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Tesla’s Musk Takes Charge of Model 3 Production as Problems Persist
- jijojv 9y agoLearn much from overcommitting and under-delivering yet [1] Still waiting on the self-driving vaporware that thousands paid advance for... 1. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/823727035088416768 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/823727035088416768 3 months maybe, 6 months definitely 23 Jan 2017
- Shivetya 9y agoThe NHTSA faulted Tesla for the last fatal crash and its likely they will get faulted for the current. I am just shocked that after this one that they haven't suspended its use. The level of chutzpah this company operates at is very dangerous to its future but the public as well. The production issues are a whole different can of worms but the autonomous driving accidents are what the public sees. People need to understand that Tesla is not the only company that can deliver self driving hardware nor are they the only manufacturer of EVs. They are currently the maker of the more desired EV but with some of the old school automakers joining the fray they will see their high end model profit vanish. finally, I am still not convinced they ever plan to actually sell a base model. downvote edit Please see an owner recreation using the same version AP with the same condition zhttps://youtu.be/6QCF8tVqM3I https://youtu.be/6QCF8tVqM3I What is the rational thought it permitting that on the road.
- dewski 9y agoWhy aren't you convinced they ever plan to sell a base model? They've been very clear when in their production schedule they would ship the base model. It makes sense to get the production nailed down with all possible options then scale back for basic models then to start basic and go through production pains making more complex models.
- Jesus_Jones 9y agoI would think you always sell the cheap model after selling the expensive ones, especially if you are a smaller company with less money coming through the pipes.
- jijojv 9y agoThey don't have to suspend Autopilot as legally they can claim they require you to be fully alert at all times. Of-course this negates all benefits of Autopilot and still let's them continue to scam people into selling Tesla's as more safer than common adaptive cruise control.
- Shivetya 9y agohttps://youtu.be/6QCF8tVqM3I https://youtu.be/6QCF8tVqM3I that is what happened in the recent fatality, tell me how that is even remotely acceptable regardless of disclaimers. I seriously doubt adaptive cruise control would do the same, the majority of them work by following other vehicles.
- calvinbhai 9y agoThe same rationale that applies for allowing cars with Cruise Control? Is it impossible to have a fatal crash when you set the car on cruise control and doze off? Chances are probably exponentially higher than that of a Tesla on an Autopilot.
- buvanshak 9y ago>The same rationale that applies for allowing cars with Cruise Control? Cruise control ll control the steering? I thought it just maintain the speed...
- mdorazio 9y agoNo, the same rationale does not apply at all. It's not even close. Cruise control does nothing but maintain a set speed. No steering, no lane assist, nothing else. All drivers know that if they set cruise control, they are still in control of the car and have to remain aware of the road to handle all the actual driving while their foot gets a break. On the other hand, here was a conversation with my dad in his Model 3 yesterday: Me: Why aren't your hands on the wheel? Him: They don't need to be. It tells me once in a while when I need to touch the wheel. Think about that for a minute. This is representative of your average driver. People are so blindly trusting of autopilot that they deliberately don't even touch the wheel at all, opting instead to play with their phone until the car nags them to pay attention for one second. This is so completely different than cruise control that the two are barely comparable in terms of driver mindset.
- shanghaiaway 9y agoThat's not even the average driver, but an early adopter. The average driver would more likely think they can take a nap in the back seat while autopilot drives them to the office.
- Someone1234 9y agoHere's an article not behind a paywall: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/02/elon-musk-takes-charge-of-tesla-model-3-production.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/02/elon-musk-takes-charge-of-te...
- amerine 9y agoThanks!
- trollied 9y agoMusk has tweeted: “Can’t believe you’re even writing about this. My job as CEO is to focus on what’s most critical, which is currently Model 3 production. Doug, who I regard as one of the world’s most talented engineering execs, is focused on vehicle engineering.” https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/980910671763193856 https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/98091067176319385...
- praneshp 9y agoHe has also tweeted : "About a year ago, I asked Doug to manage both engineering & production. He agreed that Tesla needed eng & prod better aligned, so we don’t design cars that are crazy hard to build. Right now, tho, better to divide & conquer, so I’m back to sleeping at factory. Car biz is hell …" https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/980913157739765761 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/980913157739765761
- beltex 9y ago"Can’t believe you’re even writing about this. My job as CEO is to focus on what’s most critical, which is currently Model 3 production. Doug, who I regard as one of the world’s most talented engineering execs, is focused on vehicle engineering." "About a year ago, I asked Doug to manage both engineering & production. He agreed that Tesla needed eng & prod better aligned, so we don’t design cars that are crazy hard to build. Right now, tho, better to divide & conquer, so I’m back to sleeping at factory. Car biz is hell …" [1] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/980910671763193856 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/980910671763193856 [2] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/980913157739765761 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/980913157739765761
- loceng 9y agoI can only imagine how much experience and knowledge Elon is gaining by micromanaging (a good thing) this much, compared to say how much the top executive at other vehicle manufacturers have evolved to become. Edit: Downvotes on this comment? Really? What, do you think you're able to imagine the amount of experience he's getting? Do you think the top execs at other manufacturers have the same experience and hands-on approach?
- asdsa5325 9y agoI think the reason why you are getting downvotes is "micromanaging (a good thing)"
- pasbesoin 9y agoI don't mean to overly shill for "In Search of Excellence". (And yeah, I remember when it came out.) But I just happened to catch the bulk of an hour long interview with its author, Tom Peters, today. https://the1a.org/shows/2018-04-02/excellence-explained https://the1a.org/shows/2018-04-02/excellence-explained And the parent comment reminds me of what he had to say about MBWA -- Management By Wandering Around. It doesn't exactly fit what it appears Musk is currently doing. But as for the experience gained and benefit of being down on the floor, on the front line. Well, Peters' enthusiasm and description of same, seemed on point, to me. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_by_wandering_around https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_by_wandering_around If there are problems, at least Musk is not sitting in his office, learning of them and trying to deal with them through layers of reports (both people and paper/electrons/photons). P.S. As a possible counter-balance to this, I'll mention the complaints that have been reported about worker welfare on those same production lines. To the extent those are true, they would be in opposition to the practices Peters espouses.
- dewski 9y agoThis article feels a bit over reaching to meet the current narrative that Tesla is failing. As someone who has owned a Tesla, I'd much rather they ramp when they are ready to ramp than skip steps just to hit their targets. QA is a very important step that they have to get right.
- keyle 9y agoI have no interest or involvment in Tesla. But from an outsider's perspective I can't help but notice that when you're this little company with no chance of making it, the press is very bulish about your company. As soon as you become large, they look up at you and can't wait to see you fall, overly negative. Who thought making cars was difficult? And mass production? And electrical cars, pushing the boundaries or batteries. The light are still on in the factory, so the company's doing well.
- duhast 9y agoTesla revenue in 2017 exceeded 12bln$. How is Tesla “little”?
- amerine 9y agoYou missed the OPs point entirely. He literally said that now Tesla is big they are rooting for its failure.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- CharlesW 9y ago> But from an outsider's perspective I can't help but notice that when you're this little company with no chance of making it, the press is very bulish about your company. As soon as you become large, they look up at you and can't wait to see you fall, overly negative. This isn't just a press bias, but a seemingly-universal human bias. [1] https://undark.org/article/why-we-root-for-the-underdog/ https://undark.org/article/why-we-root-for-the-underdog/
- WheelsAtLarge 9y agoHis big problem is over promise. Yes, he promises big but does not deliver. The press loves to play both sides. It reports the promises and the lack of delivery on his part too. The press couldn't care either way as long as it brings in readers.
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- agumonkey 9y agoI thought he was already sleeping at the factory.. I wish success to Tesla, at least a little bit, but I'm really curious to know how they fixed their assembly line
- mvpu 9y agoWait. The author wants me to pay for what appears to be an outside-in, uneducated, irrelevant take on Tesla's internal problems? No thank you. Let them deal with it.
- rdlecler1 9y agoI think Musk is outstanding, but I could never see how he could run SpaceX, Tesla, OpenAI, the Boaring Company, Hyperloop all at the same time. It could be twice as Smart as the next smartest individual on the planet but there’s no free lunch. Time spent in one place is time given up somewhere else. We’ve known that Tesla has had production problems for a long time and if I was on the board I would have said drop all of your side projects and focus on fixing this company. I’m sure Musk has fired people for a lot less.
- serf 9y agoAh yes, the tried-and-true method of jump-starting a project by adding managers.
- mdekkers 9y agopaywalled