Inside Tesla 03.21.13

During the past three weeks we have averaged more than 500 Model S deliveries per week, and it looks like we’ll be setting another record this week.

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Wow, I expected it would stay at 400/week for a while. Good news!

During the past three weeks we have averaged more than 500 Model S deliveries per week, and it looks like we’ll be setting another record this week.

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I was at the Fremont service center this morning, and I agree it looks like they will be setting some kind of new production record this week. The parking lot in front of the service center is used for customer delivery staging. I've been to the service center a few times over the past couple of months and there is usually a few rows of cars at the back of the lot (maybe 50-75 cars). Today, the lot was practically overflowing. I took one of the last two spots when I parked my car. No idea how many cars were there, but it was pretty obvious production has ramped up significantly from a few weeks ago.

dsm363 said:

New blog post up:
Inside Tesla 03.21.13 | Blog | Tesla Motors

Looks like SuperChargers in Texas are coming sooner than I thought. Exciting.

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Good news for Texas, hoping we have some SuperChargers coming to FL soon too.

I was most interested (as a unique data point) when George B. stated that 3,000 cars are in the Golden State already... that's a significant percentage of the the overall cars out there - I keep finding different numbers elsewhere in the media as production rolls out and numbers keep changing. But, based on this, does anyone know the most accurate guesstimate percentage CA has of the total cars out there (as of today, 3/24)?

Soflason said:

I was most interested (as a unique data point) when George B. stated that 3,000 cars are in the Golden State already... that's a significant percentage of the the overall cars out there - I keep finding different numbers elsewhere in the media as production rolls out and numbers keep changing. But, based on this, does anyone know the most accurate guesstimate percentage CA has of the total cars out there (as of today, 3/24)?

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Not exactly what you are asking, but in Q4 '12 there were 232,512 cars sold in California. Q1 '13 number would probably be slightly lower(seasonal change). So it is very likely Model S holds more then 1% of all new cars sold in CA.

Zzzz... said:

Not exactly what you are asking, but in Q4 '12 there were 232,512 cars sold in California. Q1 '13 number would probably be slightly lower(seasonal change). So it is very likely Model S holds more then 1% of all new cars sold in CA.

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Was looking for these numbers, too. Wow, then it is quite a big deal. If Tesla can keep this number up, I'm sure other car companies will follow suit and try to build electric luxury cars.

SebastianR said:

Was looking for these numbers, too. Wow, then it is quite a big deal. If Tesla can keep this number up, I'm sure other car companies will follow suit and try to build electric luxury cars.

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They might try, but who wants a knock-off when you can have the real-deal.

jerry33 said:

They might try, but who wants a knock-off when you can have the real-deal.

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You know, from what I see, if ANY company will sell 200,000+ units a year, all major automakers will release their models for particular market and will try to compete.

In 2008 there were barely any hybrids on market(besides Toyota and Ford). Fast forward 2013, Prius is one of top selling cars in a WORLD. One of top three. And every automaker do have hybrids in their line up.

But Volt outsell Prius when it was released. Dose it mean GM have a joker to hit an even a bigger hit? It depends. I see Nissan is trying. I do not see GM doing the same. And yeah, Volt and it derivatives could outsell any other model GM produce as of now.

But Tesla? It is trying even harder then Nissan. And it is a right strategy, more cheap batteries for more range, but because ppl do not need that much range daily, stress on batteries do not affect longevity of a pack... Heck, Tesla was using LiCoO2 in Roadster! And results are amazing - no one in the world could claim that LiCoO2 is not good for automotive use anymore

Bottom line - Tesla could sell a model that would be among top 3 best selling cars in the world!

And Tesla have an edge over competitors as of now!

Zzzz... said:

But Volt outsell Prius when it was released. Dose it mean GM have a joker to hit an even a bigger hit? It depends. I see Nissan is trying. I do not see GM doing the same. And yeah, Volt and it derivatives could outsell any other model GM produce as of now.

And Tesla have an edge over competitors as of now!

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And, to make it even more interesting... proving Tesla is at the absolute vanguard of this movement.... it's getting fun to watch others in Detroit trying to play copycat and catch-up to Tesla, was blown away by the obvious parallels here:
Detroit Electric set to launch U.S.-made Tesla rival | Green Tech - CNET News

Yep, Detroit Electric is not even as far along as Tesla was 5 years ago, and it has less financial backing.

The car is expected to retail for about $135,000, according to reports, with 2,500 slated for annual production.

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At most, this will be a car for people who would like to have bought a Tesla Roadster.