Forget High-Speed Rail: Elon Musk Wants to Build Something Far More Awesome

[Eddie Teach]

Model 3. I cannot afford a Model S, pre-owned or not...

Weren't you a bank vice president?

Bank jobs pay well enough to afford the cocaine habits one picks up.

[CountDeMoney]

Model 3. I cannot afford a Model S, pre-owned or not...

Weren't you a bank vice president?

[garbon]

Model 3. I cannot afford a Model S, pre-owned or not...

Weren't you a bank vice president?

Hey, we can't all be constantly caught up like those obsessives who check Languish multiple times of day.

[crazy canuck]

My big question on it is whether I can really have a vehicle with a 200 mile range as my only car...

There is going to be a lot of great choices to compete with the model 3 when it is released.  And charging stations are everywhere these days.

[Berkut]

Model 3. I cannot afford a Model S, pre-owned or not...

Weren't you a bank vice president?

A) Yes, but a bank gives out VP titles to every middle management person around, so that isn't really all that impressive.
B) I am categorically unwilling to spend the amount on a car payment that it seems most people take for granted.

[Zanza]

My big question on it is whether I can really have a vehicle with a 200 mile range as my only car...

I recently read that the average person that made a reservation for the Model 3 is a Toyota driver and would have the car as their only mobility option. Those customers typically expect high reliability and fast service and will have a real issue with their jobs etc. if their car breaks down. Tesla so far hasn't demonstrated that they can match that level of reliability and especially service. That may not be a big issue for the willing early adopters that drive Model S and X as they will likely often have a second car. But it would be a problem for those that have the Model 3 as their daily driver. Will be interesting to see how Tesla scales their vertically integrated service network.

[Berkut]

Is the reliability that bad? Like Jeep bad?

[jimmy olsen]

Is the reliability that bad? Like Jeep bad?

I think it's the repairing a problem that's the issue, not reliability. They're scaling up so fast on all fronts that there have been parts shortages in the past as well as a lack of qualified mechanics.  Here's the lastest news I saw on Tesla service

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/10/tesla-will-apply-brute-force-to-fight-service-delays-add-body-shops.html

[Zanza]

Is the reliability that bad? Like Jeep bad?

From what I read, their build quality and reliability is average, but service is poor. Scaling an owned service operation like they have by a factor of ten or so to correspond with their targeted sales volume will be a big task.

[Berkut]

Interesting. Seems like a potential business opportunity....

[CountDeMoney]

Is the reliability that bad? Like Jeep bad?

[crazy canuck]

Is the reliability that bad? Like Jeep bad?

From what I read, their build quality and reliability is average, but service is poor. Scaling an owned service operation like they have by a factor of ten or so to correspond with their targeted sales volume will be a big task.

Yeah, that is a big advantage the established brands have for their electric cars.  But as I recently discovered - they may have good servicing infrastructure but not such a good supply of spare parts...  Tesla might be better in that regard.

[Monoriu]

The world needs more crazy people like Elon Musk.

[Eddie Teach]

Is the reliability that bad? Like Jeep bad?

Do you do wheelies in your jeep too?

[jimmy olsen]

My big question on it is whether I can really have a vehicle with a 200 mile range as my only car...

Range is increasing

https://electrek.co/2017/03/15/tesla-model-s-x-100d-longest-range-vehicle-epa/

Last week, we reported on deliveries of Tesla's new Model S and X 100D being delayed by a few weeks even though some of the vehicles were sitting in Tesla's parking lots in stores and service centers. The problem was with the EPA's certification for the vehicle.

We now learn that the issue has been resolved and Tesla started deliveries of the first few Model S/X 100D units.

Electrek learned that last Friday, the very same day that we reported on the delay, the EPA issued Tesla's 'emission certification' for the new vehicles equipped with the 100 kWh battery pack and dual motor configuration.

The new option boosts the range of the Model S to a record 335 miles (EPA estimate), up from 315 miles for the Model S P100D, and to 295 miles for the Model X 100D – up from the 289 miles of the performance version.