Tesla – Page 2443 – I wish I had more to offer

Elon Musk: Tesla pickup truck pushed back to November

The Tesla pickup truck, described by Elon Musk as “the coolest car I’ve ever seen,” is now looking at a November reveal at the earliest, according to a tweet from the Tesla CEO. The science-fiction inspired electric pickup truck had been expected to arrive this summer, or October at the latest, based on previous statements… Continue reading Elon Musk: Tesla pickup truck pushed back to November

Tesla Insurance Launches, Claims To Save Owners Up To 30% On Premiums

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Published on August 28th, 2019 |

by Kyle Field

Tesla Insurance Launches, Claims To Save Owners Up To 30% On Premiums

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August 28th, 2019 by Kyle Field

Tesla just officially launched its highly anticipated Tesla Insurance offering for Tesla owners in California. It promises to save owners up to 30% on their premiums compared to traditional automotive insurance companies. Tesla Insurance also sets the company up to provide the end-to-end vehicle purchase, service, fueling, and insurance services in a buildup to the launch of the Tesla Network. Talk about integrated.

Tesla Insurance is initially offering “comprehensive coverage and claims management to support our customers in California,” with other states being added after the company works the initial bugs out of the system via customers in its home state.

Saving cash is great and the opportunity to save even more money by getting in the insurance bed with the automotive manufacturer comes with its own series of potential risks and benefits. First off, Tesla presumably knows its vehicles better than anyone else, so can initiate claims, start shipping parts, and schedule repairs faster than anyone else.

Getting insurance through Tesla also puts the company on the hook for getting owners back into their vehicles as quickly as possible after an accident. In my mind, this is the real incentive for signing up for Tesla Insurance, as stories of long delays to get Tesla vehicles repaired after an accident are a dime a dozen on any internet forum.

Image courtesy: Tesla

The prospect of having an integrated pool of Tesla Insurance loaner vehicles for customers getting vehicles repaired is also attractive, as Tesla wouldn’t have to pay an outside rental company to provide a combustion vehicle. It could instead keep owners in a Tesla vehicle in the zero-emission Tesla ecosystem. It could even use the loaner process as a tool to encourage owners to trade up and get into a new, higher-performance Tesla while their vehicle is being repaired.

The lower prices come from Tesla’s direct knowledge of the passive safety of its vehicles as well as the active safety technology present in every Tesla rolling off the line for the past couple of years. Tesla has more nuanced knowledge about the safety equipment in each specific vehicle as well as the statistical safety of similar vehicles on the road, giving it a much more accurate ability to price in or out the risk of an accident. The lower premiums reflect what Tesla has been telling us all along about the safety of its vehicles. When a vehicle is 4–6 times less likely to get into an accident than the average vehicle driving around in the US today, that means lower insurance costs.

Tesla Insurance is currently only available to owners of a Tesla Model S, X, 3, or Roadster in California, with the prospect of further improving the total cost of ownership of a Tesla compared to other vehicles. In other words, this makes the all-in cost of electric vehicles that much more accessible to people in California, and around the world eventually.

Image courtesy: Tesla

The new offering can be added to an owner’s Tesla account in less than a minute. After logging into the Tesla Account, all that’s needed is a confirmation of the owner’s address and driver’s license information. Then a preliminary quote pops out. Coverages, deductibles, and the like can be adjusted as needed and the price adjusts accordingly.

For customers purchasing a new Tesla, Insurance can be added as soon as a VIN is assigned to the order, making the pickup of a new vehicle that much easier.

Image courtesy: Tesla

Importantly, Tesla specifically notes that it will not use or record vehicle data, including GPS and vehicle camera footage, when pricing insurance. (Doing so, it seems, would be illegal.)

For more information about Tesla Insurance, head over to the official website, the blog post introducing it, or my personal favorite, the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Also, this article from our in-house insurance expert is mandatory (recommended) reading: Tesla Insurance: Information Arbitrage To Save You Money.

Source: Tesla

About the Author

Kyle Field I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. TSLA investor.

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Apple autonomous car spotted with new sensors, possibly all-camera, no LiDAR – 9to5Mac

While the purpose and future of Apple’s autonomous car project is uncertain, the company clearly still has an interest in the technology. What appears to be an Apple self-driving car has been spotted, with an interesting new sensor array… NordVPN Background Apple’s self-driving cars have so far used a mix of sensors, which the company… Continue reading Apple autonomous car spotted with new sensors, possibly all-camera, no LiDAR – 9to5Mac

Tesla battery researcher unveils new cell that could last 1 million miles in ‘robot taxis’

Tesla’s battery research partner has released a new paper on a battery cell that could last over 1 million miles, which they say is going to be particularly useful in ‘robot taxis’ – something that Tesla wants to bring to market. When talking about the economics of Tesla’s future fleet of robotaxis at the Tesla Autonomy… Continue reading Tesla battery researcher unveils new cell that could last 1 million miles in ‘robot taxis’

Tesla Pickup will “most likely” be unveiled in November, says Elon Musk

Are you looking for information on the Telsa Pickup Truck release date? It will most likely be unveiled in November, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The last time we were updated on a possible unveiling of the Tesla Pickup was back in July when Musk tweeted that the unveiling would likely come in “2… Continue reading Tesla Pickup will “most likely” be unveiled in November, says Elon Musk

Tesla goes all-in with new solar rental product, now removes system at no cost

Tesla is going all-in with its new solar rental product as it now even removes the cost to remove the solar system if the customer doesn’t want it anymore -virtually offering solar at as little as $50 a month with no risk. Last month, Tesla launched a new solar rental service that turns out to… Continue reading Tesla goes all-in with new solar rental product, now removes system at no cost

Tesla Is Donating EV Charging Stations To Parks Canada

Zero-emission vehicles to be welcome at Parks Canada, which is gearing up for charging infrastructure installations. Parks Canada gets charging infrastructure boost as Tesla has decided to donate Destination Chargers for more than 50 Parks Canada sites across the country. The charging stations will be AC Level 2 with Tesla and SAE J1772 connectors for… Continue reading Tesla Is Donating EV Charging Stations To Parks Canada

Tesla & Panasonic Dominate U.S. xEV Battery Deployment In June

80% or 1.76 GWh out of 2.2 GWh total battery capacity deployed in June in the U.S. falls on Tesla. According to Adamas Intelligence, in June 2019 some 2.2 GWh of batteries were deployed in new passenger xEVs (BEV/PHEV/HEV) in the U.S. That’s almost 19.6% of the total globally (11.25 GWh). Interestingly, the majority of… Continue reading Tesla & Panasonic Dominate U.S. xEV Battery Deployment In June

Tesla Adds Online Parts Sales, Hinting At Direct Customer Sales

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Published on September 7th, 2019 |

by Kyle Field

Tesla Adds Online Parts Sales, Hinting At Direct Customer Sales

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September 7th, 2019 by Kyle Field

Tesla added a new Parts page to its online shop today in a move that hints at more direct sales of parts to customers around the world. The new shop is somewhat stripped down as it stands today, with a few options for floor mats and new key cards for the Tesla Model 3, but it bodes well for the future.

Screen capture of: Tesla.com

Good For Customers
Parts have been hard to come by for DIY installers, with most turning to eBay for parts stripped from scrap yards, totaled vehicles, or leftovers from rim replacements and the like. It’s likely that sales on eBay will continue as owners look for more cost-effective ways to repair or upgrade their vehicles, but the addition of direct sales from Tesla would provide much needed relief for customers looking for harder-to-find parts.

Many parts just aren’t reused as easily as others, driving prices artificially higher on the resale market. Opening up the option to buy parts directly from Tesla will help DIY customers or shops get their vehicles repaired with fewer headaches. That’s better for Tesla’s customers, wherever they may live and drive.

Good For Tesla
Making parts available directly to customers over the internet replicates the parts supply model that the automotive industry has used for years, but eliminates the middle man. That gives customers and body shops the best prices from Tesla, without the need for any markups. To Tesla, that also means it gets all of the profits, at retail pricing, along with full control over those prices.

Tesla Mobile Service repairing the electromechanical door handle switch on our Tesla Model 3. Image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica

In other words, selling parts directly gives customers the best prices for the highest quality parts, while putting profits back into Tesla’s pockets. That’s good for Tesla and keeps the company healthy while giving value back to consumers at the same time. It won’t eliminate the need or the opportunity for aftermarket parts suppliers to move into the space, but it will make the market smaller.

A Maturing Market
The addition of parts sales to customers to its repertoire is a step forward for Tesla and is just one more indicator that EVs are moving out of a niche market into the mainstream. My wife attempted to get the charging door on her Mercedes B-Class Electric repaired several times in the last 2 years, but only recently was able to have the service actually performed after the local dealership stepped up its game. It was still über expensive, but at least they were able to do it.

Tesla is similarly maturing as a company, and making more parts available to more customers around the world is a step towards that more mature position. Customers need to be able to get parts to repair their vehicles or have a body shop procure them directly. To date, Tesla has struggled to accommodate this need, but this new store is a good sign.

Reeling this vision back down to reality, Tesla still regularly struggles to actually provide parts to the approved body shops that order them. A simple repair of my driver’s side door handle took several weeks just for the parts to arrive after the initial request was put in. That seems unnecessary and hints at deeper issues with the company’s parts supply chain.

I’m not alone in this experience, with many customers waiting months for necessary parts to arrive before their vehicles could be repaired. Tesla needs to do better when it comes to supplying parts to customers and body shops, but this recent addition to the store gives us hope that the company is actually taking the need seriously.

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Tesla is developing new futuristic-looking electromagnetic wipers

Tesla is arguably the most high-tech automaker in the world, but it doesn’t stop its innovation at electric powertrains and software. The automaker is even bringing its innovation to windshield wipers with a futuristic-looking new electromagnetic wiper design, according to a new patent application. Problems with conventional wipers The goal of the new wiper is… Continue reading Tesla is developing new futuristic-looking electromagnetic wipers