Supercharger team sacked?

[Buzzliteyear]

But who will proactively analyse the data to see which sites need expansion?
Who will plan for the site extension? Negotiate the lease amendement?

Surely you’re not that naive and think people analyse the data. Who was planning before?
For the last question, do they lease. From what I have read online a lot of businesses host the chargers to pull in more customers.

 

[init6]

A lot of the work could be carried out by contractors - such as used by CPS. No need to have that headcount on your books if you don't want it.

If I had a pound for every time I picked up another team's work I'd be retired by now...
Oh, wait a minute

 

[pdk42]

However you read this, it’s clear that it’s a knee jerk decision for the simple reason that there has been zero management of the PR fallout. And let’s be honest, the immediate reaction to the headline will be fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Are Tesla going to row back on the SC network? Will the reliability of the existing chargers decline? Will maintenance of the current chargers take a step back? Is Elon preparing for a reduced profile for Tesla in the EV marketplace? Does he think the Chinese manufacturers will win out?

I’m pretty sure that anyone who owns a Tesla and thinks about the implications of this strategy is now wondering what the hell is going on and whether their next car will be a Tesla or not. This is the sort of PR mess that governments get themselves into, not well-run companies.

 

[gt2690b]

However you read this, it’s clear that it’s a knee jerk decision for the simple reason that there has been zero management of the PR fallout. And let’s be honest, the immediate reaction to the headline will be fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Are Tesla going to row back on the SC network? Will the reliability of the existing chargers decline? Will maintenance of the current chargers take a step back? Is Elon preparing for a reduced profile for Tesla in the EV marketplace? Does he think the Chinese manufacturers will win out?

I’m pretty sure that anyone who owns a Tesla and thinks about the implications of this strategy is now wondering what the hell is going on and whether their next car will be a Tesla or not. This is the sort of PR mess that governments get themselves into, not well-run companies.

Didn't he just fire the PR department?

 

[mspohr]

Didn't he just fire the PR department?

Long time ago. Elon doesn't believe in PR departments. Keeps people guessing. All we get are random tweets.

 

[M3noob]

Really? Can you quote your source on this please?

Elon on X

It's my suuposition that he is vampire marketing off the backs of the US majors who are rolling out re-branded SCs.

Kinda like the move to give everyone a taste of FSD - free AI training data and perhaps some potential sales

 

[12Pack]

Elon on X

It's my suuposition that he is vampire marketing off the backs of the US majors who are rolling out re-branded SCs.

Kinda like the move to give everyone a taste of FSD - free AI training data and perhaps some potential sales

I should have been more clear. I meant a reliable source.

 

[Burley]

I watched as much of the Munro video as I could stomach. I've enjoyed the teardowns etc ever since they started making videos of them, but this was the first time I've heard Sandy saying you had no furhter need for an R&D dept as you already had the best charger. Given that SuC have developed from V1 to V4, is that it? Have we reached perfection? He clearly thinks so. When else has he championed not improving or developing something? His whole business is based on helping manufacturers improve what they do through better design and development. It was a really weird watch tbh.

 

[mspohr]

I should have been more clear. I meant a reliable source.

Unfortunately, all we have is Elon on X as the most authoritative source.

 

[brianman]

Really.. Like the bit where he says there's no need for R&D because superchargers are as good as they'll ever be? What kind of engineer says that.

A bad one, or at least one that should have already retired.

 

[mspohr]

A bad one, or at least one that should have already retired.

"The best engineer is no engineer"

 

[Ashdeman]

I watched as much of the Munro video as I could stomach. I've enjoyed the teardowns etc ever since they started making videos of them, but this was the first time I've heard Sandy saying you had no furhter need for an R&D dept as you already had the best charger. Given that SuC have developed from V1 to V4, is that it? Have we reached perfection? He clearly thinks so. When else has he championed not improving or developing something? His whole business is based on helping manufacturers improve what they do through better design and development. It was a really weird watch tbh.

I had the exact same thoughts as you. The Cybertruck already charges faster on Electrify America 350kW chargers than it does on Tesla's own network!

Fair enough you probably could cut the team down in size if you're not going to be expanding as aggressively as they have in recent years, but to get rid of everybody is madness. That email that they were sending out to contractors in the US was embarrassing!

 

[brianman]

"The best engineer is no engineer"

/cry

 

[JIBYC]

Yes so you need government funding to get the chargers in the first place otherwise it doesn't make commercial sense. Not sure that covers everything but lets say it does.

Average Supercharger cost per kWh in the UK is say 67p/kWh
Cost per kWh to supply the site is maybe around 26p/kWh x 20% VAT so let's say 31p/kWh
Ignoring any other costs of running the network (Obviously there is) then they make 36p/kWh
Average speed of charging is maybe 100KW so in an hour it can make £36
Let's say it's in use for 8 hours a day, other hours it's empty so that's £288 a day from a single Supercharger or £105,120 a year
Say we have an 8 stall site then £840,960 a year

Average speed of 50KW and that halves that number, in use for 4 hours a day on all tombstones over 8, halved again. Maybe doesn't start to stack up by that point. The costs to run the network are unknown but you imagine the bigger the scale, the cheaper that'll become.

Might want to revise those numbers as they've fallen significantly. I paid 36p/kWh in Norwich this week.

Every other charging network is significantly more than that. The closest I found was E.ON at 51p/kWh.

Superchargers are, for now, by far the cheapest way to charge away from home.

Maybe if they charged closer to the market rate they'd have earned their keep.

 

[MrT3]

Fair enough you probably could cut the team down in size if you're not going to be expanding as aggressively as they have in recent years, but to get rid of everybody is madness. That email that they were sending out to contractors in the US was embarrassing!

That was the plan, to reduce the team size. It's just the Musk forgot his responsibilities as a CEO and fired the whole team to set an example to do as he wishes. Now they have lost all knowledge, don't have a clue what they are doing and will have to hire in new people (or rehire people on new contracts).

 

[Simon Watts]

Been reading that BP wants to acquire real estate to scale their charging network in the US. Last year they signed a deal to buy $100 million worth of superchargers.


Could this played a part in getting rid of the supercharger team???

Other companies buy land, make deals with placing chargers at different locations with Tesla just supplying the hardware?

 

[fholbert]

Been reading that BP wants to acquire real estate to scale their charging network in the US. Last year they signed a deal to buy $100 million worth of superchargers.


Could this played a part in getting rid of the supercharger team???

Other companies buy land, make deals with placing chargers at different locations with Tesla just supplying the hardware?

I heard BP wanted to hire to SC team that Musk fired, including those who repair the SC's and had $1B to invest in the Supercharger program.

 

[fholbert]

That was the plan, to reduce the team size. It's just the Musk forgot his responsibilities as a CEO and fired the whole team to set an example to do as he wishes. Now they have lost all knowledge, don't have a clue what they are doing and will have to hire in new people (or rehire people on new contracts).

Guess he figures he can pick up a new SC team in front of Home Depot.

 

[Jason71]

I heard BP wanted to hire to SC team that Musk fired, including those who repair the SC's and had $1B to invest in the Supercharger program.

given how successful the superchargers are everyone building or deploying chargers ought to be at least checking out the CV's of the ex supercharger team.

 

[Simon Watts]

Elon just said that Tesla will spend $500 million expanding superchargers this year. Wonder how much they have already spent.