Thứ Tư, 28 tháng 12, 2016

Tesla's new Strategy?!?!? part 1

  • Apr 25, 2013
    ElSupreme
  • Apr 25, 2013
    Citizen-T
    Love the response that reads "Tupperware parties, but electric cars."
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    DonPedro
    My 2 cents: Joint supercharger network buildout in alliance with Daimler. Possibly a "free-for-owners, paid-by-others" business model, or exclusive to owners (of Tesla and Daimler cars).
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    NuclearPowered
    Or a partnership with a chain that will accommodate SCs. It has to be something with SCs. We're due for an announcement.

    Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Citizen-T
  • Apr 25, 2013
    ShortSlaver
  • Apr 25, 2013
    vgrinshpun
    New strategy = shorter distance between SC, perhaps 100 miles instead 150 miles. Hints of this were dropped by EM in aftermath of NYT/Broder affair.
    Owners will like it because SC will be useable by both 60kWh and 85kWh cars.

    The two other parts of the announcement I believe would be partnering with national restaurant chain to facilitate drammatic increase in the deployment of SC (coast-to-coast in 3-6 months), and two-fold increase in speed of SC. Again, owners (of cars AND company) will be delighted.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    jeff_adams
    Could they have found a way around the dealership restrictions? Would be huge if they didn't have to fight those battles
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    deonb
    New strategy = stop pre-announcing new strategies using twitter.

    Tesla owners would LOVE that.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Stoneymonster
    Well, not to over-parse the tweet, but to over-parse the tweet:

    I think that the use of the word strategy without a modifier is all-encompassing and will be bigger than just service/superchargers/wireless service or other component. I'm willing to bet they've been revamping aspects of the whole approach. At least that's what I'm hoping.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    jandkw
    I am thinking along those lines as well. They may be in alliance with more than Daimler which may include whoever wants to adopt the Supercharger standard.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    joefee
    How about returning to "optional" battery swap with pick up of your charged pack on your return trip!
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    cinergi
    LOL +1

    I'm completely "whatever" about what's coming at this point.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    ElSupreme
    RT @deonb
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    westerndh
    As a two time solar city customer, I am betting a referral program. I love the solar city one!
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    PopSmith
    +1

    Supercharger partnership is my thinking but I dunno for sure. If it's not this one it's probably one of the remaining two parts.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    mknox
    As a Tesla owner, I wouldn't "love" that. More competition for charging slots won't help me (as an owner).
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Curt Renz
    The key to narrowing down the meaning may be Musk's final sentence: "Tesla owners will like this."

    That implies something that current owners would like. A larger Supercharger network is a possibility. That may explain nearly 3% advances in both Tesla (TSLA) and SolarCity (SCTY) shares at this moment today.

    EDIT: According to Reuters, "A spokeswoman for the company said Friday's announcement will focus on service."
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    deonb

    Keep in mind that this is likely not supercharger related. Elon confirmed that this is part 3 of the 5 part trilogy. A quick recap on the 5 parts:

    1) TSLA Profitable
    2) Lease
    3) Service
    4) Supercharger
    5) Right under your nose

    On the one hand, he may have just lost track of which is number 3. On the other hand, he likes making a very big public fuss with all his announcements, and the service-side thing so far was fairly low-key.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    mitch672
    I think he's going to announce a "bounty" for the first person to "CK" (Capture or Kill) 1 "John Petersen" :)
    Extra credit if you get him with your Model S :)
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    ckessel
    You're assuming the added demand would be greater than the added supply of superchargers.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    jeff_adams
    Random thought, partnership with Google?
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    smorgasbord
    It might be service-related. Right now, Tesla's service/warranty plans are a mess. The factory warranty requires annual service. Annual service is surprisingly expensive for an EV. The extended warranty may or may not require annual service. Annual service can be pre-bought for 4 years, and there's the ranger portion. There's a separate battery guarantee plan. There's even a separate tire and wheel warranty.

    If I were a guessing man (and I am), I'd guess that Tesla will reduce the price of service for the first 4 years and might even waive it completely for the term of the warranty. Tesla owners would love that.

    Another possibility is that given that many Toyota dealers are now capable of servicing RAV4-EVs with Tesla drivetrains, those dealers will also be capable of servicing Tesla Model S's. That would make servicing more convenient for Tesla owners.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    mitch672
    That's a Californians "view" of the situation. The RAV4EV is not sold outside of CA, therefore no dealers in the "other" states can service Tesla drive trains (yet). Now if he announces that they've convinced Toyota to sell the RAV4EV (which they have to heavily discount to sell) in other states, that would be a possibility... But given they (Toyota) has to have massive $5,000 incentives to even sell the "Plug in Prius" in other states, I doubt it.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    PureAmps
    How about free "at home" charging for life of the vehicle? That would be a strategy I would like. :)

    Telsa/Solar City installs solar panels at an optimal location and puts the energy back into the grid when demand is high during the day, owners charge at night when grid costs are lower. Day vs night pricing arbitrage pays for the cost of the panel installation. They know when you charge, how much energy the car used in charging, etc., so no need for separate metering.

    "Free fuel for life, at home and on the road." Now that would sell some cars. :)
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    wts13
    The last thing I want to do is step foot in a regular dealership again...cripes.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    clea
    the Rav4EV is not sold worldwide ... you gotta think globally. the MB Tesla supplied EV will be however so thinking along the same lines gives us servicing at the MB service centers.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Citizen-T
    Doesn't registration for TESLIVE open tomorrow? (too lazy to watch the banner for the min or so it might take)
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    SteveG3
  • Apr 25, 2013
    Stoneymonster
    Having just paid SC a substantial sum to install panels on my house, this would make me more irritated than happy.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Benz
    The announcement of tomorrow will not be about Superchargers, it will be about Service.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    PureAmps
    Came across this article on ValueWalk related to this discussion. I had good chuckle at this quote:
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    xtothem
    A lot of people probably think you're crazy, but I think you're pretty close. He said something earlier this month about how they have made significant progress without any word getting out.

    I'd say look for complimentary charging stations in neighborhoods and cities in the near future. I, however, don't think they are going to let Daimler come in on this AT ALL. :tongue:
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Curt Renz
    You are apparently correct. According to Reuters, "A spokeswoman for the company said Friday's announcement will focus on service."

    I had assumed that the previous loaner car announcement was the service announcement.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Bradleybang
    I heard loaner model S are coming off the line right now.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    SFOTurtle
    Interesting. I wonder what "new strategy" is involved with service?
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    FredTMC
    It's gotta be more than just the 80 loaners. For example, online scheduling of service appt, revamp of how service communication is done etc. if TM can do service better than everyone else, that would be great. I'd love to see service status update of car thru txt message etc.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    SFOTurtle
    I hope the announcement has a lot more than that. Otherwise, have to imagine a big letdown and a lot of people saying, if the company feels compelled to make a big to do of what should be standard already, what does that say about its future?
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    SteveG3
    Turtle, since the time of the 5 part trilogy announcement I've been cautiously optimistic that cost of service will be slashed or eliminated. I don't want to raise false hopes, but I still see this as a real possibility.

    I won't go through all details again (you can see a post I wrote 4/9), but it makes sense strategically... i.e. in terms of earnings, and retaking the high ground that EVs have far lower maintenance cost than ICE.

    It would delight current owners, and it would create greater receptivity to EVs from the general public (well in line with Tesla's fundamental purpose of accelerating the advent of EVs).
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Ardie
    I wonder if it has anything to do with the LA Times article about Elon and LA's 405 Freeway:

    Elon Musk hates 405 Freeway traffic, offers money to speed widening - latimes.com

    - - -
    Entrepreneur Elon Musk has already spent $50,000 trying to make the 405 Freeway better � and he�s willing to pay even more.

    Musk said he is open to pay the cost of adding workers to the widening project "as a contribution to the city and my own happiness. If it can actually make a difference, I would gladly contribute funds and ideas. I've super had it."

    In July, the PayPal and Tesla Motors co-founder met David Murphy, a Westwood resident who heads Angelenos Against Gridlock, a group seeking to hasten the development and repair of infrastructure in California and nationwide. The two shared traffic frustrations, and Musk contributed $50,000 toward an effort to hurry the 405 project along. So far they have little to show for it.

    Musk quips that it's easier getting rockets into orbit than navigating his commute between home in Bel-Air and his Space Exploration Technologies factory in Hawthorne.

    DISCUSSION: Delays on the 405 widening

    "The 405 � varies from bad to horrendous," he told the Los Angeles Times in an interview. "It just seems people in Los Angeles are being tortured by this.� I don't know why they aren't marching in the
    streets."

    The massive project to widen the 405 Freeway is not only causing traffic nightmares for motorists like Musk but has also been plagued by cost overruns and delays.

    Transportation officials say the project is now slated to take at least a year longer than first anticipated and cost about $100 million more than the originally budgeted $1 billion.

    The companies handling the work won kudos when they were able to reopen the freeway ahead of schedule during the so-called Carmageddon events in 2011 and 2012. But that masked a larger problem for the main contractor, Kiewit, and the subcontractors.

    Officials now aim to complete the bulk of the project by June 2014, with work on the problematic middle segment between Montana Avenue and Sunset Boulevard lasting perhaps until fall 2014, according to Michael Barbour, the veteran engineer overseeing the project for the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

    The delays and cost overruns are raising the ire of residents and local officials, who say the project is causing major disruptions throughout the already traffic-clogged Westside.

    "This project has been horribly managed," said Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County supervisor and board member of Metro, which is running the project. "The performance of contractors has left a lot to be desired.� They've shown a complete lack of sensitivity and empathy for the community in which they're doing the work."

    Asked why he and other elected officials have not publicly prodded the contractor to enlist more workers and equipment to speed the project, Yaroslavsky said: "Where's the money going to come from? This project is over budget by a considerable amount, and Metro hasn't figured out how it's going to cover the cost overruns, let alone incur additional costs."

    Several factors have driven the delays, including the structural failure of miles of new sound walls that had to be demolished and rebuilt, a legal wrangle over the placement of ramps near the Getty Center and the complex logistics of finding and relocating more than a dozen utility lines under Sepulveda Boulevard.

    All the while, Kiewit was instructed to keep traffic moving on one of the nation's busiest highways.

    Kiewit released a statement Wednesday defending its work.

    "The costs and schedule impacts are the result of the project's overall complexity and the significant challenges associated with multiple unexpected utility and right-of-way issues," the firm said. "Kiewit and Metro are committed to working together to minimize future delays and resolve final costs. We ... are committed to delivering the highest-quality product on the I-405 project."


    [email�protected]
    Copyright � 2013, Los Angeles Times

    - - -


    -- Ardie
    I gotta admit - I like his style.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Svetlin
    How cool would this be! You approach the loaner with your key fob and it instantly transforms into your car! All your software settings and preset positions are there.

    Except it doesn't change color. That's only if you buy the chameleon package.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    SFOTurtle
    Hey, I agree with everything you say although I'm not expecting it. I went ahead and purchased the 4 year service plan. If I can see any of that $$ coming back to me, I will be quite happy, and I'm sure all Model S owners would be as well.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    FredTMC
    I agree with SFO. I'd be shocked if they made service plan free. I think TM needs this revenue stream
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    mikevbf
    In the article Elon says,
    "I'm an engineer, so service is not something that I naturally do," Musk said in an interview on April 2. "But it's the right thing for the company and I think we have the opportunity to re-engineer service."

    I would guess that Elon strategized Tesla's service plan around a statement something like,
    "Ok, what sucks about getting your car serviced..." and "So how can we make service free from all these things. How can we create the best service."

    Maybe the new "strategy" is not a new strategy for Tesla, but instead a new strategy compared to the rest of the auto industry. To me the two things that suck most about getting my car serviced are 1) the unpleasant surprise that something much worse and more costly than what I was expecting and 2) the time lost due to not having my car or at best having to drive around in a crappy loner.

    Although, many do not like the price of the service plan, it does solve the "unpleasant surprise" aspect of the first problem. And having a top of the line Performance Model S loaner goes a long way toward solving the second biggest problem. Did I miss something? What do you hate the most about service?

    I believe words like "change in strategy" and "owners will like this" are just the usual hype we get before an announcement of something nice, but well short of our wildest dreams.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Jason S
    Haven't been following entire thread, so please forgive if ideas already posted...

    Wildest dreams: every car (or a subset of cars: Signature edition) gets every upgrade available to the model -- this will stop short of performance plus upgrades to performance versions, but can include the other items (CHAdeMO adapter, parking sensors, heated widgets, etc).

    Reasonable Strategy: partnership with existing dealers -- E.G: Fisker, Toyota, MBZ. The cars can be sold through those other dealers, to get around the continuing bucking of the industry. Seems unlikely tho, but it is a change in course.

    Still reasonable: replace tires with every service. That would make the $$ for service sting less and Tesla gets tires in bulk anyhow.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Soflason
    +1

    Been thinking it would be announced with either (or both) Mercedes and/or Toyota because of the existing relationships there...
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    SteveG3
    Fred, my point has been service plan was a misstep from day one. Customers were quite upset, and it took away strategic advantage of lower maintenance cost in educating the public about the advantages of EVs.

    My speculation (and definitely speculation), was that the $2,500 price increase that began Jan 1 this year was a way of baking the cost of service into the cost of the car, to later announce slashing of service plan cost, and basically undo the misstep of the original service plan. If they cut the cost of service in half, 8 years of service would go from $3800 to $1900. So the $2,500 price increase in January would more than cover lower service plan price as far as Tesla's revenue stream.

    Elon talks repeatedly about reasoning from first principles rather than analogy. The service plan was reasoning by analogy... what other ICE car companies in the luxury realm would charge for service. Well, the words service and warranty have different meaning for an EV than an ICE. Where does service begin and end as opposed to warranty with an EV? pretty murky at this point (notice the confusing wording in many of the Tesla announcements on this). I am hopeful Elon comes out with first principles tomorrow and really delineates service and warranty for EVs as the more appealing realities they are compared to ICE.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    anticitizen13.7
    Elon's tweet says that "owners" (I think that means Model S and Roadster drivers) will like the announcement, so I doubt this will have anything to do with selling cars through a Mercedes dealership. Dealers are basically separate franchise owners, so Tesla would have to make deals with each dealer network, which is a headache I think they would want to avoid.

    Tesla already confirmed to Reuters that tomorrow's statement will be service related.

    I'm as puzzled as Mikebvf though. I have the same objections that he does regarding unexpected costs, lost time, and crappy loaners. The service plan and P85 loaners covers these problems, so I'm just not sure what Elon has in mind.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    DonPedro
    +1

    Free service plan doesn't seem like it either. That would mean returning millions and millions in cash to customers, at a time when the company really really needs to show a profit every quarter.

    I'm having thoughts about reducing the frequency of the car having to go somewhere for service. Remote diagnostics, rangers fixing things, longer service intervals etc. But none of this feels like a "new strategy".

    We'll just have to see tomorrow, I suppose. :)
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    SteveG3
    Don, agree Tesla needs revenues... that was the point that the price increase in January ($2,500) may have been a planned move to more than compensate for diminished revenue by lowering cost of service (likely about $2000 reduction). Announcing lower cost service plan would also stimulate higher demand (including access to cash helping revenue as well (and increasing near term access to cash through increased number of reservation deposits).
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Andrew
    Perhaps they're just going to give us all the 3G connectivity for free? (For life of the car, or perhaps included with the annual service fee.) Better yet, they'll enable 4G/LTE and then give that to us for free!

    That would be an excellent service decision, and wouldn't require any complicated backtracking/refunds for people who have already prepaid for their 4 or 8 years of service.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Kipernicus
    +1 Andrew, was just thinking of free 3G forever
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    mitch672
    That could be one element of it, Perhaps they've decided to "shelve" the WiFi access they where supposed to enable, maybe it's gone the way of the "40KW" Model S - too costly to put resources and effort into, therefore free access if you have any prepaid service plan (which certainly adds value to the service plans).
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Arnold Panz
    That doesn't sound like something current owners would be happy with, which is what Elon promised in his tweet.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    Discoducky
    Really like the idea of integrating with Solar City and offering free charging for life at home. I could really see this as a possibility in the future. But for this service announcement I think TM is going to add more value to the plan, but not reduce the cost even though I wish it would be true. And note that I really don't like paying $450/12.5K miles to keep our warranty since our driving habits will eat that up every 8 months or so (aka More than an ICE car).
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    smorgasbord
    Yeah, but Mercedes is so far behind that there's no way their service centers are prepared for anything like that. If announced, that would be a far future thing, further out than I'm expecting. Also, we don't know in which countries Mercedes is planning on selling their B class car yet. Might also not be world-wide.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    PureAmps
    I don't think it's that crazy at all. At least not as crazy as building a rocket company from scratch to fly to Mars. ;)

    I agree my idea is unlikely, but it occurred to me after a recent road trip using the superchargers. My rationale is below.

    Elon is clearly trying to get the monthly cost of ownership down to the magic number of $500/month. Unfortunately he cannot currently get there without some voodoo economics. Nobody bought into his $500/month pitch earlier in the month. The only way to truly get the price down is to reduce the vehicle's price or the operating costs. He can attack operating costs through reducing maintenance costs, insurance or fuels costs. He controls the first, has no control over the second, and can offer to "pay" for the third.

    Let's say on average people drive 40 miles a day, so Tesla could offer to pay up to 40 miles a day when you charge at home. At 320 Wh/mile that would be 12.8kWh of energy. Using the national average of $0.11/kWh that would be $1.41/day or $42.3/month. That's not a huge expense if they can cost-effectively scale out a matching energy generation solution. They could even pay you via PayPal. ;) Not sure how well it would scale to hundreds of thousands of vehicles, but I think it could be economical for current Model S production rates.

    Using Tesla's calculator that brings the monthly cost of ownership down to $650/month for a 60 kWh vehicle. But that is for a loan term of 63 months. After that point, the vehicle's cost of ownership goes negative compared to a gas vehicle (excluding maintenance for this discussion). Assuming you are saving $329/month in fuel (from Tesla's calculator), then only 12 months after your loan is paid off your average cost for the 75-month period is now $493/month. Own your car 10 years? Now your average monthly "cost" over that time period was only $185/month (again, assuming fuel savings). Good luck finding *any* other car that can match that 10 year cost of ownership at 15k miles/year. That's only $22,200 over 10 years.

    Remember Tesla's stated goal is to create *sustainable* transport through adoption of electric vehicles. Their goal is not to just build another automobile company. How better to support this goal than to provision your vehicle's sustainable energy generation solution when you purchase the vehicle? That is what I call a strategy an owner would like!

    Disclaimer: I recognize I did not include maintenance costs, the actual energy rates people pay are often higher than $0.11/kWH (mine included), etc. This is just a quick back of the envelope calculation for discussion purposes. I also know little to nothing of large scale solar installation economics, so feel free to tell me I'm crazy.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    ckessel
    I think it's just the loaner car bit. We already know about it and Elon's mentioned it in passing, but this will just be the formalization of a loaner car, maybe with pickup/dropoff depending on your service agreement and/or issue.

    Essentially living up to what luxury car buyers are used to from many luxury dealerships.

    It'll be greeted with a big "meh" from us in the know :)
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    FredTMC
    Media Advisory | Tesla Motors Announcement


    PALO ALTO, CA, Apr 25, 2013 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- Tesla Motors, Inc. TSLA +3.11% will hold a conference call on April 26, 2013 at 10:30 AM Pacific Time (1:30 PM Eastern Time) for members of the media, to make an announcement about Tesla Service. Following remarks from Elon Musk, Tesla Motors co-founder and CEO, media is invited to participate in a question and answer session.


    What: Tesla Motors, Inc. Announcement When: Friday, April 26, 2013


    Time: 10:30 AM Pacific Time / 1:30 PM Eastern Time Press Release will be available at: Press Center | Tesla Motors Webcast: ir.teslamotors.com (live and replay) Live Call: (877) 312-5519 / (760) 666-3771 (International)


    Approximately two hours after the call, a digital recording of the Q&A session will be available for a period of two weeks following the date of the call. To access the recording, please dial in to one of the following numbers using the conference ID shown.


    Replay Dial-In #: (855) 859-2056 Conference ID: 58875812


    International Replay Dial-In #: (404) 537-3406 Conference ID: 58875812


    The webcast will also be archived on the Company's website for a period of one year following the date of the call.
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    gaswalla
    Yep... they hired an entirely new service staff at HQ to ensure that service remains a priority (per a Tesla employee), and they have loaner cars.

    Just glad we're only kept in suspense <24 hours and that the announcement is in the morning
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  • Apr 25, 2013
    AnOutsider
    I'm thinking service too. I can't think of many owners who were thrilled with their service plans.

    *edit* jeesh, didn't realize the thread had gone to 6 pages and had already been covered. Ah well, I knew the "loaner" thing couldn't be the full announcement.


    *backs slowly out*
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    Benz
    If they sell one more 100K car because of positive perceptions of the service advantages, it easily trumps right up-front the slow revenue dribble of a large number of $600 annuities.
    The announcement will increase consumer interest in Tesla.
    And that is the ultimate goal.
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    desiguy
    May be they plan to include wheel protection as part of maintenance plan and formally announce loaner cars.
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    JakeP
    I am not even going to get excited about this. I am betting it is something as uninteresting as an internal reorg and/or increased staffing: "We are merging Service and Sales and hiring 100 new Advisors to provide a world-class Customer Experience!". Ho hum. Please prove me wrong, Elon. Or just flip the switch on a hundred new Superchargers, already!
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    andrewket
    My prediction: 4 year service included for all cars. 8 years for signature to original owner.
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    ShortSlaver
  • Apr 26, 2013
    ElSupreme
  • Apr 26, 2013
    ShortSlaver
    Yup. Eastern.
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    ckessel
    I just can't see Tesla giving away that much money, particular since that'd be material to revenue and the announcement is during trading hours. Plus, at least some folks have already done their 4-year service prepayment stuff.
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    Lump
  • Apr 26, 2013
    vfx
    If all service would be made free, how would a service centers make money? A lot of real estate, and employee overhead for doing free work for 3 years seems tough.
    At this point Tesla only has a few hundred Roadsters in each area (or less) as legacy cars now out of warranties coming in for the rare major service.
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    Grendal
    Tesla combines or adds service with someone from outside, maybe. Like Pep Boys or something like that.
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    Bardlebee
    I think they stressed in the past though that they want to keep Tesla service to themselves as a lot of their car is pretty secretive in its engineering. I don't imagine it would be this, though cool as it may be.
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    SteveG3
    I agree with Bardlebee... I don't think Tesla trusts their "baby" in anyone else's hands anytime soon... not Pep Boys, not even a partner like Toyota or Mercedes.

    I definitely understand the idea of bracing for a super mundane announcement, but I do have cautious optimism service price will come down. As to lost revenue, again, I think it is possible that the price increase in January was part I of a plan to redo service decision... put large part of service in cost of car ($2500 price increase) so several months later similar amount of the cost of service (roughly $2000 over first 8 years) can be backed out of cost of plan by cutting price in half.

    only other option beyond super mundane, or service cost reduction I can see would be semi-mundane of plan for more service centers (i.e. something like by end of 2014 50% increase of service centers, will bring 90% of owners within 50 miles of a center).
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    Bardlebee
    Some hesitation for buyers is the additional service prices. Of course you get this with every car right? But you additionally have to do stuff like prep your garage, this is an added expense. So maybe a re-working of services will help relieve this stress as we have seen people spend nearly 2k alone for just a garage plug in!
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    LakeForest
    My guess is the announcement being about being able to update cars with retrofits. Not entirely new to tesla as they did this with the roadster, but model s will be radically upgradable in future with new battery packs etc. already can upgrade perf plus and parking sensors which are already announced in Europe will be made an available retrofit today. This is a new "strategy" for auto industry.
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    anticitizen13.7
    Also, outsourcing maintenance services to Pep Boys or Toyota is not consistent with Tesla's brand image as different and premium.
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    bhuwan
    Would be nice!
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    mikevbf
    It would be cool if Tesla could put in a second motor into the existing MS to upgrade to AWD even if it were not planned for a year or so (definitely in the wildest dreams category though).
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  • Apr 26, 2013
    ItsNotAboutTheMoney
    Why do they have to make money (directly)? A key advantage of Tesla's approach to BEVs is the ability to change the model entirely and take advantage of the low maintenance.

    Service centers are needed anyway for efficient delivery and warranty repair. If Tesla focuses on lowering maintenance costs it becomes a differentiator: they minimize while ICEV dealerships maximize. Factor basic costs into the pricing, with free servicing for a certain number of miles per year, reasonable prices for higher miles, get a little extra income (using company 25% margin?) for rover service and replacement parts that your trusting, happy customers might be willing to pay for you to install.

    EDIT:
    While I'm probably already dead wrong, I should add that unlike many other cars, Tesla has telemetry data available that can help reduce warranty costs and service visits. Why poke the customer for another $k here and there if it just costs them a $15k to $20k profit on other sales?
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Curt Renz
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Citizen-T
    Please keep us up to date. On another call right now so I can't listen in.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    JRod0802
  • Apr 26, 2013
    andrewket
    Still hold music on the webcast.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    xtothem
    Tesla Motors - excellent performance, poor puntuality
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Discoducky
    Please stand by and your TM media announcement will begin shortly....some guy just said on the streaming broadcast.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    mnx
    The stock sure moved at 1:30pm EDT, I imagine you'd be hearing talking already if you had called in....
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    PattyChuck
    But hey, at least they seem to have fixed their bandwidth issues!
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    brianstorms
    Yeah the muzak is right out of a 1930s movie or MovieTone newsreel. Ya think they could've picked maybe a little Vampire Weekend...
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Lump
    Somebody sold a big block of shares (about 150k) causing a $1.90 drop at 10:30 am PDT
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    SteveG3
    Elon is a rule breaker
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Bradleybang
    starting @ 10.38

    - - - Updated - - -

    production @ 20k annually. 85 loaner cars. Option to buy loaner. Use a loaner roadster
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    DJ Frustration
    Elon is talking about fully loaded P85's for Service Centers. Ability to purchase/upgrade their Model S to that loaner. Also get a choice to drive a Roadster as a loaner.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Lump
    Providing loaner cars during surface with option to buy loaner..
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    mcornwell
    Loaners will include a Roadster option for Model S owners...
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    mnx
    I wouldn't mind borrowing a roadster. :)
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    blaz
    Option to buy loaner car, at a price that decreases 1% per month and $1/mile. This way the loaner fleet is constantly being refreshed.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    mcornwell
    Annual service is optional...
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    DJ Frustration
    Annual Service is optional.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    NeverEnough
    I am excited to eventually need service to drive a roadster!!
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Lump
    Valet service to your home, they will bring you a loaner car to you.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    FredTMC
    Something about "unconditional battery warranty". Big news would be range warranty
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    mcornwell
    Battery is warrantied for everything, except accidents... (I assume this means you can brick it and it won't be your fault)
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    AnOutsider
    1) P85 loaners, you can keep it at a discount or get a roadster
    2) valet service. Tesla will come pick up your car. (does this require ranger service)?
    3) Optional service contract. Warranty is still valid.
    4) battery fully covered under warranty even if you damage it
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Zextraterrestrial
    me too :}
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    andrewket
    1. P85 vehicles for service which you can keep at a discounted price if you prefer that vehicle, OR loaner roadster.
    2. Valet service- service loaner will be brought to you and your car picked up and taken to SC. Then again upon vehicle return.
    3. Maintenance contract optional - no longer required to keep warranty
    4. Battery warranty modified - covers almost everything except damage done trying to reverse engineer the battery

    Added:

    Tesla is initially building 100 P85's for service loaner fleet.
    Battery warranty is transferrable. Warranty length not increased - 8 years
    Loaner car purchase: Loaner vehicle's price will be calculated with the formula- 1% discount per month for age, and $1/mile. Trade in value formula not disclosed. Vehicles traded in through this program will be re-sold as used by Tesla.
    Service department's goal: 0% profit. Tesla profits will come from selling vehicles (and accessories)
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    JRod0802
    Four part announcement:

    1) P85 loaners (or roadster)
    2) They show up to your place and give you the loaner and pick up your car
    3) Annual service checkup is optional (and the warrenty is still valid)
    4) Full battery coverage for free

    Edit: darn... AnOutsider beat me to it
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    zax123
    Quick summary of the announcement:

    1. A bunch of Model S Performance fully-loaded cars
    - 1%/month of age, $1/mile if you want to buy the car
    - can take a Roadster for an additional cost

    2. Valet service - the loaner is taken to you

    3. Annual service contract is now optional and warranty is still valid

    4. All damage/maintenance to battery is covered by Tesla warranty
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    JRP3
    Really glad they did this, but I think they had to anyway since to force a service contract is probably illegal.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Bradleybang
    warranty on battery unconditional except intentional act and transferable.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    ddenboer
    Battery will be replaced with equal or better.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Discoducky
    So I'm totally not buying the pre-pay service now. We'll bring it in every year but we drive 18K a year.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    ken830
    I think you should still pre-pay, but just bring it in every year/18K.... Still $475 vs $600...
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Lump
  • Apr 26, 2013
    ElSupreme
    Same for me. Every January I'll get a roaster loaner :biggrin: (assuming there is one in Atlanta) and drop my car off. Every 22-25k miles seems about right anyway.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    anticitizen13.7
    I like what I'm reading. Nothing earth shattering, but definitely classy and welcome upgrades to the current services.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Darmok
    The price of buying the loaner is 1% of depreciation per month and $1 per mile, and if I heard right that's how they'd value your current car too. So you'd trade on the spot, pay the difference and drive off in the loner as your own car. Elon says the loaner fleet should generally not be older than 3 months. He wants nice new loaners, not an aging fleet.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    4sevens.com
    Wow... if you're driving the loaner car and you like it better than your car you can keep it... pay the difference and the loaner is valued at new depreciated by 12% per year and minus $1 per mile. Insane.
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    Owner
    I like what he just said "service should never make a profit"
    �
  • Apr 26, 2013
    blaz
    Elon has instructed the Service team to not aim to make a profit. Minimize service, not maximize it.
    �
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