7 ms·

On one hand, missing stated production timelines is not great. On the other hand, people ought to be used to Elon Time by now. That'd be a problem if the other

On one hand, missing stated production timelines is not great. On the other hand, people ought to be used to Elon Time by now. That'd be a problem if the other car manufacturers were closer to catching up with Tesla, but it doesn't seem like that's the case.

kfrzcode 9y ago
Yeah, my thoughts exactly. It's not a secret (even to himself) that Elon is not the most timely deliverator... even so, given his track record of, y'know, actually producing things, you'd think he'd be better at managing expectations. I'm still invested. :)
- TheAlchemist 9y ago
  It's because he doesn't care about what other people says (including analysts and investors). I think he just uses it as a tool to motivate and focus people working for him. On the other hand - frankly, who cares ? Being late on announced dates, missing revenues targets etc - it doesn't change the big picture in any meaningful way. And the big picture is, that he is revolutionizing several industries and no one is even coming close.
  - dingaling 9y ago
    Mr Musk may have set the easel but the big picture is being drawn regardless of Tesla. Nissan are aiming to double global Leaf sales to 100,000 plus in 2018. That's just a production-line tweak for them. Then add all the other latecomers piling into the fray. Being better isn't a substitute for being visible. Ask the average Euro driver to name an electric car that they saw in the last week and the majority will say Leaf or Zoe. Certainly not Model 3 which is due for Europe in 2020.
    - hwillis 9y ago
      If having cars on the road was blocking Tesla's success it would have done so already. Tesla was briefly the most valuable automaker; they have all the visibility they need, particularly outside the US.
dlp211 9y ago
You're joking right? Every major car manufacture has, or is about to have a car that is competitive with the model 3. Multiple larger car makers believe whole hog that electric is the future. If you are talking about the self-driving car features, I would first state that Tesla doesn't have those either, and their marketing is a huge liability for them. Second, the major car manufacturer's are at least at the same place as Tesla, are further along, but due aren't as aggressive with bringing the tech to market until they have substantial confidence in it.
- codeulike 9y ago
  Remember that chevvy sell the bolt at a loss. And consequently they don't bother actually trying to sell many of them. I don't think anyone is capable of making batteries as cheaply as Tesla. At least not for the next few years.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- jseliger 9y ago
  Every major car manufacture has, or is about to have a car that is competitive with the model 3 [Citation needed], as they say on Wikipedia. Lots of press releases have been issued, but only Chevy has released the Bolt. Don't get me wrong: I'm a long-term optimist. But the long term may be distressingly long in getting here.
  - fpoling 9y ago
    Just today I read about Nissan Leaf 2018 with its range of 150 miles while staying below 30K USD and newer eGolf from Volkswagen is also interesting. Given how much Volkswagen managed to improve the battery pack it seems the German manufacturer is taking the business of developing powerful car batteries very seriously.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - 9y ago
codingdave 9y ago
It would be a GREAT problem if all manufacturers caught up with Tesla. If electric cars became the norm, that is a good thing. Musk could just move on to concentrate on space exploration and rooftop solar and put automobiles behind him as an industry that was successfully driven to a positive change.

kfrzcode 9y ago

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. It's not a secret (even to himself) that Elon is not the most timely deliverator... even so, given his track record of, y'know, actually producing things, you'd think he'd be better at managing expectations. I'm still invested. :)

TheAlchemist 9y ago
It's because he doesn't care about what other people says (including analysts and investors). I think he just uses it as a tool to motivate and focus people working for him. On the other hand - frankly, who cares ? Being late on announced dates, missing revenues targets etc - it doesn't change the big picture in any meaningful way. And the big picture is, that he is revolutionizing several industries and no one is even coming close.
- dingaling 9y ago
  Mr Musk may have set the easel but the big picture is being drawn regardless of Tesla. Nissan are aiming to double global Leaf sales to 100,000 plus in 2018. That's just a production-line tweak for them. Then add all the other latecomers piling into the fray. Being better isn't a substitute for being visible. Ask the average Euro driver to name an electric car that they saw in the last week and the majority will say Leaf or Zoe. Certainly not Model 3 which is due for Europe in 2020.
  - hwillis 9y ago
    If having cars on the road was blocking Tesla's success it would have done so already. Tesla was briefly the most valuable automaker; they have all the visibility they need, particularly outside the US.

dlp211 9y ago

You're joking right? Every major car manufacture has, or is about to have a car that is competitive with the model 3. Multiple larger car makers believe whole hog that electric is the future. If you are talking about the self-driving car features, I would first state that Tesla doesn't have those either, and their marketing is a huge liability for them. Second, the major car manufacturer's are at least at the same place as Tesla, are further along, but due aren't as aggressive with bringing the tech to market until they have substantial confidence in it.

codeulike 9y ago
Remember that chevvy sell the bolt at a loss. And consequently they don't bother actually trying to sell many of them. I don't think anyone is capable of making batteries as cheaply as Tesla. At least not for the next few years.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
jseliger 9y ago
Every major car manufacture has, or is about to have a car that is competitive with the model 3 [Citation needed], as they say on Wikipedia. Lots of press releases have been issued, but only Chevy has released the Bolt. Don't get me wrong: I'm a long-term optimist. But the long term may be distressingly long in getting here.
- fpoling 9y ago
  Just today I read about Nissan Leaf 2018 with its range of 150 miles while staying below 30K USD and newer eGolf from Volkswagen is also interesting. Given how much Volkswagen managed to improve the battery pack it seems the German manufacturer is taking the business of developing powerful car batteries very seriously.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - 9y ago

codingdave 9y ago

It would be a GREAT problem if all manufacturers caught up with Tesla. If electric cars became the norm, that is a good thing. Musk could just move on to concentrate on space exploration and rooftop solar and put automobiles behind him as an industry that was successfully driven to a positive change.