tesla motors

[Kraken]

When true self-driving is approved by regulators, it will mean that you will be able to summon your Tesla from pretty much anywhere. Once it picks you up, you will be able to sleep, read or do anything else enroute to your destination.

I was thinking about this part the other day. I regularly travel, so if I could get a self-driving car I could just drive myself to the airport and then program it to drive back home. No Uber, no waiting for the train, no $30 / day parking.

I just hope this is a thing by the time I'm too old to drive myself around in another 10-15 years. It will be great for keeping the elderly independent.

The real news in this plan is self-driving electric trucks. We all figured that long-haul truckers will be unemployed sooner or later but this is the first solid plan I've seen to make that happen. Unless the Teamsters can force a requirement for human backup pilots on all rigs, that's hundreds of thousands of semi-skilled middle-class jobs on the chopping block.

[El Guapo]

When true self-driving is approved by regulators, it will mean that you will be able to summon your Tesla from pretty much anywhere. Once it picks you up, you will be able to sleep, read or do anything else enroute to your destination.

I was thinking about this part the other day. I regularly travel, so if I could get a self-driving car I could just drive myself to the airport and then program it to drive back home. No Uber, no waiting for the train, no $30 / day parking.

I just hope this is a thing by the time I'm too old to drive myself around in another 10-15 years. It will be great for keeping the elderly independent.

The real news in this plan is self-driving electric trucks. We all figured that long-haul truckers will be unemployed sooner or later but this is the first solid plan I've seen to make that happen. Unless the Teamsters can force a requirement for human backup pilots on all rigs, that's hundreds of thousands of semi-skilled middle-class jobs on the chopping block.

Typos and bugs could be killer, though. I could see myself programming the car at the airport at like 5 am, and then discover when I return that I accidentally sent my car to Boston, Georgia.

[Jeff V]

The real news in this plan is self-driving electric trucks. We all figured that long-haul truckers will be unemployed sooner or later but this is the first solid plan I've seen to make that happen. Unless the Teamsters can force a requirement for human backup pilots on all rigs, that's hundreds of thousands of semi-skilled middle-class jobs on the chopping block.

I just hope this is a thing by the time I'm too old to drive myself around in another 10-15 years. It will be great for keeping the elderly independent.

Won't someone think of all of the unemployed EMTs?

[Isgrimnur]

Stock dips

Tesla’s stock Thursday morning was trading down about 2%, at $224.

Some surmised that the timing of the announcement was a way for Musk to distract from recent headlines that have raised concerns about Tesla’s autopilot function and its troubles hitting vehicle-delivery targets.
...
The wide-ranging plan was not greeted warmly by industry analysts. “It’s ambitious, taking on buses and public transport,” said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst at automotive research firm Edmunds. “He's covering a lot of industries, and might be spreading himself too thin in terms of what Tesla is able to manage.”

Tesla is struggling to meet production goals for its next product, the relatively affordable Tesla 3, she noted. “If you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing on the small scale, how do you scale up to something so ambitious?”

Karl Brauer, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book, was even more downbeat. “It’s sadly not a very unique or original plan. What he’s saying is, ‘I’m going to have autonomous vehicles that are purely electric driving around serving people’s transportation needs.’ Well, every automaker has already envisioned that, and many are already working toward it.”

[Paingod]

Karl Brauer, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book, was even more downbeat. “It’s sadly not a very unique or original plan. What he’s saying is, ‘I’m going to have autonomous vehicles that are purely electric driving around serving people’s transportation needs.’ Well, every automaker has already envisioned that, and many are already working toward it.”

How many can just pull in and recharge themselves?

[Jeff V]

How many can just pull in and recharge themselves?

Since they don't yet exist, I'll go out on a limb and say none of them. Including Tesla.

[Isgrimnur]

TechCrunch

[T]he company tweeted out a demo of something its founder and CEO Elon Musk has talked about before. At the time it sounded crazy, as most of Musk’s ideas do.
...
It’s a charging station and technique that looks like it’s straight out of a science-fiction movie.
...
The snakey charging arm (called the “Solid Metal Snake”) makes its way to the parked Tesla Model S car automatically. No human intervention.

[coopasonic]

If you can build a rocket that lands on a platform in the ocean you have to imagine plugging a car in isn't a huge challenge.

[Zaxxon]

If you can build a rocket that lands on a platform in the ocean you have to imagine plugging a car in isn't a huge challenge.

This is my view on the Master Plan Part Deux. Musk is notorious for promising fantastic things by X date, then missing X. But he eventually gets it done. In 2006 when Part One was posted, who believed that the Roadster would happen to the specs Tesla was promising, or that Model S would be a smashing success? That 400k people would put down $1k within a couple of days for a car they wouldn't see for 18-24 months at best? That SpaceX would land 5 rockets and be close to actually re-using them, as well as close to launching Falcon Heavy within another 3-6 months (the rocket capable of sending things to Mars)?

Dude gets shit done. Just often over budget and nearly always after the initial timeline. But he gets it done, and 'it' is often something that sounds ridiculously ambitious when first promised.

So I'm skeptical of a lot of Part Deux's claims, but am hesitant to bet against the man.

[Combustible Lemur]

If you can build a rocket that lands on a platform in the ocean you have to imagine plugging a car in isn't a huge challenge.

This is my view on the Master Plan Part Deux. Musk is notorious for promising fantastic things by X date, then missing X. But he eventually gets it done. In 2006 when Part One was posted, who believed that the Roadster would happen to the specs Tesla was promising, or that Model S would be a smashing success? That 400k people would put down $1k within a couple of days for a car they wouldn't see for 18-24 months at best? That SpaceX would land 5 rockets and be close to actually re-using them, as well as close to launching Falcon Heavy within another 3-6 months (the rocket capable of sending things to Mars)?

Dude gets shit done. Just often over budget and nearly always after the initial timeline. But he gets it done, and 'it' is often something that sounds ridiculously ambitious when first promised.

So I'm skeptical of a lot of Part Deux's claims, but am hesitant to bet against the man.

+1

[stessier]

Not really Tesla, but all things electric.

The White House hits the accelerator pedal to increase electric vehicle adoption

[Zaxxon]

Good news. I recently took the plunge and have a PHEV, and the charging infrastructure is... bad. Outside of Tesla and a couple of high-profile nationwide chains (eg Walgreens), it's extremely hit-or-miss.

[coopasonic]

That's what the H is for. The problem at my office now is there are more Volts than charging stations. THe more thoughtful owners move their car off the charger at lunch to let someone else plug in.

[Zaxxon]

That's what the H is for. The problem at my office now is there are more Volts than charging stations. THe more thoughtful owners move their car off the charger at lunch to let someone else plug in.

Sure, of course. But the goal is to minimize use of the H. Right now that's hard. With a not-huge amount of money well-spent, it could be made much easier.

[Isgrimnur]

Pyper mentioned it in OIC: Tesla has made a bid for Solar City. About a 25% premium. SCTY up about 20%, TSLA down around 12%.

$2.6B

Tesla Motors said Monday that it had reached a deal to acquire SolarCity, putting the companies one step closer to an marriage that has drawn scrutiny from Wall Street but which Tesla and SolarCity board member Elon Musk has vigorously defended.

Tesla (TSLA) said the stock deal is worth $2.6 billion, including the assumption of debt, valuing SolarCity shares at $25.37, or 5% lower than Friday's close.

SolarCity (SCTY) will get 45 days to seek an alternative suitor in a provision known as a "go-shop" period.

[Max Peck]

Tesla Model S battery bursts into flames, car “totally destroyed” in 5 minutes

A Tesla Model S has burst into flames during a test drive in the southwest of France. Four people were in the car, including a Tesla employee; they all escaped safely before the car was "totally destroyed" within five minutes of the fire starting.

Tesla confirmed the incident and said that it's working with French authorities to determine exactly what happened, "and will share [their] findings as soon as possible." A Tesla official said: "Nobody was harmed. The vehicle provided warning and passengers were able to safely exit the vehicle."

In the tweet below you can see a video of the burning Tesla. Presumably this was caught a few minutes after the blaze had begun, as there isn't much car left.

According to the driver of the vehicle, as reported by the French newspaper Sud Ouest, he was accelerating along a main road when a loud noise was heard. The vehicle reportedly popped up a warning message, and the Tesla employee then asked the driver to bring the vehicle to a halt. All four occupants proceeded to execute a full and proper disembarkation. "In less than a minute, the car was in flames and, in five minutes, it was totally destroyed," the driver was quoted as saying.

There have been other reported cases of the Model S bursting into flames, but they have always been after a severe impact punctured the lithium-ion battery pack. Tesla added extra shielding to the undercarriage of the Model S back in 2014 to prevent such incidents from happening.

Presumably, in this case in France, the car must have hit some kind of obstacle that broke through both the shielding and the battery pack—or alternatively, there was some kind of catastrophic failure in the car's power system.

[wonderpug]

The vehicle reportedly popped up a warning message,

Caution: Check Engine

[Paingod]

The vehicle reportedly popped up a warning message,

Caution: Check Engine

Given that people seem to know the car's about to burst into flames, it's probably just an icon of someone with their head on fire, screaming.

[Biyobi]

The vehicle reportedly popped up a warning message,

Caution: Check Engine

Given that people seem to know the car's about to burst into flames, it's probably just an icon of someone with their head on fire, screaming.

[LawBeefaroni]

So I was looking at TSLA. Tesla and Solarcity would have had a combined $5B/year burn rate last year. Combined they have like $2B in cash. TSLA alone has around $3B in bond debt and ita bond rating is pretty bad IIRC, B- or CCC or something like that. They're probably going to dilute with a lot more shares.

And there's like 25% short interest. Of course that makes TSLA HTB and there could be a short squeeze.

Right now, I wouldn't get in on either side of the TSLA trade. Bad fundamentals, charismatic leadership, lots of hype, fanatic fans/customers, tons of short interest...not even appealing for a strangle with expensive volatility.

[Isgrimnur]

Autopilot

Tesla did end up restricting the use-cases for Autopilot, and now comes word via Electrek that the company plans to implement even more safeguards around the software.

New safeguards surrounding Autopilot are reportedly the result of recent Tesla Model S accidents that transpired while drivers were misusing the Autopilot feature. For instance, a recent Tesla accident in China occurred when a driver was busying himself with retrieving a cloth from the glove compartment and wiping down his dashboard. In another accident in Montana, Tesla discovered that a Model X driver ignored repeated warnings to assume control over the car.

That being the case, once Tesla introduces its next-gen Autopilot software, there will be more constraints regarding when and how drivers can use the feature. As it stands now, Autosteer is designed to turn off when a driver fails to respond after 15 seconds of “visual warnings and audible tones.” With an impending update, the restrictions will become just a tad more restrictive.

According to sources familiar with the Autopilot program, Tesla will add a safety restriction that will result in not only the Autopilot disengaging after alerts are repeatedly ignored, but also blocking the driver from re-engaging the feature after it was automatically disengaged.

The driver will not be able to reactivate the Autopilot until the car is stopped and put in ‘Park’. So far, it looks like it would only affect the Autosteer feature of the Autopilot and TACC would still be available for the duration of the drive.

The goal of the new restriction appears to be to encourage Tesla owners to respond to the visual alert and not to ignore them.

There’s no official word on when Tesla plans to roll out this update to users.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s next-gen Autopilot software and hardware is reportedly in its final testing phases. According to reports, upcoming Tesla models will sport more radar units and enhanced camera systems all around the car, all making for much smarter software. According to reports, Tesla’s next-gen Autopilot suite will, among other things, be able to more precisely display other cars on the digital dash along with the exact direction and angle they are moving in. Other features reportedly in the works include the ability to identify and react appropriately to traffic signs and traffic lights.

[Isgrimnur]

PCMag

Chinese security researchers this week revealed multiple security vulnerabilities that allowed them to remotely hack a Tesla Model S sedan.

The electric car maker has already patched the bugs. But researchers from Keen Security Lab, a division of the Chinese Web giant Tencent, demonstrated their attack in a YouTube video posted Monday. The team was able to gain remote control of the unmodified, fully up-to-date car by hacking into an onboard computer system called CAN bus.

As you can see in the video below, the researchers opened a parked Tesla's sunroof, turned on the steering lights, and moved its seat from their laptop while standing across a parking lot. They also demonstrated how they were able to remotely hack the car's display to make it inoperable and show the Keen Security Lab logo, as well as open the vehicle's door.

Next, they showed what they could do while the car was in motion — like remotely start the windshield wipers, fold in the car's side view mirrors, and open the trunk. Perhaps most concerning, the researchers were able to manipulate the car's brake system from 12 miles away, halting the car with the press of a button.

Achieving the hack took "several months on in-depth research," the team said. They verified the attack vector on multiple versions of the Model S and assume the problem affects other Tesla models as well.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Keen Security Lab said it notified the automaker, which confirmed the vulnerabilities and quickly fixed them. Reuters on Tuesday reported that Tesla rolled out a security patch, and users will not have to tack [sic] action.

[Zaxxon]

Also in Tesla news, software v8 begins roll-out today. This includes significant Autopilot improvements as well as a bunch of other things. <Isgrimnur summon>

[Isgrimnur]

Electrek

The conversation around Tesla’s upcoming v8.0 software update has revolved around the improved Autopilot, and rightfully so with the new radar processing technology to be introduced with it. But for many the biggest change will be the entire UI overhaul.
...
While the Autopilot update is great for every Tesla owner since the end of 2014 – when Tesla introduced the Autopilot hardware in every new car, the new UI affects every Tesla owner since the launch of the Model S in 2012.
...
Tesla upgraded the Autopilot visualisation on the dashboard to now enable the rendering of the cars in the correct angle relative to the Tesla instead of just in parallel to the trajectory of the Tesla:

As you can see, Tesla also changed the icons for the Autosteer and TAAC features of the Autopilot.

The speed setting for TACC is now inside the icon. As for the the Autosteer icon, it is still a representation of the steering wheel, but now it’s inside a blue circle when engaged, which makes it much more visible.

The icons also blink at times in the new update.
...
The most noticeable is probably the ability to remove the menu bar from the top in order to gain some screen real estate for the applications on Tesla’s 17-in touchscreen. Instead of the fix menu bar, some of the icons hover over the application.
...
The media app received a complete overhaul. You get shortcuts to your favorite radio and streaming stations. They also improved the search with filters for artists, albums, and songs.
...
Another surprise in v8.0, Tesla improved its regenerative braking software. The automaker warns that you may experience “slightly stronger deceleration”:

[Zaxxon]

Impressive.

[Isgrimnur]

Michigan

Tesla Motors Inc. took its battle for the right to sell and service cars to the home turf of General Motors and Ford, suing the state of Michigan to overturn a ban on its direct-to-consumers business model.

Michigan is violating the company’s constitutional rights “by prohibiting Tesla from selling its vehicles directly to consumers and by precluding Tesla from performing service and repairs within the state,’’ Tesla said in the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Grand Rapids on Thursday. It seeks a court order barring the state from enforcing its ban.
...
The state has prevented Tesla from operating through the direct-sales ban and by rejecting Tesla’s application for a vehicle dealer license, according to the lawsuit. The state hasn’t ruled on Tesla’s request to register a vehicle repair facility, more than nine months after its initial application, John Bursch, Tesla’s lawyer, said in the complaint. Bursch is the state’s former solicitor general.

Michigan owners currently have to travel to service centers elsewhere, such as the Ohio cities of Cleveland or Columbus, for service.

And we all know how much love there is between Ohioans and Michiganders.

[Zaxxon]

Full autonomous hardware on all cars starting now. Will be enabled over time as data and regulatory approval allows. $8k for the whole enchilada.

Lots of sizzle. Steak hopefully to follow starting in December.

[RunningMn9]

That is the first part of the future promised to me in the early 80s. Time to reserve my Mylar suit.

[stessier]

I was just listening to The Nerdist Podcast #726 - Elijah Wood (which was quite entertaining) that came out in the summer of 2015. They were talking about autonomous cars and how it really takes away the fun of "hitting the open road." After riffing for a bit, they came up with the fact that we will be the old guys in the future who spend a weekend going to the roads that allow self driving. I had never thought about it before, but I can totally see that being a thing someday. The future in the mirror might be closer than it seems...

[stessier]

This is disturbing to me.

On Tesla's website, the section that describes the new "Full Self-Driving Capability" (A $3,000 option at the time of purchase, $4,000 after the fact) states "Please note also that using a self-driving Tesla for car sharing and ride hailing for friends and family is fine, but doing so for revenue purposes will only be permissible on the Tesla Network, details of which will be released next year."

Especially this part.

However, sending one's Tesla out to work for Uber while sitting in the comfort of home will apparently not be tolerated. Quite how Tesla plans to detect and enforce this ban is unclear at this time, although it's well known that the company will look into the data sent back to its servers if it feels the need.

[Zaxxon]

That's been the plan all along. If Uber's gonna benefit, Uber's gonna pay. If Tesla's first to market with a true self-driving car, that will be a huge opportunity for them. They're not going to give that ability away for free (or for a pittance like $10k).

[stessier]

I don't think they should have that choice. If you are selling me a car it is mine. If the car has features, they are mine to use as I please. You can't include a radio and then tell me I can only listen to certain stations.

[RunningMn9]

You can't include a radio and then tell me I can only listen to certain stations.

Of course they can. You are free to not buy the car with such a restricted radio.

[Zaxxon]

I don't think they should have that choice. If you are selling me a car it is mine. If the car has features, they are mine to use as I please. You can't include a radio and then tell me I can only listen to certain stations.

I think you'll find (regrettably) that this is increasingly no longer the case. You don't own DVDs, you don't own computer/gaming software, you don't own self-driving software, etc. Basically Tesla's licensing Autopilot software for personal use at the rates listed in the vehicle build configurator. They're licensing it separately for commercial use. We don't have to like it, but it was totally, fully, completely, [insert adjective of choice here] inevitable. This is a many-billion-dollar/year market.

Back to the announcement... My thoughts: it's typical Tesla fashion of announcing something super cool that doesn't actually work yet. They've got a mixed record with that--some good (Autopilot 1.0, Supercharger network), some bad (Powerwall still not generally available 1.5 years later, Model X delayed years and delivered without features shown at the reveal). We'll see how this goes, especially since a lot of this is dependant on regulatory approval.

I do think it's awesome that all vehicles being produced today have the full 2.0 hardware suite, and that they're in shadow mode collecting training data. Effectively this means that Tesla will quickly have a gigantic data lead on Google and everyone else. All competitors have taken the approach of building a few test vehicles with giant sensor suites and obtaining training data themselves in small private or publicly-approved areas. Tesla is now sending out 2000+ test rigs/week and gathering diverse real-world data. That's a huge advantage.

[El Guapo]

I don't think they should have that choice. If you are selling me a car it is mine. If the car has features, they are mine to use as I please. You can't include a radio and then tell me I can only listen to certain stations.

I think you'll find (regrettably) that this is increasingly no longer the case. You don't own DVDs, you don't own computer/gaming software, you don't own self-driving software, etc. Basically Tesla's licensing Autopilot software for personal use at the rates listed in the vehicle build configurator. They're licensing it separately for commercial use. We don't have to like it, but it was totally, fully, completely, saucily [insert adjective of choice here] inevitable. This is a many-billion-dollar/year market.

Done.

[Zaxxon]

I like it.

[El Guapo]

I appreciate you making your posts more interactive.

[Kraken]

One signs a lot of papers when buying a car. Pretty easy to slip a EULA in there.

[Zaxxon]

(Small) GAAP profit. Guiding for profitable in Q4, as well. Claiming still on track for 2H 2017 Model 3 volume production.

[Paingod]

That's cool. I keep hoping Tesla can take of and really get enough momentum to start a bigger change. Musk seems to have the future of humanity on his mind, not just the next big way to siphon millions before the world goes to shit.

My wife had agreed that our next car should probably be a Tesla, until she saw this yesterday. She's got a regular ol' Mini Cooper, and is dying to get a Countryman, so this made her day. It's not a pure electric, but even a Hybrid will help with fuel use.