Tesla – Page 2427 – I wish I had more to offer

For $164, Jaguar will let you co-pilot its I-Pace race taxi around the Nürburgring

The Green Hell, as the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife was nicknamed back in the late 1960s, is a 73-corner nearly 13-mile track in Germany that can challenge even the most accomplished professional race car drivers. Now, for about $164, thrill seekers can be a passenger for one lap. Jaguar announced a RACE eTAXI promotion that customers… Continue reading For $164, Jaguar will let you co-pilot its I-Pace race taxi around the Nürburgring

Breaking! Tesla Model Y Production To Start In Q1 2020 (Unofficial Leak)

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Published on October 15th, 2019 |

by Chanan Bos

Breaking! Tesla Model Y Production To Start In Q1 2020 (Unofficial Leak)

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October 15th, 2019 by Chanan Bos

This information is going to cause some controversy, because everything we knew, or thought we knew, about Tesla’s Model Y timeline is about to change. Originally, the Model Y was supposed to start shipping in Q1 2021. This is also what is currently written on Tesla’s website. However, according to an anonymous source with a proven and reliable track record, Tesla is about to accelerate its plans and start production in Q1 2020 at its Fremont factory. (We’ve also received the same information independently through a reliable second-hand source.)

The Model Y will launch with the Long Range all-wheel drive (AWD) trim, according to this source, and Tesla will release the Standard Range Plus (SR+) version once production has been ramped up and the Model Y SR+ has a large enough gross margin.

Tesla has learned a lot since it started manufacturing the Model 3, and it’s possible that the ramp up will be much quicker than with the Model 3, but we don’t have a firm estimate of when the SR+ would start rolling off the line.

One other bit of important speculation here is that GF1 is still supply constrained. In that case, Tesla would want to focus customers as much as possible on the Model Y Performance and Long Range variants to ensure overall profitability. (Just as a quick side note, for any critic reading this article, this doesn’t mean that Tesla is unprofitable — it simply means the company is being logical and responsible in order to maximize profitability while expanding its lineup.)

Another fun little tidbit of technical information we have been told is that the Model Y will indeed use the new revolutionary flex-cable circuitry that reduces the length of wires needed throughout the car and also gives every component a redundant connection to the battery and the computer. This makes it possible for robots to install more of the “guts and veins” of the car and cut down on the manual labor involved in installing cables. As Elon Musk has said multiple times, robots suck at placing normal cables into the vehicle.

Many Model Y components will be similar to those in the Model 3, but not identical, including the battery packs.

This obviously raises a ton of questions, here are some and how they will change the grand scheme of things:

Is Tesla going to repeat the production hell it went through in Q4 2018/Q1 2019?

It’s possible, but not very likely. Tesla’s Model 3 was the first car Tesla ever decided to build at the scale of hundreds of thousands per year. It was also an almost entirely new vehicle with few shared parts between it and the Model S or X. The company made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot from those mistakes. The Model Y and Model 3 share about 75% of their components, so the learning curve should be much easier.

How did Tesla manage to pull this off?

In the last year or two, many in the media have bashed on Tesla like it was their guilty pleasure, writing up all kinds of misinformation, FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt), and predictions of doom. (Bankwuptcy is willy coming!) The media claimed that the Model 3 was behind schedule, that Tesla couldn’t mass manufacture it, that the Model 3 was unprofitable, that the Standard Range trim would never come, that Tesla in general is unprofitable, and more. Tesla has refuted each claim simply with its actions time and time again.

One of Elon’s base instincts is to set very ambitious timelines, a strategy that has always paid off. Even if that overly ambitious goal was not met on time, it was still met much quicker than it would have been with a conservative timeline. There is a pretty famous example about the beginning of The Boring Company. Elon decided he wanted to do it and that he will do it right outside in the parking lot and asked how soon they could clear out all the cars and everything else to start digging. The first timeline given to him was a week. Elon gave them 24 hours and they broke ground within 48. We received similar stories when interviewing Tesla President Jerome Guillen regarding Model 3 production.

With the Model Y, I am willing to bet that Elon’s timeline for starting Model Y manufacturing was around the end of 2019, and after a lot of convincing from was persuaded to say Q1 2021 on stage — for the first time separating internal targets from public ones. Now, instead of the news claiming that Elon is late, they will claim he is a miracle worker and the stock will go up since he is basically “playing the game” that gets Wall Street and the media to portray Tesla’s good side. If anyone is familiar with the engineer Scotty from Star Trek and how he was a “miracle worker,” well, this is pretty much the same thing. (This is simply my expectation, of course. It is not investment advice.)

For the record, Tesla representatives have not yet responded to an inquiry about this leaked news. We will update this article if they do.

Where will the Model Y be manufactured?

According to the information we currently have, Tesla will be manufacturing the Model Y at its Fremont factory. Something I have been looking to report on but never got around to is speculation about where in the factory Tesla could place GA5. While the next image does not show the layout of the manufacturing lines (of which we have been able to draw a speculative map but are not publishing today), it does show where we think GA5 will be.

Part of this speculation is based on something Elon Musk said during the 2019 Q1 investor call:

“Credit goes to the Tesla team that actually looked at how could we do this in Fremont, if we had to, and we feel like we can actually append building space to the west side of the building and use a lot of internal space that is currently used for warehousing in Fremont factory, and so we believe it actually can be done with minimal disruption to add Model Y to Fremont.”

Now, the area that Tesla has currently labeled as a service center is technically speaking not something that necessarily has to be attached to the main factory complex. Tesla’s seats, for example, are manufactured in a factory a few miles away. The same can be done with the service center. With the unibody stamping technologies we have seen Tesla patent and the fact that the Model Y and Model 3 share 75% of their components, it’s quite possible that parts of those lines can be combined. There are rumors that Tesla plans to combine the Model S and X lines. We have no information to offer on this, but one thing we do know is that Model S and Model X make use of a lot of manual work and have a lot fewer robots than GA3, and those lines could theoretically use a tech upgrade.

Will they start manufacturing the Model Y in Shanghai at the same time?

The answer to that question is that it’s not impossible but it’s doubtful. The Model 3 has been manufactured for over a year. There were a lot of small problems with the Model 3 and the way the vehicle is manufactured that have since been solved, and the process in general has been smoothed out. With the Model Y, while it does share many of the same components, Tesla will likely want to make many small changes to how it’s manufactured before copy-pasting it in Shanghai.

We are likely to hear more about this during the Q2 investor call slated for October 23rd, and just like the last few times, we will be live on YouTube to present it with a lot of the extra context that we also provided last time. More on that soon.

Our secondary source heard that more information regarding the Y will come at the Tesla pickup event next month. We’ll see. In the meantime, if you learn more, drop us a note.

As noted above, Tesla has not yet responded to an inquiry about the leaked news. We will update this article if the company does so.
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About the Author

Chanan Bos Chanan grew up in a multicultural, multi-lingual environment that often gives him a unique perspective on a variety of topics. He is always in thought about big picture topics like AI, quantum physics, philosophy, Universal Basic Income, climate change, sci-fi concepts like the singularity, misinformation, and the list goes on. Currently, he is studying creative media & technology but already has diplomas in environmental sciences as well as business & management. His goal is to discourage linear thinking, bias, and confirmation bias whilst encouraging out-of-the-box thinking and helping people understand exponential progress. Chanan is very worried about his future and the future of humanity. That is why he has a tremendous admiration for Elon Musk and his companies, foremost because of their missions, philosophy, and intent to help humanity and its future. He sees Tesla as one of the few companies that can help us save ourselves from climate change.

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Elon Musk: Tesla Is Making An “Armored Personnel Carrier”

Cybertruck Mercurial Tesla CEO Elon Musk issued a rare update on the company’s in-development pickup truck Sunday night, tweeting that the forthcoming vehicle will be “closer to an armored personnel carrier from the future” than any images we’ve seen publicly. Musk also gave the truck, a new name: the “Cybertruck.” Cybertruck doesn’t look like anything… Continue reading Elon Musk: Tesla Is Making An “Armored Personnel Carrier”

Tesla announces new ‘Deep Rain’ neural net for its automatic wipers

Elon Musk announced today that Tesla has a neural network called ‘Deep Rain’ to improve its automatic wiper system, which has been a feature that owners have complained about. Like most premium vehicles today, Tesla has an automatic wiper system that automatically matches the speed of the wipers to the intensity of the rain or… Continue reading Tesla announces new ‘Deep Rain’ neural net for its automatic wipers

Dyson becomes latest sign that electric-car bubble is bursting

Kyunghee Park, Molly Schuetz and Yoolim Lee, Bloomberg News Published 9:33 p.m. ET Oct. 13, 2019 Dyson Ltd.’s sudden decision to scrap its $2.5 billion electric-vehicle ambitions is the latest reality check creeping into the once soaring EV industry. The famed maker of vacuum cleaners and hair dryers couldn’t find a way of making the… Continue reading Dyson becomes latest sign that electric-car bubble is bursting

Faraday Future founder files for bankruptcy to repay personal debts

(Reuters) – Faraday Future founder and Chief Executive Officer Jia Yueting has filed for bankruptcy in the United States and plans to turn over his stake in the Chinese electric vehicle firm to repay his personal debts, the company said. Yueting’s plan will not affect Faraday Future’s business operations, said the company, which has ambitions… Continue reading Faraday Future founder files for bankruptcy to repay personal debts

Tesla ends sale commission, increases salaries and stock bonus after compensation cut

Tesla is reversing most of its “online sales only” strategy launched earlier this year. The automaker is going to hire more sales and delivery staff, end sales commission for Tesla Advisors, and increase salaries and stock bonuses, according to sources familiar with the matter. Earlier this year, Tesla launched the long-promised $35,000 version of the Model… Continue reading Tesla ends sale commission, increases salaries and stock bonus after compensation cut

UPDATE: Tesla Cars Have A Memory Problem That May Cost You A Lot To Repair – InsideEVs

It is currently appearing on MCUv1, but the MCUv2 may also have issues. When Elon Musk said Tesla cars are computers on wheels, he forgot to mention they run on Linux. They also do a lot of logging. According to Jason Hughes, from 057 Technology, more than they should: “The information logged here is pretty… Continue reading UPDATE: Tesla Cars Have A Memory Problem That May Cost You A Lot To Repair – InsideEVs

Why Smart Summon Matters

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Published on October 12th, 2019 |

by Frugal Moogal

Why Smart Summon Matters

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October 12th, 2019 by Frugal Moogal

I mentioned in a recent article that I added to my stock position in Tesla for a variety of reasons. Before I go on to discuss Smart Summon, I wanted to address a complaint in the comment section of that article.

It’s true — I tend to write Tesla articles. I use my business experience to examine stock price, public statements, press releases, and the health of the company. As I try to state in every article I write, I am a random voice on the internet under a pseudonym and you shouldn’t trust me without researching and verifying what I am saying with other facts — just like any investment you’re making. In fact, one of my first articles highlighted who writes Tesla articles and why they are published.

I do follow other clean technology companies, with my largest stock holding being Brookfield Renewable Partners (BEP). I’ll write about them sometime, but they aren’t doing anything like Tesla is with Smart Summon, so let’s get to that!

Smart Summon
After my most recent article, and the article before noting that Smart Summon is actually doing a great job, I started emailing back and forth with CleanTechnica’s Director, Zach, who noted that he thought that I was overlooking the marketing aspect of Smart Summon.

And, if you have a car that can Smart Summon, you know Zach is totally right. I’ve mentioned it to a few friends, and was then met by disbelief, and requests to see the feature at some point in the future. It makes people hear about Tesla as a company and get more interested in Tesla’s products.

I think that it is also doing a few other things that are perhaps even more important — a few things being overlooked by those who are making comparisons to the chairs carrying humans in Wall-E — and I think those are the things that matter the most. The truth is, the success of Smart Summon was the biggest factor to me in deciding it would be worth investing more in Tesla, beyond just the marketing. I’ll explain why.

Robotaxi Fleet
The first major factor is that if Tesla can get to the point of turning its vehicles into a robotaxi fleet — and I believe Tesla can — the thing those vehicles need to do the absolute best is pick people up. Let’s put it like this — if you for the first time summon a robotaxi and it drives to pick you up in a parking lot while looking like it’s going to crash into a curb, are you going to trust getting in that vehicle and taking it for a ride? Smart Summon will help refine what is ultimately the most important key to getting people into robotaxis in the future — the first impression.

Normalizing Autonomous Cars
As all of the articles declaring that Smart Summon was causing panic and hysteria proved, people aren’t yet really ready for this. Some people are certain that Teslas using Smart Summon are running people over left and right — yet, amazingly, two weeks after release, I haven’t heard of any additional issues beyond the initial three that all the “CHAOS!” articles linked two, none of which were the vehicle’s fault.

That’s a huge win, and rather amazing by itself. Tesla weathered the expected “sky-is-falling” phase of Smart Summon, and the feature is still working. As it gets better, and as Tesla produces more vehicles, more and more people will see the feature in use, and at some point in the relatively near future, cars driving around in parking lots without people sitting in them won’t be surprising. Which will make acceptance of a car driving on the highway without a driver a lot more acceptable when that starts to occur.

Parking Lots Are Hard
This isn’t just Musk saying this. Parking lots are a very difficult problem. There are often islands, different cement colors, shadows, parking spaces that may or may not be angled, people, curbs, and many other factors in parking lots. They are significantly more complex than an average road. While the car cannot currently park itself, navigating a parking lot autonomously — with a human watching it and holding a button down — is a huge accomplishment.

It also allows for the user to help Tesla teach the neural network. During Tesla’s Autonomy Day presentation, Andrej Karpathy noted that they would search for particular images to denote what was going on in them to better train the neural net. Parking lots are similar to roads, and it may be difficult for the car to learn which is which. Every time you press Smart Summon, though, I’m sure your vehicle is noting that data as parking lot data, so it can use that to learn about the different edge cases within parking lots.

As an aside — I heard about Smart Summon, read about it in the test fleet, and figured that the earliest it would really be pushed to the fleet as a whole would be in the spring of 2020. I figured those early vehicles would need to keep training the neural net to look for the huge number of edge cases out there and to solve them, a task I expected would take much longer than the optimistic time frames Musk and Tesla had given us. But, not just did it come out, the lack of videos of Tesla vehicles crashing into things is a huge sign that they can train the network faster than I predicted could be done.

Smart Summon is not perfect, but it works significantly better than I expected, and that has given me considerable faith that they are moving into fully autonomous driving at a pace so much faster than anyone else.

In Conclusion
Smart Summon to me proves just how much further along Tesla is than anyone else in all aspects of self-driving vehicles. It may seem like a relatively useless gimmick right now, but it is one that I feel is critical to the future of autonomous driving and the future of Tesla as a company.

About the Author

Frugal Moogal A businessman first, the Frugal Moogal looks at EVs from the perspective of a business. Having worked in multiple industries and in roles that managed significant money, he believes that the way to convince people that the EV revolution is here is by looking at the vehicles like a business would.

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Tesla to open new ‘Tesla Centers’ to avoid dealership restrictions, increase deliveries

Tesla plans to open a new type of retail location called ‘Tesla Centers’ to get around dealership restrictions and try to increase deliveries, according to sources familiar with the matter. Last quarter, Tesla announced record deliveries of 97,000 cars around the world. However, it came up short on its attempt to deliver 100,000 cars in… Continue reading Tesla to open new ‘Tesla Centers’ to avoid dealership restrictions, increase deliveries