart). Every time Tesla gets free airtime on channels such as CNN, Fox, and even local stations, it just means that Tesla doesn’t have to pay for anchors to talk about it. The fact that Walmart and Tesla are working to resolve their issues is a great thing. Walmart Canada has already ordered a total of 40 Tesla Semi trucks as well as having solar panels installed.

Not only has Tesla’s stock price begun to climb up following the news, but this just shows that no matter how hard some of the short sellers try to dissuade people from supporting Tesla, not everyone listens to them and the doom they predict is yet to arrive.

Walmart and Tesla plan to re-energize the solar systems on Walmart’s roofs, by the way.

What Does This Mean For Tesla?
Tesla will continue to make its vehicles and solar products, and people will continue to buy them. Right now, Tesla is focusing its solar priorities on the victims of the California wildfires in the hope of helping those without electricity.

In fact, Tesla isn’t even making much money on its energy storage products after recently lowering prices for those in the area affected by the fires.

Speaking of solar, on Halloween, Elon Musk posted a video of someone dropping a pumpkin from the roof onto the ground. However, it wasn’t the ground. What was on the ground that the pumpkin smashed into was Tesla’s latest version of the Solar Roof, now known as “Solarglass,” which I think is a really cool product name.

Elon also joked about walking on a Tesla Solarglass in stilettos (you couldn’t pay me to walk anywhere — not even to the bathroom — in those toe and heel torture devices) and it made think of the song “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina & The Waves.

“I’m walking on sunshine (wow!)
And don’t it feel good
Hey, alright now
And don’t it feel good, hey.” —Walking On Sunshine

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About the Author

Johnna Crider Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge artist, gem and mineral collector, and Tesla shareholder who believes in Elon Musk and Tesla. Elon Musk advised her in 2018 to “Believe in Good.”

Tesla is one of many good things to believe in. You can find Johnna on Twitter

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90% Of Tesla Model 3 Owners Tell Bloomberg Tesla Autopilot Makes Them Safer

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Published on November 6th, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

90% Of Tesla Model 3 Owners Tell Bloomberg Tesla Autopilot Makes Them Safer

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November 6th, 2019 by Steve Hanley

Recently, Bloomberg conducted a survey of 5,000 Tesla Model 3 owners to find out what they like and don’t like about their cars. Part 1 dealt with quality issues while part 2 focused on service and charging. Part 3 hones in on the experiences those Tesla owners have had with Autopilot, both the basic system and the Full Self Driving package that now includes the Smart Summon feature. Not everyone has had positive experiences, with some drivers reporting instances when their cars slowed unexpectedly, but overall, 90% of respondents said they feel safer with Autopilot available.

Here’s an example: A driver from Florida (not one of the yahoos above) reported he felt something had gone wrong with his car when it suddenly slowed while driving on the highway. He didn’t understand at first that his car had detected a stopped vehicle in front of the car he was following. When the car ahead swerved out of the way, his Tesla had already reduced his speed enough that he could easily avoid slamming into the stopped vehicle. [Editor’s note: I’ve experienced this type of thing a few times, but not to such an extreme degree.] Others report sudden braking for no apparent reason — what is known as a false positive — that put them in danger of being rear ended by cars behind them. But even those drivers said, overall, Autopilot makes them safer while driving.

Overall, 13% of drivers say Autopilot has put them in a dangerous situation, while 28% say Autopilot has saved them from being in harm’s way. Based on the responses to the survey, Bloomberg says, “These Autopilot stories illustrate the messy middle ground in which the automotive world now finds itself. Ever-vigilant vehicles running automated-driving technology can perform superhuman maneuvers to keep drivers safe—and can also fail in decidedly sub-human ways. Close supervision is needed at all times (emphasis added), which is easy to forget when Autopilot is able to drive for long stretches without intervention.”

Six Tesla owners claimed that Autopilot contributed to a collision, while nine credited Autopilot with saving their lives. Even though hundreds of owners experienced glitches such as phantom braking, unexpected steering maneuvers, or failing to stop for a road hazard, the overwhelming majority of people in that group still gave Autopilot high marks overall.

Here is a sampling of some of the comments from people who responded to the survey:

“The car detected a pile-up in fog and applied the brakes/alerted driver and began a lane change to avoid it before I took over. I believe it saved my life.”
“Whiteout conditions. Lake effect snow in Cleveland. Streets were extremely icy. A crossing car ran a red light going 45 mph at a blind intersection obscured by trees and the Model 3 automatically stopped before I could react. I missed a driver side collision, potentially fatal, by less than a car length.”
“It seemed to make risky choices whenever an unusual situation arises, like a missing lane line or a truck merging suddenly into your lane.”
“Car entered my lane and I did not notice. Autopilot took over and alerted me quickly. It maneuvered out of the way and saved us from a wreck going 80 mph.”
“Didn’t recognize lanes properly on a two way road and put me in into oncoming traffic.”

There are hundreds of similar comments on the Bloomberg website you may want to read. The lesson, if there is one, is that people cannot take their hands off the wheel and their eyes off the road while Autopilot is in use. Many would like to think they can, but Autopilot is a driver assistant. Although it gets better with every new software update, it is not yet capable of fully independent driving, which means drivers must remain vigilant at all times. Many don’t want to hear that, but the results of the Bloomberg survey suggest true self driving is simply not here — at least not yet. [Editor’s note: As someone with Tesla Full Self Driving, I fully agree with Steve’s statements here.]

Smart Summon

Owners who have ponied up the extra money for what Tesla calls its Full Self Driving package now have access to Smart Summon, a protocol that allows a car to travel at slow speeds from where it is parked to where the owner is, using a smartphone app. Introduced just a short while ago, it has already been used over a million times, sometimes with less than desirable results. One person wrote, “On my first attempt (in front of a bunch of work people) the car decided to drive over a red curb and into a median. The rim got some red curb rash & the rocker panel was damaged.”

Then there is this comment: “My wife and I are different levels of mobility impaired. Summon was one reason we purchased Tesla. Having the car come get us in a slippery or icy parking lot reduces our chance for falling. We’ve tried it in several lots and while it could be more graceful, it has met expectations.”

Bloomberg sent out a supplementary survey to 1,762 owners with Full Self Driving installed. 70% say it is a useful feature, but only 41% rated it reliable enough for average drivers to use. One owner described the summon feature as driving like “nervous teenager with a learner’s permit.” Another had this to say: “Smart Summon is a great step towards the eventual self-driving future, but it is very ‘beta’ at this point. It is not safe for use yet if you’re not a very experienced user.”

Just as Autopilot has improved with time since it was first introduced several years ago — Tesla now has more than 2 billion miles worth of data from cars using Autopilot — Smart Summon will improve based on feedback from real-world driving situations. Right now, it is mostly a novelty, but in time it may become an indispensable feature many new car buyers will demand.

Here are longer “uncut” versions of the two Smart Summon videos above:

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About the Author

Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Rhode Island and anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. His motto is, “Life is not measured by how many breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away!” You can follow him on Google + and on Twitter.

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