[Nagato710]

Originally Posted by LoneRidder

Lovely talk by Tshering Tobgay (the opposition leader?)

He is our present Prime Minister. The one who drives the Tesla.

[autobahnjpr]

Cool marketing and innovative financing. The reservation price is full refundable but no interest is payable. If reports are to be believed, 1,50,000 reservations are confirmed (in the limited places the company intends to sell) which means

• Tesla has got about 150 M$ of cash to play with for more than a year with zero interest. It will only increase in coming days. Why you need seed funding when you can ask the customer to finance you?
• There is no time frame mentioned for the launch of the vehicle so that can hold on to the money without any legal obligation
• People doing the reservations and bragging on social sites generates tremendous publicity for Tesla at zero cost.
• Creating mass hysteria around a tech product is still not out of fashion

Addition of India to the list a side effect of Modi's visit?

Attached is the Reservation terms and conditions document for reference.
model_3_reservation_agreement.pdf

I am not planning to reserve Model3 or for that matter any other car which I have not seen or driven.

[volkman10]

Tesla Motors surprised at the number of orders for which will probably have more to invest in the production of the car itself!

Less than 24 hours after it is presented to the public, the Tesla Model 3 has even ordered 198,000 times, which surprised Director of Elon Musk.

However, I am a director of Tesla Motors surprised at the number of orders for which will probably have more to invest in the production of the car itself.
I recommend that you order as quickly as possible because the waiting time is growing rapidly. I think I'll have to think about a different production plan

The current figure of 198,000 orders corresponds to a staggering 7 billion euros if it is assumed that the minimum price of the car will be around 32,000 euros and will probably be the average price of 36,000 euros.

This means that Tesla Motors, even if a number of people refrain from buying, in his trot on the first day of sales put a staggering 175 million euros

http://auto.blog.rs/blog/auto/vesti/...eraka-modela-3

[maddy42]

This company has to deliver big time, and as keeper mentioned initial set of owners did have some issues. Even one owner on team bhp had a charging issue which took some effort to get sorted out.

[motorhead16]

Originally Posted by Jeeper1941

I know of someone who was one of the first ones to buy a Model S here. He had the car for around 6 months before selling it. Reason? NO customer service infrastructure (in this country at least) outside the bigger cities in the east coast. No superchargers. No dealers. No after sales service network. No roadside assistance. Nothing. (See map below). Several things went wrong with the car - reversing lights were working intermittently, the indicator stalk malfunctioned and the range was well short of what was advertised (Tesla said this was due to the way he was charging it, which is utter nonsense). Emails to Tesla were not answered. Phone calls were returned only after several days. He had to send the car to Melbourne by truck to the Tesla store to get it fixed. Yes, the car was sorted out but it took 6 weeks - and Tesla refused to pay for the transport charges to and from Adelaide. All in all not a stellar customer experience that is hyped by the company. Certainly not something that I would expect after buying a $160,000 car, so yes, I am judgemental. Heck, I get better customer service at my local Jeep dealership than Tesla!

http://www.carnewschina.com/2016/04/...se-car-market/

That is still not a valid reason to call their products as crap. First of all you never buy a car without having a proper service/support network. Second thing is the faults with the car could have been minor and mainly caused due to lack of proper servicing. Electrical problems can be due to many many reasons and not just a lack of quality. The range reduction can be due to the way he was charging. Batteries are not just banks of energy that can be topped up by plugging them into a source of electricity. If your buddy was somehow not following the proper charging algorithm for the battery used in the Tesla, then by all means there are chances that he would have failed to get optimal performance out of it. That said, there are a lot of positives and negatives with every car manufacturer, not just Tesla alone. The problems you have mentioned can be experienced with any other manufacturer too. Just read up on some of the BMW/Audi/Mercedes reviews from India. All of them have an established service network and still have many disappointed customers.

[Jeeper1941]

Originally Posted by motorhead16

That is still not a valid reason to call their products as crap. First of all you never buy a car without having a proper service/support network. Second thing is the faults with the car could have been minor and mainly caused due to lack of proper servicing. Electrical problems can be due to many many reasons and not just a lack of quality. The range reduction can be due to the way he was charging. Batteries are not just banks of energy that can be topped up by plugging them into a source of electricity. If your buddy was somehow not following the proper charging algorithm for the battery used in the Tesla, then by all means there are chances that he would have failed to get optimal performance out of it. That said, there are a lot of positives and negatives with every car manufacturer, not just Tesla alone. The problems you have mentioned can be experienced with any other manufacturer too. Just read up on some of the BMW/Audi/Mercedes reviews from India. All of them have an established service network and still have many disappointed customers.

But you see the car WAS a lemon! One would certainly expect better quality controls/checks when paying for a car that costs $160,000 - more so when they are selling a car without any after sales/service infrastructure!

Yes my friend (he's actually my boss at work; but also a good friend) should have thought better than buying a car without a proper after sales network, but then again Tesla promised "superchargers and dealers" throughout the country by the end of 2015 - which never materialized, because, let's face it - they are too busy burning up their cash reserves on 'R&D' to care about customers who live outside their 'service areas'.

And it's not a normal car - one cannot take it to any service station to get it 'repaired' or 'fixed', no mechanic/service centre here will even touch it - their first response is "sorry mate, we don't do Teslas". And even if they did - it will void the warranty. And it's not like he could drive the car 800 odd kms to Melbourne (the nearest Tesla service station) to get it fixed - it won't go that distance in any case. The car was barely 3 months old at the time - so no question of servicing involved.

As far as the charging goes, it was being charged per Tesla's guidelines. We have a dedicated EV charging station at work and since this was the only EV around, it was always being charged there.

Yes one can expect problems from all sorts of cars - including high end prestige ones, but they can be dealt with because the infrastructure exists to deal with such problems, the same can't be said for Tesla. And the way Tesla dealt with these issues is what put my friend off from ever doing business with them again.

BTW just go through the Tesla forums to see the kinds of problems people have with their cars and Tesla's response to these problems - in the US, Canada and parts of Europe everything is great - but outside these areas - not so much.

Back to the topic - I can't help but think a heavily hyped, but unavailable car could cut into demand for Tesla’s existing models. With Tesla’s cash reserves falling below $1 billion and dwindling fast, the company might not even survive long enough to launch the car people are currently lined up for.

[GrammarNazi]

Originally Posted by Jeeper1941

...And it's not a normal car - one cannot take it to any service station to get it 'repaired' or 'fixed', no mechanic/service centre here will even touch it - their first response is "sorry mate, we don't do Teslas". And even if they did - it will void the warranty. And it's not like he could drive the car 800 odd kms to Melbourne (the nearest Tesla service station) to get it fixed - it won't go that distance in any case. The car was barely 3 months old at the time - so no question of servicing involved.
...

If I owned a one of a kind car that cost 1.1Cr, I'd surely not care about simply having a 9-10L rupee backup car following me (temporarily while I feel the new car may have some niggling issues), so I can enjoy the experience of a Tesla.

And for sure I'd not be very bothered about ~ $4-500 cost for renting a flatbed transporter if my exclusive car was accepted by the factory & fixed.

The Model S is one of a kind. Its EXCLUSIVE. It makes your presence irrefutable in the most exclusive of groups. THATS what Tesla is about. Its not just the automotive & battery tech. Its the nerds' sexy cousin paving the way for electric cars.

If we want reliability & range with battery tech, we'll need to get the nerd. Sadly theres still ALOT of time before those become mass market.

There are plenty compelling narratives that say Elon Musk's Tesla is an undeservingly hyped company, but IMO we'll not do very badly even if he/it sinks because its' glamour will lend to the widespread acceptability of Electric cars, that are presently made fun of & get people out of the grip of the notorious Oil Lobby.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by motorhead16

That is still not a valid reason to call their products as crap. First of all you never buy a car without having a proper service/support network. Second thing is the faults with the car could have been minor and mainly caused due to lack of proper servicing. Electrical problems can be due to many many reasons and not just a lack of quality. The range reduction can be due to the way he was charging. .. If your buddy was somehow not following the proper charging algorithm for the battery used in the Tesla, then by all means there are chances that he would have failed to get optimal performance out of it.

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

If I owned a one of a kind car that cost 1.1Cr, I'd surely not care about simply having a 9-10L rupee backup car following me (temporarily while I feel the new car may have some niggling issues), so I can enjoy the experience of a Tesla.

And for sure I'd not be very bothered about ~ $4-500 cost for renting a flatbed transporter if my exclusive car was accepted by the factory & fixed.

The Model S is one of a kind. Its EXCLUSIVE. It makes your presence irrefutable in the most exclusive of groups. THATS what Tesla is about.

What you guys are saying is that the owner made a big mistake plonking $160,000 of his money on this special car without understanding "why" or "how" it is to be used and on top of it expecting basic reliability out of it.

I have a sneaky feeling the owner felt the same way too. You and Jeeper1941 are really on the same page on this one. All is well.

[Sangre]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Tesla Model 3 Unveiling!
Attachment 1492736

Source- Tesla launch

Looking at this pic and a couple of other front facing pics (especially the beige colored car), I thought something has been photo-shopped out of the picture near the grill to hide a number plate or something. Anybody else thinks so? Only on reading later posts did I realize that there is no grill there!

I was so expecting a grill there and feel it would have suited it well.

[Asifgrkhan]

Originally Posted by //M

On another note, IIRC the King of Bhutan drives a Tesla Model S. Any idea how is the supporting infrastructure in Bhutan?

You literally need an electrical outlet as the "supporting infrastructure" for a Tesla. All Teslas are compatible with all global voltages and frequencies. Overnight charging on 220v will recharge the S to its full 300mile capacity. Doubtful that you would do mode than 500 kms in Bhutan on one day.

Tesla is the simplest car in the world to maintain and run. No drivetrain parts which cannot be repaired locally.

[maddy42]

Agree with what Jeeper has mentioned. Just because I spent 165000 on a car doesn't mean I literally have to drive with a support car behind me.

On a side note been reading some comments on Twitter on teslas launch in india and one hilarious thing I noted is folks were calculating how much they drive daily and felt that driving once a week to a supercharger to get it topped up for free was feasible!
For the bhpians who have reserved or are thinking of reserving this vehicle, you do need charger at home?

Maddy

[Jeeper1941]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

If I owned a one of a kind car that cost 1.1Cr, I'd surely not care about simply having a 9-10L rupee backup car following me (temporarily while I feel the new car may have some niggling issues), so I can enjoy the experience of a Tesla.

And for sure I'd not be very bothered about ~ $4-500 cost for renting a flatbed transporter if my exclusive car was accepted by the factory & fixed.

The Model S is one of a kind. Its EXCLUSIVE. It makes your presence irrefutable in the most exclusive of groups. THATS what Tesla is about. Its not just the automotive & battery tech. Its the nerds' sexy cousin paving the way for electric cars.

If we want reliability & range with battery tech, we'll need to get the nerd. Sadly theres still ALOT of time before those become mass market.

There are plenty compelling narratives that say Elon Musk's Tesla is an undeservingly hyped company, but IMO we'll not do very badly even if he/it sinks because its' glamour will lend to the widespread acceptability of Electric cars, that are presently made fun of & get people out of the grip of the notorious Oil Lobby.

Sorry what? The car is not 1.1cr okay, and quite frankly people have much much more expensive cars. I know you are being sarcastic but really it's supposed to be an everyday driver. People are expected to take it wherever - even though Tesla with their lack of infrastructure have made sure it can be used only in the cities. (BTW the flatbed was close to $5000 return - I know because I made the booking for it!).

And bottom line - I've said this many times and will say it again - electric cars aren't cars in the real sense since you don't have the freedom to go where you want, when you want. Hydrogen is the way forward even though the current technology is not yet capable of mass-producing hydrogen cars.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/12...ase-report.htm

http://arstechnica.com/cars/2016/01/...bout-hydrogen/

http://www.motoring.com.au/germany-b...tations-46711/

[rdst_1]

Originally Posted by Jeeper1941

And bottom line - I've said this many times and will say it again - electric cars aren't cars in the real sense since you don't have the freedom to go where you want, when you want. Hydrogen is the way forward even though the current technology is not yet capable of mass-producing hydrogen cars.

By that logic, neither is the ICE car a real car. For the ICE car, the network for it's fuel is far superior, but that doesn't mean the same can't be done for the electric car. Hence, you just can't write it off just because of a bad early-adopter experience.
There is a pretty lengthy article on Elon Musk at 'Wait but Why'. In it is written how the early models of Tesla were only for people who were looking to be early adopters. They made expensive cars before the affordable ones so that they could fund the research necessary to make the experience more seamless and reliable.
In an ICE car, your range is limited by the fuel tank. How is a battery any different. In fact, a battery can be charged anywhere while you can't fill up your tank at home. There are numerous benefits of electric cars and it is a disruptive technology which will change the automotive world for sure whether you consider it as a real car or not.
Also, I believe that R&D on electric cars will be much faster because the number of components that make up the car are far lesser. This will result in electric cars becoming mainstream far sooner than one would expect.

[Singapore_Drive]

Originally Posted by Jeeper1941

But you see the car WAS a lemon! One would certainly expect better quality controls/checks when paying for a car that costs $160,000 - more so when they are selling a car without any after sales/service infrastructure!

When Tesla S was launched, how many people bought it in India? 20? 30?
When they bought the car, they are well aware that there is no service centres and charging stations across India. They should have waited until it was available.

Electric cars are the future of motoring. For electric cars to do well in India, there should be lot of changes. I am just listing some of them.

1) Mindset of the consumer : This is the most important factor. Average common man still thinks in terms of petrol and diesel cars. That is evident when we look for front grills in an electric car. Front grills were designed for a meaningful purpose in older cars but we continue to ask for grills even when there is no engine in an electric car.

2) Tax for electric cars : Example is the current import tax for Tesla (only an example). The current import tax is at 60% of the price, same level as the petrol/diesel cars. If we plan to go green completely, we need to have affordability also for the cars that support the initiative

3) Understanding Cost factor : Electric cars reduce our expenses drastically, after purchase. No fuel. No regular service needed. No oil or changing mechanical parts.

4) Life of the car : Currently we tend to change cars at least every 10 years due to the wear and tear in mechanical parts. Even if a car reaches 15 years of life time, it need to brought in to the RTO office, for registration renewal. This is where electric cars can be of help as they are already emission free. Therefore it would be good if government announces no registration renewal for electric cars.

5) Benefit to society : This is one of the major points to consider when we opt for an electric car. Driving an electric car will give a clean environment for our future generation. Part of nation building.

And truly looking at the mileage that Tesla is offering, do we really drive more than 300 kms per day? I think that's enough mileage for a person to travel for 4 days in a city, with a single charge. For the car to see mass adoption in India, mindset change and lower price (lower taxes) is required. We should also look forward to India factories producing electric cars.

Having said the above, I know changes will not happen immediately. It will take a long time for this change to happen. But then, it will surely happen and most of the cars on the road will electric in the future.

[Jeeper1941]

Originally Posted by rdst_1

By that logic, neither is the ICE car a real car. For the ICE car, the network for it's fuel is far superior, but that doesn't mean the same can't be done for the electric car. Hence, you just can't write it off just because of a bad early-adopter experience.
There is a pretty lengthy article on Elon Musk at 'Wait but Why'. In it is written how the early models of Tesla were only for people who were looking to be early adopters. They made expensive cars before the affordable ones so that they could fund the research necessary to make the experience more seamless and reliable.
In an ICE car, your range is limited by the fuel tank. How is a battery any different. In fact, a battery can be charged anywhere while you can't fill up your tank at home. There are numerous benefits of electric cars and it is a disruptive technology which will change the automotive world for sure whether you consider it as a real car or not.
Also, I believe that R&D on electric cars will be much faster because the number of components that make up the car are far lesser. This will result in electric cars becoming mainstream far sooner than one would expect.

1. I can easily drive 1200km on a tank of diesel
2. When the tank is near empty it takes about 5 minutes to fill up
3. Diesel is widely available everywhere, even in the remotest of locations here

No EV on the market today can take me 1200km and be recharged in 5 minutes, hence my diesel ICE car is truly an automobile in every sense because like I said, I can go wherever I want, whenever I want.

Yes, maybe in the future EV rapid charging stations will be available everywhere, but until then I'll stick to my non-EV to ensure that I can travel places without having to worry about running out of juice.