Stocks A to Z / Stocks T / Tesla (TSLA)
No. of Recommendations: 2
Reuters reported in April: "Tesla scraps low-cost car plans".
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportat...Musk: "Reuters is lying (again)."
Were they, though? Seems not.
A small, 5-seat Tesla EV could have been a hit.
Instead, we get shown the 2-seat Cybercab. Why only two seats?
No. of Recommendations: 1
Instead, we get shown the 2-seat Cybercab. Why only two seats?
The term Robotaxi applies to all autonomous taxis. Cybercab is one version of that group. Since 90% of the rides are one or two people, and Tesla has a wide range of other vehicles that will also be used as Robotaxis, they went with the lowest cost option to serve the bulk of the market. Thirty cents per mile (cost to Tesla) allows Tesla to undercut anything with four wheels. Transportation is a commodity, but with the best network and lowest cost I don't see anyone else being able to compete.
I was lucky enough to attend the event. Drove my Cybertruck 18 hours to get there. (15 driving and 3 charging.) The return trip I did straight thru. Never could have done that in any other vehicle. The CT is so quiet, smooth and relaxing to operate I just kept going instead of spending an extra night on the road. You have to keep looking at the road but your mind can be far far away. It reminded me of flying a DC-10. If you think you don't want FSD ... think again. Ask any airline pilot how they feel when they find out the autopilot on their plane is inop - that's how you'll feel without FSD.
What we got to see was a glimpse of the future. The CyberCab will be the most profitable product ever made. Millions of them made every year. Don't count the Semi out either. The cost savings from removing the diesel engine and driver from semis will be massive.
Only negative of the trip ... California is disgusting. Drug addicts sleeping on the sidewalks. I only left the hotel to attend the event. Need to be more careful (if I ever go back) where the nicer places are to stay.
Bought more shares on the dip.
No. of Recommendations: 0
So, definitely no "model 2" (and Reuters were not lying, guess who was?):
Elon Musk says making a regular $25,000 Tesla would be 'pointless' as he goes all-in on robotaxis
https://autos.yahoo.com/elon-musk-says-making-regu...Speaking on Tesla's third-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, Musk described building an affordable non-autonomous EV as "pointless" in response to a question asking when investors can expect a "$25,000 non-robotaxi regular car model."
"I think having a regular $25,000 model is pointless. It would be silly. It would be completely at odds with what we believe," he said.
The billionaire said all of Tesla's upcoming vehicles would be autonomous, and that it should be "blindingly obvious" that self-driving EVs are the future.
Musk's comments will likely come as a blow to Tesla fans hoping for a truly mass-market model.
He reaffirmed that Tesla intends to release cheaper EVs starting in the first half of 2025, but spent much of the earnings call discussing plans for a self-driving robotaxi in 2027.Cheaper EVs next year will presumably be lower cost versions of the 3 and Y.
I'm looking forward to the new Chevy Bolt EV in 2026. We love our 2021 Bolt, and we drive it so much we are going to wear it out soon.
No. of Recommendations: 0
There is some confusion still about the term "Robotaxi." All of Tesla's cars are Robotaxis ... capable of operating autonomously on the Tesla network. The two seater is the Cybercab. The more affordable vehicles are not Model 3 and Ys.
But, you're doing the right thing ... even if it means putting the lives of your family at risk. I'd recommend that you wait six months after the release of the new Bolt. That's when the massive discounting will start.
No. of Recommendations: 2
There is some confusion still about the term "Robotaxi." All of Tesla's cars are Robotaxis ... capable of operating autonomously on the Tesla network. The two seater is the Cybercab. The more affordable vehicles are not Model 3 and Ys.
Musk said Tesla would produce lower priced cars in 2025. If they are not cheaper versions of the 3 and Y, what are they?
There is no smaller "Model 2" being developed.
But, you're doing the right thing ... even if it means putting the lives of your family at risk.
What does that mean? They'd be safer using Full Self Driving (Supervised)?
A friend has a Y, loves it. Just got the free trial of FSD. He says it's like driving with a 15 year old learner driver. OK most of the time, sometimes scary, often jerky, episodes of phantom slowing or braking. Roundabouts are especially hairy as it tries to nose out and hesitates.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Safety data:
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-publishes-q3-2024-...Coming home from the 10-10 event, I hit a deer at 1:00AM. I'd been driving for 17 hours straight. Truck slammed on the brakes all by itself - I thought that it was phantom braking - then at about 5MPH we hit Bambi. Bambi jumped back up, looked around and ran back into the forest. (Not a good look for the family if you splatter a young deer across your windshield.) Even if you do get into an accident, nobody builds cars as crashworthy as Tesla. In the near future, buying a car without autopilot will be the equivalent of buying a car without AC and seatbelts.
Your friend is right, FSD isn't perfect ... yet. But neither are humans and the combined safety of the two is impressive.
Nobody knows exactly what the less expensive vehicles will be, except, it will not be called the model 2. (Think bathroom reference and #2.) With that said, Tesla doesn't build junk, they won't be Model 3s with the power windows removed. Much of the world wants smaller cars for smaller roads and smaller people. That's what the not-the-model-two will be.
No. of Recommendations: 0
"I think having a regular $25,000 model is pointless. It would be silly. It would be completely at odds with what we believe," he said.
I'm a little confused because in the earnings report the day before Tesla said they would be introducing low cost models. Does that mean more than $25,000 but less than whatever current models go for?
No. of Recommendations: 2
“I'm a little confused because in the earnings report the day before Tesla said they would be introducing low cost models. Does that mean more than $25,000 but less than whatever current models go for?”
Plus they said they are not working on a new low cost model that isn’t the Cybercab. And it’s due in 2027 ‘Elon time‘, so 2029 or beyond.
I figured there'd be a lower cost 3 or Y next year. CaptainK says not. I’m puzzled.
A rear wheel drive 3 with a cheaper US made battery and some other tweaks could get the price down. I don’t think Elon is interested, though.
No. of Recommendations: 1
To Musk, a lower cost vehicle that isn't a Robotaxi is a vehicle that doesn't have autonomy. Remember the definition: All autonomous Tesla vehicles are capable of being Robotaxis. (I guess the van could be called Robovan and the Semi Robosemi, he hasn't said.) The Cybercab is the two seat Robotaxi. The Model X is a six seat Robotaxi. Tesla will be building lower cost vehicles that aren't Cybercabs, but they won't be building lower cast vehicles that aren't Robotaxis.
No. of Recommendations: 0
To Musk, a lower cost vehicle that isn't a Robotaxi is a vehicle that doesn't have autonomy.
Got it.
Tesla will be building lower cost vehicles that aren't Cybercabs, but they won't be building lower cast vehicles that aren't Robotaxis.
I'm still confused. The earnings report said they would be introducing lower cost models in 2025. Does that mean we're getting Robotaxis in 2025?
No. of Recommendations: 1
I'm still confused. The earnings report said they would be introducing lower cost models in 2025. Does that mean we're getting Robotaxis in 2025?
Ah, but don't forget from unthread:
CaptK: "All of Tesla's cars are Robotaxis ... capable of operating autonomously on the Tesla network."
The lower cost models for 2025 are cheaper 3s and Ys, if they happen at all. And they will be Robotaxis, since a Robotaxi is, by CaptK's definition, any Tesla car currently in existence.
No. of Recommendations: 0
I'm still confused. The earnings report said they would be introducing lower cost models in 2025. Does that mean we're getting Robotaxis in 2025?
Yes, Model 3 and Y (iirc) for the launch of the Robotaxi network in 2025. Texas and California.
But, don't be surprised if the timeline slips. The problem they're solving is incredibly difficult. They'll get there eventually, but it's a race between the compute getting ten times faster and the problems getting ten times harder.
No. of Recommendations: 0
The earnings report said they would be introducing lower cost models in 2025.According to this:
https://electrek.co/2024/10/29/tesla-plans-to-deli...Earlier this year, we reported that Elon Musk had canceled plans for new, cheaper Tesla vehicles built on the new ‘unboxed’ platform, often referred to as “the $25,000 Tesla.”
He has instead pushed for two new vehicle programs that incorporate some of the features of the new platform, but they are still primarily based on the Model 3/Y platform – so much so that they will be built on the same production lines.
These currently unnamed new vehicles are expected to be cheaper than Model 3/Y, which currently start at $43,000 before incentives – likely closer to $30.000-$35,000.Cheaper cars on the 3/Y platform. Be interesting to see how they do it.
