If Musk follows through, that will happen on Teslas very “soon”. 
So take it with a grain of salt.
are we talking normal people’s “soon” or Tesla’s “soon” because i would prefer it before 2030.
4 Likes
LoL. I saw that coming 
That’s why I said “soon” in quotes. Although I’d make the argument that Tesla’s “soon” is till light years ahead of most car companies that are all supposedly going to be releasing competitive EVs by 2020 at the earliest.
1 Like
thanks reddit.
According to Wikipedia, the Model S comes with two battery capacities: 60 kWh and 85 kWh. AA batteries typically have about 2.4 W/h (based on this Yahoo! Answers post), so some simple division puts the number of AA batteries at ~25,000 for the 60 kWh model and ~35,417 for the 85 kWh.
i can get 40 AA batteries for $30 at costco. i need 625 packs. that $18,750 for a 60kw. still can’t figure why it’s 100k car.
Tesla has to try to make a profit somehow. They haven’t come close to making one yet though. The bigger question is how they are still alive.
Hey Tricia,
When you buy Tesla S you are also funding their future research and future models. Tesla S looks like a $50K and I think Elon has admitted it begin one, the extra money is going toward Tesla’s future.
I think you have to give to the man, he has single handled revolutionized the car industry. Did we ever think GM making electric cars like a decade ago?
GM tried to make electric cars years ago…the EV1. It was such a niche market and they lost money on every one they leased. Granted, it was a different time, and the infrastructure wasn’t there yet.
gm is still losing money on their leases. but NADA is pushing better overall fuel economy.
LoL. I assume you’re joking, but I’ll respond anyway. Obviously equating the cost of AA batteries is not equivalent to the technologies involved in a Tesla, Chevy Bolt or any other electric car. That’s like saying, well I can buy all the metal involved in producing an internal combustion engine for a few thousand bucks, so why would I buy a 7-series BMW for $80K+?
99% of what i post on this thread is sarcastic and just because your responses are fun. 
2 Likes
LoL. ok I figured, just wanted to make sure I was like… wtf?
but really i don’t understand why they didn’t team up more with gm or toyota for the production rather than just have their old factory building.
1 Like
yea, I think a lot of people are wondering that. From my understanding, Tesla really wants to create a nearly 100% automated production line. Theoretically that would make their profit margins significantly higher. No surprise, they didn’t exactly anticipate the problems they ended up running into.
Personally I think they should’ve worked with one of the big 3 for their initial production run until they could perfect the automation portion. I’m sure they have a good reason for not doing that.
I think they are ripe for a takeover at some point. They can’t sustain their business model for the long term. They have no path to profitability according to all the money experts. If not a takeover, purchase of intellectual property.
I think the automation factor is the biggest thing. The automation will be their “secret sauce”, and they don’t want to give away that know-how to any potential partners. Obviously, there is a substantial learning curve here… I have heard time and time again that Tesla is about to fail (Bob Lutz for years), but they have found a way each and every time. Margins are very good on S and X, and if they can get 3 production working well enough, I think they will be ok.
1 Like
that’s exactly what i was thinking! If Tesla starts rolling out 5-10K Model 3s per week for the next few years with a nearly fully autonomous assembly line, then how is that not a sustainable business model? On top of that, they have a ton of solar/battery pack projects and lots of other potentially huge profit projects in the works.
Also, excuse me for being a huge skeptic when it comes to the “money experts”, but so far many of them have been discovered to have huge short positions in Tesla. They’re being destroyed right now.
1 Like
Absolutely. And battery costs continue to decline, increasing margins, and the next SUV, Model Y, will be simple enough to execute as it will be built on Model 3 platform.
I’m extremely bullish on Tesla - have 3 neighbors that have them, and each of them are older / not the typically young/tech enthusiast. I expect them to continue to catch on, and in all honesty I think after driving one people will realize why. It’s a totally different experience. I think automakers are going to be caught off guard as adoption increases, as they won’t have a charging network at all competitive with Tesla anytime soon.
1 Like
I guess you do have a point there, once they figure out the mystery of putting out a perfect product with no labor costs, they will probably be profitable. If only another company didn’t think of something like that first…
Less Labor Hours per Vehicle will mean a significant and sustainable competitive advantage, at least in the medium term. I’m sure other automakers will catch up eventually.
yea, exactly. I know every factory is eventually going to automate their production process, but at this point, it seems Tesla is taking this the most seriously. They even invested in a German automation company to speed up production. As Musk has stated, “it’s all about building the machine that’s building the machine.”