Tesla continues Silicon Valley expansion.

[The Critic]

If it is an EV it shouldn't need anything other than warsher fluid, wiper blades and the occasional set of tires.

Right? Except they have the same scheduled maintenance requirements as a gas car, just no engine oil or engine air filter. Everything else is the same -- tire rotations, brake fluid exchange, cabin air filter, driveline fluid services and especially coolant. Very little savings in the real world.

 

[demarpaint]

If it is an EV it shouldn't need anything other than warsher fluid, wiper blades and the occasional set of tires.

LOL The truth is there are a lot of people who believe that.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Right? Except they have the same scheduled maintenance requirements as a gas car, just no engine oil or engine air filter. Everything else is the same -- tire rotations, brake fluid exchange, cabin air filter, driveline fluid services and especially coolant. Very little savings in the real world.

I'm not so sure about that.
I am not familiar with other EVs, but here's Tesla's schedule for the Model 3. Of course there can be more to it, just like any car.

 

[JeffKeryk]

LOL The truth is there are a lot of people who believe that.

Yep. We're called owners and that's our experience.
One of the biggest differences in my time of ownership has to do with recalls, updates, etc. Tesla has regular OTA updates for fixes and new functionality. My 2 Teslas have never been in the shop, but a mobile tech came out when the 12v battery was dying in our '18 Model 3 Mid Range after 3+ years. He came out and installed the new group 51R battery for $110 all in. Also did an inspection and deemed the car good. The newer cars use a different battery so that should not be a problem.

Compare that to my 2 Lexi, which have visited dealerships for recalls on a few occasions. In fact, our new RX450h F Sport needs to go in again; thanks for reminding me. It is fun to get a loaner though, so there's that. Or compare that to European cars that can be very expensive to maintain.

Don't get me started on Tesla insurance and registration. I pay an annual road use fee that far exceeds the cost component in my ICE vehicles!

The biggest pain in my 2013 GS350 F Sport is the transmission services. I can't realistically do it on jack stands so I take it to a great shop who specializes in Toy-Lex. Great car though.

 

[ME_Andy]

LOL The truth is there are a lot of people who believe that.

My Bolt hasn't needed anything in 50k miles. I rotated the tires and did the cabin air filter because I felt like it. What maintenance did you do on your Jeep in the first 50k miles?

 

[JeffKeryk]

My Bolt hasn't needed anything in 50k miles. I rotated the tires and did the cabin air filter because I felt like it. What maintenance did you do on your Jeep in the first 50k miles?

Just my opinion, but it seems to me the misconceptions around EV ownership, while they have improved, continue to be uninformed.
Ease of ownership has to be experienced to be appreciated. I've learned a lot; it is not what I thought it was.

Each to his/her own, and an EV is not for everyone or every use case, no one car is.

 

[demarpaint]

My Bolt hasn't needed anything in 50k miles. I rotated the tires and did the cabin air filter because I felt like it. What maintenance did you do on your Jeep in the first 50k miles?

Oil changes, an air filter, and tire rotations. Not bad, at 60K I treated her to tires and rear brakes. Oh I forgot, I serviced the transmission during that first 50K, even though the owner's manual said it wasn't needed.

 

[Torrid]

When you start touching politics you will also start entering the battle field where political rivals will find fault in everything you do. That's human nature.

About his "job creations", he did not do it out of charity and he fire people at will in and out of his companies. All of a sudden the supercharger team got decimated because they are no longer Tesla exclusive, and all the employees in the R&D got laid off. You already know about the Federal government side, and I won't repeat it here due to politics, but someone's jobs got cut as a result (whether it is right or wrong good or bad it is more of which side of the fence you are on). Can't blame people for hating him for that.

I see him no better or worse than Zuckerberg, and I have no opinion of that guy also.

I'm not a fan of Elon either which I'm sure is funny to hear as pro Tesla as I am, but for something as major as a vehicle purchase I'd like to have it contribute as much as possible to jobs in my own country. For that reason alone no matter how good they are, the chinese made brands we don't get do not excite me and I would never consider buying one. I doubt they are build inferiorly, they just don't interest me. I buy American whenever I can. Almost every pair of sunglasses and work boots I own are made in the US. Yes they are more expensive. About the only thing I do have interest in that isn't US made(aside from electronics) is watches. There just isn't really a US watch industry anymore. Swiss and Japanese watches own the market.

The only reason I think Elon has so much of his manufacturing in the US is that he wants as much control over the product as possible. That's just not possible with everything coming from a supplier. We saw that with COVID and vehicles parked outside of manufacturing facilities because of chip shortages.

 

[Torrid]

Only thing I would add to your statement is Tesla or ANYONE.......

I'm good with anyone doing it. No one is doing it to the level of Tesla though and certainly not a product that excites me.

 

[4wd]

Is Elon ever on time?

In the race to become a Trillionaire ? Maybe …

 

[demarpaint]

In the race to become a Trillionaire ? Maybe …

Maybe next Friday. I wonder how many TSLA shareholders are dumping, or will dump their stock in hopes to knock it out of the park with SPCX.

 

[alarmguy]

Maybe next Friday. I wonder how many TSLA shareholders are dumping, or will dump their stock in hopes to knock it out of the park with SPCX.

It will be interesting, maybe a wild ride, however I wonder which will have the lower valuation, not that with these two it will matter. Already rumors of a Space X / Tesla Merger 2027. With these two companies though, whether real of rumor won't matter I would think throw it out there and ...