The "Cult" of Tesla

[mwk]

Interesting article in today's NY Times, regarding recent reports that Tesla might soon be bankrupt:

https://nyti.ms/2uwiuRb

I find the most interesting part, to be the comments. I had the "nerve" to mention how much I love my new Bolt and the sneering and pejorative comments about my being "un hip" for driving one, is really quite amazing to me. Tesla isn't a car, it's some sort of cult. If the place DOES go bankrupt, are all the Tesla owners going to drive their cars all at once off a cliff into the ocean, like the fabled Lemmings? :roll:

 

[user 124]

I I had the "nerve" to mention how much I love my new Bolt...

How DARE you mention a mere 'compliance car' in any sort of even vaguely positive way related to Tesla, the One True EV company? I'm sure that the Electrek owner and readers would be happy to determine and administer proper punishment.

You really do have to admire how Tesla has pushed the EV field in terms of image and performance. It is sort of too bad that Musk is also focused on increasing the automation of automotive manufacturing at the same time. I suspect that may be the major driver of both Tesla's high cash burn and limited production rate of its Model 3.

 

[SmokingRubber]

Tesla won't go belly up. Their stock price isn't going to help them raise capitol, in the sense they'll have to sell more stock to get that capitol, but Musk is still a rock star and people are still going to line up to throw money at him especially when the stock price is down and everyone knows that's the best time to buy. If Musk would have only predicted he'd be shipping a 1000 cars a week, instead of 2500 a week, his stock would be sky high right now.

 

[Evoforce]

Just because Tesla is a good product, doesn't make those of us who own one part of a cult, no more than owning a Bolt makes us a cult member. Anyone who says uninformed or incorrect information about (whatever car) will likely get an internet slap down. You could just as easily say "The Cult of Bolt". If you are stating an opinion about a vehicle, expect others to have opinions that may not align with yours.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Putting just the word "Cult" in quotes changes it from an accusation to a mere repetition without agreement of what someone else has written. Adding a question mark at the end would have been better still.

 

[mwk]

Just because Tesla is a good product, doesn't make those of us who own one part of a cult, no more than owning a Bolt makes us a cult member. Anyone who says uninformed or incorrect information about (whatever car) will likely get an internet slap down. You could just as easily say "The Cult of Bolt". If you are stating an opinion about a vehicle, expect others to have opinions that may not align with yours.

First of all, I never said that Tesla wasn't a good product. What I DID say, and you should probably read it again, is that I commented in response to someone who decided to let their Model 3 deposit expire, because they couldn't wait for the car any longer, that I loved my Bolt, that it was an excellent car for someone who wanted to drive a BEV, and they should consider it. The response I got from the Tesla owners?

Well, the first one started his comment with: "Chevy Bolt? Bleh" And then went on to chide me about how Bolts aren't real cars, you can't drive them cross country like a tesla, how a Tesla has all these "cool" features and technology and the Bolt is just some crappy car that GM threw out on the market.

So, THAT is why I called it a Cult. Because the main reason to own a BEV is to reduce your carbon footprint, not so that you can drive your huge penis around and slap it in the face of the other boys. I do not stand corrected, sorry.

 

[WetEV]

Because the main reason to own a BEV is to reduce your carbon footprint, not so that you can drive your huge penis around and slap it in the face of the other boys. I do not stand corrected, sorry.

That is an important reason, for sure.

But main? I don't agree.

Convenience is probably a bigger factor.

Quiet, smoothness are up there as well.

If you live in an area with low electric prices, a BEV can be the cheapest transportation, as well as being nicer that alternatives.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Tesla set out to build the *best car* (which, of course, is subjective) that is available regardless of the power source, which happens to also be electric. They don't market their cars as being environmentally friendly (which they are, of course). They just market them as being *the best* (by their own metric). So is it really surprising that there are some number of Tesla owners/enthusiasts who poo-poo any other car on the road?

 

[boltage]

Tesla set out to build the *best car* (which, of course, is subjective) that is available regardless of the power source, which happens to also be electric. They don't market their cars as being environmentally friendly (which they are, of course). They just market them as being *the best* (by their own metric). So is it really surprising that there are some number of Tesla owners/enthusiasts who poo-poo any other car on the road?

Tesla had a good idea by starting with high end EVs, where the cost of big batteries could be more easily hidden in the price of the car, while being a dedicated EV gave some advantages in ride and handling compared to ICE cars. The Supercharger network was also a good way to market EVs to people who may want one as their only cars. Meanwhile, everyone else's early generation "economy" EVs were expensive compared to economy ICE cars due to battery costs despite the limited range (and worse performance) of smaller batteries.

But then the high end car market is relatively limited. Hence the Model 3, though they seem to have underestimated the difficulty in getting high volume production up, despite starting with only the $50,000+ loaded up models instead of the $36,000 base models that were supposed to be the "more affordable" offerings.

 

[NoMoPetrol]

A lot of great observations in this thread. One thing that continues to impress both me (Tesla S85) and my wife (Bolt) is how many EV's we see driving around relative to the almost total lack of direct advertising for this class of product.

Tesla, of course, does its advertising for free via Elon tweets. But all the legacy auto manufacturers with their massive advertising budgets spend next to nothing for their EV line(s). I really think that the 400,000 advance reservations for the Model 3 sent a shock wave through corporate board rooms, not because it was a Tesla, but because it showed a pent up demand for EVs.

I wonder how many Bolts could have been sold in the last 18 months if they had been available in any meaningful quantities with the support of an advertising budget to stimulate sales.

 

[Evoforce]

A lot of great observations in this thread. One thing that continues to impress both me (Tesla S85) and my wife (Bolt) is how many EV's we see driving around relative to the almost total lack of direct advertising for this class of product.

Tesla, of course, does its advertising for free via Elon tweets. But all the legacy auto manufacturers with their massive advertising budgets spend next to nothing for their EV line(s). I really think that the 400,000 advance reservations for the Model 3 sent a shock wave through corporate board rooms, not because it was a Tesla, but because it showed a pent up demand for EVs.

I wonder how many Bolts could have been sold in the last 18 months if they had been available in any meaningful quantities with the support of an advertising budget to stimulate sales.

+1

And I might add the Dealers wanting to stock, and their salesman wanting to sell said vehicles.

 

[WetEV]

I wonder how many Bolts could have been sold in the last 18 months if they had been available in any meaningful quantities with the support of an advertising budget to stimulate sales.

Probably far more cars than could be made.

Growing production of batteries by 20% a year will be a challenge. Beyond that, risks and costs increase sharply.

Tesla is taking risks. Spending a lot of money that might not payback. They might grow much faster than 20% per year. They might go bankrupt.

 

[mwk]

A lot of great observations in this thread. One thing that continues to impress both me (Tesla S85) and my wife (Bolt) is how many EV's we see driving around relative to the almost total lack of direct advertising for this class of product.

Tesla, of course, does its advertising for free via Elon tweets. But all the legacy auto manufacturers with their massive advertising budgets spend next to nothing for their EV line(s). I really think that the 400,000 advance reservations for the Model 3 sent a shock wave through corporate board rooms, not because it was a Tesla, but because it showed a pent up demand for EVs.

I wonder how many Bolts could have been sold in the last 18 months if they had been available in any meaningful quantities with the support of an advertising budget to stimulate sales.

Boy, I'm with you on that. I "stumbled" on my Bolt because they happened to have one on display in the showroom of the Chevy dealership where I was shopping for a new car. I looked at it and I'd never heard of a "Bolt". I went home to do some research on the car and realized that it was a valid option for me. Before then, I had always liked the idea of a BEV, but wouldn't buy one because the range was not enough. But, I never would have bought the car if the dealer I went to, didn't happen to have a lot in stock and one on the showroom floor.

I wish that GM would advertise the car. It's so ridiculous that they built a darn nice vehicle with so much potential and won't market it at all, to anyone.