6 ms·

investors will probably wish Elon could just stick to one thing and finish it

_ph_ 10y ago
What didn't he finish, which isn't clearly work in progress? And product development goes in clear phases. There is no product development on S,X or 3, the 3 is in production preparation now. So it makes completely sense, that the product dev teams are now working on vehicles past the Model 3.
- chc 10y ago
  The Model X slipped repeatedly. Autopilot on the new "full self-driving" hardware is way behind schedule. The Model 3 remains to be seen, but even it their rosiest scenario, it seems unlikely they'll be able to get through the existing backlog by the end of next year. I like Tesla and got one of the first reservations for the Model 3, but it seems pretty fair to say that they often take on a lot more than they're actually equipped to deliver.
  - _ph_ 10y ago
    Yes, the Model X slipped - but it was finished. The other items you name are clearly in progress. It is possible they might slip, but especially the Model 3 launch seems to be quite on track.
Animats 10y ago
Yes. Musk's announced tasks for 2017: - Get Model 3 production line working. (He said he'd live at the plant to make that happen.) - Get battery factory to full operation. - Get Falcon Heavy to first launch. (Already years late, but supposed to launch this year.) - Get Brownsville launch facility built and operating. (First launch scheduled for 2018.) - Get crewed Dragon working. The US currently has no manned space capability. (First crewed launch delayed again, to 2018.) - Get self-driving working reliably.
- decker 10y ago
  Don't forget about his plan to dig a tunnel under LA.
  - chc 10y ago
    If you're talking about the Hyperloop, Musk never intended to build that. He just released the design because he thought somebody should.
    - astrange 10y ago
      He has another side project to dig tunnels under the SpaceX campus ("The Boring Company"). It should be noted that tunnels under cities already exist and are called subways.
    - decker 10y ago
      He wants a tunnel to go from LAX to the SpaceX office. https://www.teslarati.com/elon-musk-wasnt-kidding-creating-tunnel-plans-dig-next-month/ https://www.teslarati.com/elon-musk-wasnt-kidding-creating-t... https://www.wired.com/2017/01/inside-tunnel-elon-musk-already-digging-los-angeles/ https://www.wired.com/2017/01/inside-tunnel-elon-musk-alread...
bigtimeidiot 10y ago
>investors will probably wish Elon could just stick to one thing and finish it Have you read these threads? There are people here who claim to have invested all their savings into TSLA, and yet seem fairly clueless about the industry in which Tesla competes. The more things that get announced, the more they want in. Tesla haven't yet proven that they can reliably build a cheap, profitable vehicle at scale, but still people talk about the next one and the next one... Meanwhile, the Bolt is out, reviews are positive, and HN doesn't talk much about it. Not Elon, I guess. http://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrolet/bolt-ev/2017/2017-chevrolet-bolt-ev-vs-2016-tesla-model-s-60/ http://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrolet/bolt-ev/2017/2017-c...
- chc 10y ago
  The Bolt is lacking a couple of things that are very important to Tesla enthusiasts: 1. The charging situation, and the ability to drive long distances without much trouble. Thanks to the Supercharger network, Tesla's cars can plan a route to get you from nearly any point A to any point B without too much longer of a drive than most people would do in a gas-powered car. The Bolt can use third-party chargers, but AFAIK it takes longer to charge and there's no concerted effort to ensure coverage with those. (Here's an article on this from a reviewer who likes the Bolt: https://electrek.co/2016/09/14/the-very-good-chevy-bolt-reviews-are-in-but-everyone-forgot-to-ask-the-most-important-question/ https://electrek.co/2016/09/14/the-very-good-chevy-bolt-revi...) I think this is a bigger point than most people who aren't actually planning to buy an EV think. The Bolt's lack of an answer to range anxiety makes it more of a commuter car, which puts it more in the same arena as the Nissan Leaf rather than any of Tesla's cars. 2. Autopilot. This is a very exciting feature Tesla is pushing very hard that the Bolt doesn't have at all. And on top of those, there's also the fact that AFAIK you can't buy the Bolt in most places, which kind of puts a damper on how popular it can be.
- jlund 10y ago
  I am in the perfect demographic for the Bolt: I am a previous Chevy owner (with a car that ran well for over fourteen years!), I want an electric car, and I'm not afraid of being an early adopter. I can't buy one. Chevy doesn't appear to be manufacturing them beyond a handful of review units for magazines like Motor Trend and a small number of end-user sales in states where they need the ZEV Credits. People are unenthusiastic about the Bolt because they're matching Chevy's apparent level of enthusiasm. The rhetoric around the Bolt ("Chevy did it! They were first at scale with a $35k car!") is arguably even more disconnected from reality than anything people are saying about Tesla. The Model 3 isn't a compliance car that is masquerading as a serious effort. Tesla is planning on selling it nationwide. They didn't restrict pre-orders to California and Oregon. Setting aside the actual cars, these are big differences. At Chevy's current roll-out pace, my Model 3 pre-order will arrive long before any local Chevy dealerships are willing to sell me a Bolt (while passive-aggressively pushing me towards an internal combustion vehicle the entire time).
serg_chernata 10y ago
He's just unveiling it. It could be slated for release a number of years from now. I don't see the big deal.
allemagne 10y ago
What does his interaction with these initiatives and projects actually look like, on a scale of designing and implementing them all by hand to announcing stuff and then going home and relaxing on the beach?
mtgx 10y ago
If anything, I think these announcements are also meant to keep stock price high.
- bigtimeidiot 10y ago
  Bingo. Musk understands how many things work, including Wall Street.

_ph_ 10y ago

What didn't he finish, which isn't clearly work in progress? And product development goes in clear phases. There is no product development on S,X or 3, the 3 is in production preparation now. So it makes completely sense, that the product dev teams are now working on vehicles past the Model 3.

chc 10y ago
The Model X slipped repeatedly. Autopilot on the new "full self-driving" hardware is way behind schedule. The Model 3 remains to be seen, but even it their rosiest scenario, it seems unlikely they'll be able to get through the existing backlog by the end of next year. I like Tesla and got one of the first reservations for the Model 3, but it seems pretty fair to say that they often take on a lot more than they're actually equipped to deliver.
- _ph_ 10y ago
  Yes, the Model X slipped - but it was finished. The other items you name are clearly in progress. It is possible they might slip, but especially the Model 3 launch seems to be quite on track.

Animats 10y ago

Yes. Musk's announced tasks for 2017: - Get Model 3 production line working. (He said he'd live at the plant to make that happen.) - Get battery factory to full operation. - Get Falcon Heavy to first launch. (Already years late, but supposed to launch this year.) - Get Brownsville launch facility built and operating. (First launch scheduled for 2018.) - Get crewed Dragon working. The US currently has no manned space capability. (First crewed launch delayed again, to 2018.) - Get self-driving working reliably.

decker 10y ago
Don't forget about his plan to dig a tunnel under LA.
- chc 10y ago
  If you're talking about the Hyperloop, Musk never intended to build that. He just released the design because he thought somebody should.
  - astrange 10y ago
    He has another side project to dig tunnels under the SpaceX campus ("The Boring Company"). It should be noted that tunnels under cities already exist and are called subways.
  - decker 10y ago
    He wants a tunnel to go from LAX to the SpaceX office. https://www.teslarati.com/elon-musk-wasnt-kidding-creating-tunnel-plans-dig-next-month/ https://www.teslarati.com/elon-musk-wasnt-kidding-creating-t... https://www.wired.com/2017/01/inside-tunnel-elon-musk-already-digging-los-angeles/ https://www.wired.com/2017/01/inside-tunnel-elon-musk-alread...

bigtimeidiot 10y ago

>investors will probably wish Elon could just stick to one thing and finish it Have you read these threads? There are people here who claim to have invested all their savings into TSLA, and yet seem fairly clueless about the industry in which Tesla competes. The more things that get announced, the more they want in. Tesla haven't yet proven that they can reliably build a cheap, profitable vehicle at scale, but still people talk about the next one and the next one... Meanwhile, the Bolt is out, reviews are positive, and HN doesn't talk much about it. Not Elon, I guess. http://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrolet/bolt-ev/2017/2017-chevrolet-bolt-ev-vs-2016-tesla-model-s-60/ http://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrolet/bolt-ev/2017/2017-c...

chc 10y ago
The Bolt is lacking a couple of things that are very important to Tesla enthusiasts: 1. The charging situation, and the ability to drive long distances without much trouble. Thanks to the Supercharger network, Tesla's cars can plan a route to get you from nearly any point A to any point B without too much longer of a drive than most people would do in a gas-powered car. The Bolt can use third-party chargers, but AFAIK it takes longer to charge and there's no concerted effort to ensure coverage with those. (Here's an article on this from a reviewer who likes the Bolt: https://electrek.co/2016/09/14/the-very-good-chevy-bolt-reviews-are-in-but-everyone-forgot-to-ask-the-most-important-question/ https://electrek.co/2016/09/14/the-very-good-chevy-bolt-revi...) I think this is a bigger point than most people who aren't actually planning to buy an EV think. The Bolt's lack of an answer to range anxiety makes it more of a commuter car, which puts it more in the same arena as the Nissan Leaf rather than any of Tesla's cars. 2. Autopilot. This is a very exciting feature Tesla is pushing very hard that the Bolt doesn't have at all. And on top of those, there's also the fact that AFAIK you can't buy the Bolt in most places, which kind of puts a damper on how popular it can be.
jlund 10y ago
I am in the perfect demographic for the Bolt: I am a previous Chevy owner (with a car that ran well for over fourteen years!), I want an electric car, and I'm not afraid of being an early adopter. I can't buy one. Chevy doesn't appear to be manufacturing them beyond a handful of review units for magazines like Motor Trend and a small number of end-user sales in states where they need the ZEV Credits. People are unenthusiastic about the Bolt because they're matching Chevy's apparent level of enthusiasm. The rhetoric around the Bolt ("Chevy did it! They were first at scale with a $35k car!") is arguably even more disconnected from reality than anything people are saying about Tesla. The Model 3 isn't a compliance car that is masquerading as a serious effort. Tesla is planning on selling it nationwide. They didn't restrict pre-orders to California and Oregon. Setting aside the actual cars, these are big differences. At Chevy's current roll-out pace, my Model 3 pre-order will arrive long before any local Chevy dealerships are willing to sell me a Bolt (while passive-aggressively pushing me towards an internal combustion vehicle the entire time).

serg_chernata 10y ago

He's just unveiling it. It could be slated for release a number of years from now. I don't see the big deal.

allemagne 10y ago

What does his interaction with these initiatives and projects actually look like, on a scale of designing and implementing them all by hand to announcing stuff and then going home and relaxing on the beach?

mtgx 10y ago

If anything, I think these announcements are also meant to keep stock price high.

bigtimeidiot 10y ago
Bingo. Musk understands how many things work, including Wall Street.