It's been a busy week. We've published 30 articles on teslaweekly.com in just the past week, mostly Tesla news items but also some analysis articles as well.
We're still desperately looking for lead writer who could spend about 5 hours a day writing about various Tesla news. That would free me up to focus more on analysis articles. The ideal candidate would be someone who is already browsing Tesla forums and groups all day and is legit Tesla fanatic. Please let me know if you're interested or if you know someone who might be. This would be a paid part-time position.
Tesla Energy
The Tesla Effect: Land near Gigafactory almost completely sold out
The Tahoe Reno Industrial Center (TRI Center) is a massively privately owned industrial park with 107,000 acres (167 sq mi). The land was originally purchased by developers in 1998 for $20 million. The developers expected the land to be sold to tech companies and for it to take “three generations”, but it has only taken 20 years due to the recent sale of 74,000 acres for about $175 million. According to the Las Vegas Sun, TRI part-broker Lance Gilman credits Tesla for putting the industrial park on a completely different trajectory and entering the tech world
Model S
Tesla Referral Program extended and updated with chance to race a Tesla Semi
The current Tesla Referral Program expired last night and Tesla has updated the referral program. The referral program is now extended through April 30, 2018. This means that since its an extension, previous referrals made in the last program count toward this program. So, if you were one referral away from Arachnid wheels or a Powerwall 2, then this is a great opportunity for another chance. Tesla has added a new weekly drawing for a chance to race the Tesla semi truck.
Model 3
Dave Morin: Tesla Model 3 is by far the single best product I have ever experienced
Dave Morin, founder of Path and VC firm Slow Ventures, recently tweeted about his experience of being a new Model 3 owner. He said that after two days of driving in his Tesla Model 3, “it is, by far, the single best product I have ever experienced”. When asked for more reasons why he though the Model S was “better” than the Model S, Morin replied, “Some things in life can’t be explained in words, you just have to experience them. The entire feeling is better, it’s really extraordinary.”
Model 3 video review, episode 1 by YouTuber MKBHD
Marques Brownlee (aka MKBHD) is a YouTuber who is known for his quality tech videos. His YouTube channel has over 5.7 million subscribers, and he’s been a Model S owner for some time. His Project Loveday Contest video won first place last year. I was able to meet Marques at the Model 3 delivery event last year and got a chance to talk with him as we were waiting for our Model 3 test rides. Tesla had invited him to the event as a contest winner. Recently Marques was invited by Tesla to test drive a Model 3 for a week. This afternoon Marques was able to upload his Episode 1 of his Model 3 test drive. Within 5 hours it’s already been viewed 170,000 times.
Model 3 competitors paying upward of $500,000 for Model 3 design data from engineering firm
Caresoft Global, an engineering firm in the Chicago area, has purchased several Model 3 cars from early owners and is selling data to Tesla’s competitors. According to the WSJ, Caresoft takes CT scans of the Model 3 to create digital designs and virtual simulations of the Model 3 to understand it’s design and build. Caresoft claims 10 auto makers are customers of its services. They charge upward of $500,000 for their data. According to their website, their process includes “deriving engineering data and drawing technical inferences from over 125 data sets & reports arising from full vehicle High-Energy Scan and traditional tear down.”
Mass awareness of the Tesla Model 3 is still very low, and what that means for Tesla’s growth prospects
I’ve been driving my Model 3 for over 3 weeks now, and on average I’ve stopped by about 3-5 public places (like supermarkets, stores, malls, parks, farmers market, etc) every day. I’m also on the local roads quite a bit as well. But one thing I’ve noticed is that there haven’t been as many people as I expected who recognize the Model 3. It’s only rarely will a person recognize that my car is a Model 3 and give it a second look. For example, one person next to me at a stop light took out his phone and took a quick pic of my phone. But this hasn’t been common. I remember when I got my Model S back in beginning of 2014. There were far more people who noticed the car, took pictures, and asked questions about it.
Why you shouldn’t compare the Nissan Leaf (and other EVs) to the Tesla Model 3
The Model 3 is in a completely different class of vehicle than the Leaf. The Model 3 is in the luxury compact sports sedan market, where it’s main competitors are the BMW 3 series, Mercedes C class, Audi A4, Lexus IS, Cadillac ATS, etc. The luxury compact sports sedan market is one of the most competitive markets in the auto world with many of the most venerable auto makers vying for position. And Tesla’s aim is to not just to compete with other cars in its class but to make a car that is clearly superior in every way. And similar to how Tesla has managed to dominate the large luxury sedan market with the Model S, Tesla’s aim is to dominate the luxury compact sport sedan market with the Model 3.
Custom wireless charging pad for Tesla Model 3 to debut in April
The folks behind teslawirelesspad.com are preparing on release a wireless charging pad that will fit in the exact location of the existing charging Tesla pad in the Model 3. The new pad is made with TPU coating and positioning rails so that the phone will be kept in place while driving. Another great feature of this custom wireless pad is that it has two wireless coils, one for each phone. This way you can charge two phones wirelessly at the same time. Customer deliveries to early subscribers are planned for April 2018.
I personally have been searching for a wireless charger that would look good and wouldn’t add bulk to my Model 3 charging pad, and I think this is going to be great solution.
Model Y
What the Model Y means to Tesla, investors and future owners
The Model Y is an important “next piece” in the ambitious growth plans that Tesla has. 2018 will be known as the year of the Model 3 production ramp. And by 2019 they will reach their full production rate of 10,000 cars per week. This will segue perfectly into the start of production for the Model Y in 2020 and also the production ramp of the Tesla Semi. While the Model 3 still will have ambitious expansion plans with new gigafactories in China and Europe, the Model Y will be the dominant revenue growth provider for 2020-2022. Then, after the Model Y will be the Tesla truck and other vehicles by Tesla.
Rumor: Tesla sending out drawing and specs to solicit quotes for Model Y crossover for production date March 1, 2020
Editor of the DailyKanban, E.W. Niedermeyer, tweeted this morning that he’s received a tip from a supplier source regarding Model Y. The source claims that Tesla is sending out drawings and specs to solicit quotes for the Model 3 cross. Also, the source claims production is targeted for March 1, 2020. If this rumor is true, then I think it’s a good sign that Model Y development is pushing forward and on track. It’s quite early for Tesla to solicit bids for Model Y parts, but my hunch would be that Tesla is trying to gauge pricing in an initial effort with suppliers. If a targeted production start date of March 1, 2020 is accurate then I would expect the Model Y reveal to happen is late 2018 or early 2019.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk: Boring Company’s flamethrowers are sold out
Elon Musk tweeted last night, “Flamethrowers sold out.” And now the Boring Company’s website shows that they are no longer selling flamethrowers since all 20,000 have been sold. Elon also tweeted that “All flamethrowers will ship with a complimentary boring fire extinguisher.”
Other News
Don’t miss the Tesla Daily podcast by Rob Maurer
Rob Maurer started Tesla Daily podcast last year in August and has been consistently growing his audience by providing daily podcasts on Tesla news. Rob’s podcast covers the latest Tesla news in a concise manner and is a great resource to keep updated when on the go. He also provides insightful and valuable interviews from people in the industry to help understand and follow Tesla.