Possible_Terrorism_Warfare – Page 1029 – I wish I had more to offer

‘The Bristol City Council diesel ban is persecuting innocent drivers’

If you live in or need to travel to the bottom-left-hand corner of Britain, you deserve deep sympathy from me and, I suspect, other fair-minded folk who regard freedom of movement as a basic human right. It’s bad enough that the motorway ‘network’ in this quarter of our green and pleasant land is woeful when… Continue reading ‘The Bristol City Council diesel ban is persecuting innocent drivers’

Study: Autonomous weapon systems on the rise

A study by the peace institution Pax shows that more and more companies are producing autonomous weapon systems. There are several groupings that are outlawing Autonomous weapon systems demand. But the development continues unabated, according to a study by Pax from the Netherlands. drone Not only armament companies are working on the development of Artificial… Continue reading Study: Autonomous weapon systems on the rise

#ToyotaTrump boycott gains momentum, loyal Toyota customers in revolt

Two weeks ago, Toyota sided with the Trump administration’s bid to bar California from setting its own fuel-efficiency and zero-emission rules. The next day, on Oct. 29, former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich, tweeted, “Toyota, goodbye. The environmental goodwill you’ve built by pioneering hybrid cars has vanished in your choice of Trump over California. #toyotatrump.” And the… Continue reading #ToyotaTrump boycott gains momentum, loyal Toyota customers in revolt

Automaker Daimler to save $1.54B by cutting manager posts

Berlin – German automaker Daimler says it plans to slash costs 1.4 billion euros ($1.54 billion) by cutting every tenth managerial position and other austerity measures. CEO Ola Kallenius told reporters in London on Thursday that the EU’s stricter specifications on carbon dioxide emissions and the transition to more electric vehicles are putting the squeeze… Continue reading Automaker Daimler to save $1.54B by cutting manager posts

Tesla Critics Don’t Understand (Or Just Ignore) Tesla’s Mission

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Published on November 13th, 2019 |

by Zachary Shahan

Tesla Critics Don’t Understand (Or Just Ignore) Tesla’s Mission

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November 13th, 2019 by Zachary Shahan

I used to find the debate between Tesla critics (most notably short sellers) and Tesla fans as somewhat interesting but mostly straightforward. Tesla critics somehow thought that Tesla inherently couldn’t make profits on its products. Tesla fans thought and explained how Tesla could. Tesla critics thought Tesla couldn’t learn the art and skill of efficient, smooth mass production. Tesla fans noted many times that this isn’t rocket science (ahem). Tesla critics thought major automakers would come out with electric vehicles superior to what Tesla offered and would thus kill the company. Tesla fans highlighted Tesla’s leadership in batteries, software, self-driving tech, design, customer communications, and overall reputation.

However, there’s another straightforward matter (or not-so-straightforward matter if you aren’t used to thinking about it) that I think creates as much of a disconnect as anything else. Many Tesla actions make much more sense when you take this into account, while ignoring it can bring you to many false conclusions. That matter is Tesla’s mission.

Whereas most companies have a clear one-two objective — 1) sell a lot of XYZ, 2) make a lot of money — Tesla has a core, fundamental mission that precedes those and sometimes overrides them: accelerate the transition to sustainable energy.

Some people can write that off as a tagline, but it most definitely is not. Some can say that Tesla now has a simplistic fiduciary duty to its shareholders, but its shareholders have definitely had ample time and opportunity to learn about and digest Tesla’s core mission, so they cannot ignore or deny its primacy. No one should be invested in Tesla without understanding that the company’s #1 goal is to transition society to clean technologies as quickly as possible. Of course, that also means staying in business — speeding up the transition this month to only die next month makes no sense. But it’s important to recognize that there are times when the mission overrides other matters.

I think the place this is most directly evident is with risk. CEO Elon Musk seems to be a risk taker at heart. If he’s not taking risks, he probably feels like something is lacking. Tesla would not accelerate the transition without a hefty helping of risk. Indeed, it is the risk (and cost) of a quick transition that holds traditional automakers back. It is why they sometimes have half-hearted electric offerings, why they didn’t jump into building battery gigafactories when Tesla did, why some of them still stay completely out of the battery production realm, why it takes so long for them to roll out moderately priced long-range EVs — they need mass-market economies of scale for that, and they aren’t willing to bet on that level of consumer demand.

Here’s a list of developments that Tesla might have made for pure business/financial reasons, but which may also have come from a mission to accelerate the transition to clean technology as quickly as possible:

Rolling out the Tesla Model S without a longer development/testing timeframe.
Setting up a Supercharger network.
In-housing battery pack production.
Setting up a gigafactory in Nevada years ago.
Buying SolarCity.
Developing a semi truck.
Developing a pickup truck.
Setting up a gigafactory in China in 2019.
Setting down its flag in Berlin for a 3rd automotive gigafactory in 2019.

Again, yes, some (or all) of these developments have been strategic business decisions expected to bring a positive ROI in the net. However, the striking factor in many situations has been how quickly or how early Tesla has jumped into these developments, and at such a large scale. To critics or skeptics, it seems like wild, high-risk behavior that is not sensible and has too high a cost or too high a risk of failure. To supporters, the point is clear: Tesla is pursuing its mission. Many supporters also have a strong belief that taking those risks at this time will lead to ongoing financial rewards. You may have to suffer some costs and drawbacks when being a leader, but true leaders get the glory, and sometimes the money, for a reason — they are well ahead of others.

Yes, setting up a gigafactory came with a high risk, but there was no clear option for getting to mass-market EV production without doing so. The same for the vast Supercharger network. Yes, buying SolarCity created some costs and challenges at a relatively young stage of corporate life, but it also enables integration of sustainable transport and sustainable energy generation and storage as a long-term play that is constantly undergoing testing, evaluation, development, and improvement. In 10 years, who will have the advantage when it comes to an integrated sustainable lifestyle offering?

Yes, Tesla financials skated close to the edge for years, but that was never because the company couldn’t easily make a profit if it just decided to do so and slowed down. It skated close to the edge for a reason — the pace is the point. Speeding up the transition is the point. Growing as quickly as possible is the point. Taking difficult risks — because the times call for it — is the point.

When you consider Tesla’s mission, everything Tesla does makes sense. It is not about making a profitable product or two and hitting cruise control. It is about high-speed, palm-sweating Navigate on Autopilot driving you toward revolutionary Full Self Driving and a disruptive tech transition that helps society avoid much more dramatic climate disruption.

Elon Musk has decided it is time to go beyond “bet the company” efforts, but don’t expect for a moment that he’s going to stop taking risks and Tesla won’t continue to grow and develop as fast as tens of thousands of employees can push it to do so. This is not about a company’s MBA-inspired business plan and is not headed toward a planned exit point for the core founder/executive. This is about revolution, revolution for the greater good. Hold on tight.

If you’d like to buy a Tesla and get some free Supercharging miles, feel free to use our referral code: https://ts.la/zachary63404. Or not. You can also get a $100 discount on Tesla solar with that code.
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About the Author

Zachary Shahan is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director and chief editor. He's also the CEO of Important Media. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao.

Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA] — after years of covering solar and EVs, he simply has a lot of faith in this company and feels like it is a good cleantech company to invest in. But he offers no investment advice and does not recommend investing in Tesla or any other company.

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The Math of Sisyphus

“There is but one truly serious question in philosophy, and that is suicide,” wrote Albert Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus. This is equally true for a human navigating an absurd existence and an artificial intelligence navigating a morally insoluble situation. As AI-powered vehicles take the road, questions about their behavior are inevitable — and… Continue reading The Math of Sisyphus

‘Berlin rocks’ says Elon Musk as he picks factory

Media playback is unsupported on your device Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, has said Berlin will be the site of its first major European factory as the carmaker’s expansion plans power ahead. “Berlin rocks,” Mr Musk said, adding Tesla would build an engineering and design centre in the German capital. Tesla previously said it aimed… Continue reading ‘Berlin rocks’ says Elon Musk as he picks factory

For Fantasy Author N. K. Jemisin, World-Building Is a Lesson in Oppression

The worlds of the fantasy writer N. K. Jemisin are as imaginative as they are intimate. In her Inheritance trilogy, the gods are real and walk the streets. Her Hugo Award-winning Broken Earth books feature a supercontinent called the Stillness that is anything but—the very land is a geologic time bomb, ravaged by earthquakes and… Continue reading For Fantasy Author N. K. Jemisin, World-Building Is a Lesson in Oppression

Grammer asserting itself in a difficult market environment

-Anstieg des Konzernumsatzes in den ersten neun Monaten um 14 Prozent auf 1,5 Milliarden Euro-Operatives EBIT mit 59,2 Millionen Euro leicht über Vorjahr-Allgemeine Marktentwicklung und operative Sonderthemen im dritten Quartal belasten die Profitabilität-Initiierung eines Effizienzsicherungsprogramms zur Optimierung der operativen Prozesse und Kostenstrukturen Amberg, 12. November 2019 – Die großen Herausforderungen der Automobilbranche haben das dritte… Continue reading Grammer asserting itself in a difficult market environment

Rolling Coal Is A Stupid Stunt — And Dangerous

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Published on November 11th, 2019 |

by Johnna Crider

Rolling Coal Is A Stupid Stunt — And Dangerous

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November 11th, 2019 by Johnna Crider

Doing stupid stunts while driving can endanger not only yourself but others around you. I am talking about the wanna-be bad boy (or girl, even) who was driving the pickup truck in a video posted by Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley.

The driver of this truck was driving very aggressively and intentionally coal rolling the owner of a Tesla while on a highway traveling at high speeds. The owner of the Tesla tries to get away, but the truck driver just cuts in front of the Tesla to do it again.

The Tesla’s cameras captured video of the incident, but you can’t really get the plate numbers from that.

In the video, the truck cuts in front of the Tesla and rolls the coal. What this term means is that the driver of the truck intentionally makes the smoke belch from the exhaust into the “face” of the driver behind him. This is considered not only an insult but can also be seen as a direct attack upon the driver behind them.

This is dangerous. As you can see in the video, for a moment, the smoke actually fills up the view and you can’t see anything. Do I need to emphasize how dangerous this could be, especially driving on a highway? Choosing to intentionally do stupid things like this could get you or others killed.

To those who feel the need to coal roll or show off your hatred for a total stranger, perhaps you should think twice. Ask yourself if it’s legal or at least ethical? What’s the point you’re trying to make here? Do you hate Tesla? Why do you hate Tesla? What did this Tesla driver to you to warrant your attack on them? Yes, visually impairing someone while they are driving is an attack. Driving recklessly and spewing smoke in the faces of others intentionally so they can not see is akin to someone attacking you on the streets. How would you feel if you caused an accident that actually took the lives of innocent people?

In an article published by Bicycling, a cyclist shares his experience of someone coal rolling him. “You pretty much get a blast of heat and a blast of black smoke in your face. Unfortunately, you just have to ride through it. It’s frustrating,” Conti told Bicycling.

To be honest, I have been coal rolled on also. I just didn’t know what it was at the time. I don’t think the attack was aimed at me, because the vehicles were honking at one another. I don’t have a car, so I walk, take the bus, or take Uber. Sometimes, these trucks will drive by and the next thing I know I am surrounded in this stuff. I have asthma, so I literally have to hold my breath and not breathe as I walk through it.
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It will make you happy & help you live in peace for the rest of your life.

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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