Posted on 05/01/2017 2:16:41 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Tesla made headlines recently when its market capitalization nosed past both General Motors’ and Ford’s to make it the most valuable U.S. automaker. Overall U . S . auto sales are down after last year’s highs, and the Big Three (Ford, GM, and Chrysler) automakers have been turning in lackluster numbers lately. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s company is on track to sell 100,000 cars this year, after delivering almost 80,000 last year.
So is Tesla poised to dominate Detroit’s Big Three? I seriously doubt it.
Tesla is an amazing company. Its cars have improved suspensions, new top speeds, and autonomous driving—the list goes on. The company has a generational “cool” factor that the Big Three are missing right now....
(Excerpt) Read more at fortune.com ...
Tesla just came to the maritime college in Maine and hired four of our “hands-on” engineering students. The firm has been going to a good number of colleges and universities and hiring some of the best engineering students around.
How much of that market capitalization was achieved through subsidies from the US fedgubmint with taxpayer dollars?
They need bells and whistles to compensate for the limited range or delayed range of the vehicles.
In order for Tesla’s climb in marketshare, infrastructure to support the vehicles will have to be on part with fossil fuel delivery systems. Which will only be realized with expenditure from both customers of energy participants and taxpayers.
Witness the demise of the once lauded hydrogen vehicles. The infrastructure never showed up. Propane has found a home in a few applications but is also restricted.
I have to admit that Tesla sure makes some purty lookin' coal-fired automobiles. A vast improvement in style over the originals ...
Let's keep it a secret that their chic cars are still steam-powered from ( in most cases ) coal. They just managed to push the boilers further out in the distance far out of their sight so that they can carry out their virtue jihad with a clear conscience.
“......automakers have been turning in lackluster numbers.....”......
All vehicles, in particular pickup trucks, are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay over priced, I am amazed that there are people buying them. If people knew what it really costs to produce a vehicle, they would balk pretty hard at paying such high prices.
Tesla pushes people to charge at home and only use the Tesla infrastructure while on road trips. They can use other quick charging networks, but an expensive adapter is needed. It is my understanding big city metro areas down south have some decent quickcharging infrastructure so limited range vehicles like the Leaf can move about. It seems to me when longer range vehicles like the BOLT are the norm they will need to put in new charging locations. The older locations would eventually phase out do to lack of use.
There are some in rest stops. Which is odd, since the charging time is so long.
MSRP... Hahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahaha.
I suspect those would be quick charge stations.
I work with batteries.
“Quick charge” is a few hours, and not the best for the life cycle of the battery.
Repeat after me:
It’s not a car company. It’s a battery company.
>> How much of that market capitalization was achieved through subsidies from the US fedgubmint with taxpayer dollars? <<
Less than zero. The gubmint subsidies kept alive other carmakers who either split investment income (Fisker) or kept empty factories from coming on the market (GM). Nobody only bought a $93,000 car because a government subsidy made it only $86,000.
Thanks for the post. I didn’t realize auto dealerships are a swamp to be drained that currently uses regulations to restrict competition, innovation, and the customer’s best interest. No wonder I despise them.
I’m not a huge fan of electric cars (been through my share of power outages), but I certainly don’t think the laws should be stacked against new manufacturers trying to enter the market.
In fact, Volkswagen has shown at least two concept vehicles based on the new Modularer Elektrobaukasten (MEB) platform--a possible successor to the Volkwagen Golf and a true replacement for the Transporter/Microbus/Vanagon minivan.
Perhaps, but I REALLY like the package those batteries come in!
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