The Master Plan of the Tesla Solar Autonomous Vehicles Revisited: Why the Model 3 is a Low-Volume Model

That plan, which was posted in 2016 under the cheeky title “Part Deux,” said that Tesla would create a thriving solar business, introduce multiple new vehicles across all major categories, achieve full autonomy, and launch a robotaxi network for vehicle owners to earn up to $30,000 annually.

Umar says that great minds think alike. I would also give Master Plan part one a B+. Again, it outlined exactly what the company’s goals were at the time, and it fulfilled most of it — although with a huge asterisk that the cheapest Model 3 was barely available. Like you mentioned, the production hell of getting the Model 3 at volume casts a shadow over the entire plan, but I’m willing to apply those issues to the next grade.

We were promised a $35,000 car for the Model 3, but it was not enough to make it truly affordable. The initial models were priced at over $60,000 and promised cheaper ones in the future. A $35,000 Model 3 would eventually be available, but only for a short time and for special order, as they did a weird interior strippage in attempt to make it cheaper. It costs more because it is a low-volume trim.

Why did Musk bankrupt Tesla? “Part II” of the Musk-Law Master Plan, Part 2: Tesla’s Solar Roof, SolarCity, and the Movie Hot Shots!

It nearly bankrupted the company, and Musk arguably pushed his workforce to an extreme to get what he wanted. The cost was enormous for the employees, but it worked. And we see that in the lawsuits that have been filed against Tesla alleging horrible working conditions, including racism, gender discrimination, and a spate of on-the-job injuries.

I gave Master Plan Part Deux a C-. Tesla is making cars people do want and has the charging network to back it up. The truck is still missing. Tesla has Autopilot, and it works great — as long as you understand that you’re a conductor of a system and need to pay attention to the road. Full-Self Driving is capable, but it’s only a hat trick. Every car on the road with older hardware won’t be a robotaxi. There are power walls and solar roofs.

Right off the bat, we’ve got problems. Tesla revealed its solar roof product a few months after the publication of this plan. The acquisition of SolarCity was supposed to make it easier for the company to produce solar power. But it fell kind of flat.

Andrew: “I’m really sorry.” Musk called it the second Master Plan. The 1993 movie Hot Shots! would probably be used as a reference. Part two. Musk loves himself some ’80s / ’90s movie references. See the ludicrous mode.

The Solar Roof Problem: When the Tesla Model Y Generated Its Successes and When It Came Back to Its Final State

The installation of its solar roof has been slower than expected. Customers have had complaints of prices being too high. And the company has scaled back its ambitions as revenues remain relatively flat.

Umar: It’s unfortunate. The point is, Tesla needed to fix the Model X. The answer became the Model Y. It was built on the Model 3 platform and put in the popular compact SUV category. There is a reason that Model Y has become the top-selling model, even though it’s essentially a boring and derpy Model 3.

Those doors are also prone to mechanical failures and accidents. Heck, I was watching The Late Late Show With James Corden on Monday night, and Joel McHale was on as a guest. The Model X’s were left unlocked and crashed on the side of the garage on two seperate occasions, as he talked about. There are similar incidents, though. I parked a car and the wing tried to close without command, but my sister moved her head and it hit her.

Can I Sleep In My Tesla? An Analysis of Musk’s “Full Self-Driving Vehicles” Phenomenology

The Cybertruck has been delayed for more than three years, but will start shipping this summer, with volume production expected to start next year. In the meantime, people are moving to electric pickup trucks like the Rivian R1T and the Ford F-150 Lightning that are on the road. The Cybertruck is not likely to reach customers before the Chevy Silverado EV.

It will be difficult assessing this part of the plan, Andy. In order to fulfill the affordable EV segment, a $35,000 car is needed, instead of a $25,000 vehicle. It seems to be leaving that to the Chevy Bolt EV and EUV and Nissan Leafs of the world.

Umar: Is that you? Musk got into love with the idea ofTeslas going down city street-level elevators and riding in underground tunnels dug by his Boring Company dozers. The idea was watered down and now justTeslas rolling through really tight tunnels.

Andrew: We have an extremely scaled-back solar roof division, a mythical Cybertruck, a handful of semi trucks, no urban transport, no bus and a tunnel project that is mostly smoke and mirrors… what else is left? Oh, right:

Meanwhile, Tesla’s plans for fully autonomous vehicles are uncertain. While other operators such as Cruise and Waymo offer full self-driving car options, Tesla has a $15,000 option called Full Self-Driving. Despite the misleading name, FSD is just a Level 2 partially autonomous system that requires constant monitoring by the driver. Tesla recently paused new installations of FSD after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration called it a “crash risk.”

Podcaster, Cannonball Run participant, and rally driver Alex Roy once said that the only question you should ask about a self-driving car is “can I sleep in it?” If you can not, it’s not self- driving. The story is over. Some Tesla owners have certainly tried sleeping in their vehicles, but my god, please don’t do this.

Umar: This was a warning sign too many people ignored. I agree with most of what you said. Musk has absolutely oversold Full-Self Driving as something it is not. But the real red flag should have been his pitch about robotaxis in which your Tesla can go out and make you money while you’re working your real job. Musk said that the owners of theTesla robotaxis would make $30,000 a year.

But I’m giving Tesla some points for making the best EV charging network in the world with its Superchargers. It’s the most reliable network and you can drive almost anywhere with no worry about whether you are able to charge. And now that there are Superchargers with CCS combo “magic dock” ports popping up, Tesla is finally actually helping to accelerate sustainable personal transport.

An update on the Musk Master Plan for the First Half of the 20th Anniversary of Musk’s First Public Works Campaign: Part Two B-Notice

Andrew: That is a very good grade. I would not give Part Two a B-. Too many failed promises, too much risk, the dangerous confluence of an active safety feature with full autonomy — these things are unavoidable. The goals of the second Master Plan are certainly noble and well-intentioned. And maybe under a different set of circumstances, they could have been achieved.

There is nothing wrong with ambition. But when the follow-through has been so hit-or-miss, with more misses than hits, then those ambitions can curdle, and anything that comes after can just feel like hot air blowing in your face.

There will be a need for infrastructure like wind and solar that will take less than 0.2 percent of the Earth’s surface. The white paper outlining the plan was promised by Musk in order to give more information on how this will come to fruition.

The nearly three-hour-long event didn’t include any specific information about new vehicles. The company revealed that one of the two mystery cars is a smaller car and the other looks like a small commercial truck.

Musk had implied that the third master plan would connect his various ventures, but no mention was made of his other companies, including the Boring Company.

The Unboxed Process: From a Taxi Service to Autonomous Self-Driving Vehicles for the Next Generation of Electric Vehicles

The next generation of vehicles will be manufactured with a new, more efficient process. The Unboxed Process enables the vehicle to be built once in the assembly line and only require paint for the parts that need to be painted. The next-gen drive unit will not use rare earth minerals.

Musk had promised that his cars would be able to autonomously pick up passengers in lieu of a taxi service, but that didn’t happen. Musk has recently suggested that the company would make a self-driving taxi, casting doubts on the practicality of Musk’s original proposal.

But Tesla is producing vehicles at a higher volume than its rivals, and it recently cut prices sharply. The move to increase interest in Tesla vehicles was well-received by Wall Street.

Wall Street would have preferred a new car if the company was as green as it is. After the bell, the stock fell sharply in trading.

The new master plan talked about decarbonizing the global electric grid as well as industry, shipping and air travel.

Researchers, analysts and groups have come up with ways to deal with climate change. The scale of change is not easy to understand and time is running out.

How Tesla Drives: Getting the Most Useful Air Suspensions of Your Cars from Supercharge Stations to their Live Locations

It’s possible to have a software update automatically adjust the air suspension mid-drive, based on data from other vehicles, and a strategy to cut costs on Supercharge stations by preassembling entire stations and dropping them down from a crane.

Drivers still use theTeslas in their cars. The company just won the top award for “Overall Loyalty” to a make in S&P Global Mobility’s Automotive Loyalty Awards. About 50% of the time, returning car shoppers stick with their previous brand. Two-thirds of all buyers return to the company.

It’s reported thatTesla owners install a chargers at their home. That could be an added incentive to stick with the brand, instead of needing to swap out equipment or use an adapter every charge. He compared it to Apple’s proprietary chargers.

You’re gonna get the Apple Watch if you have an iPhones, an iPad, and a MacBook. the infrastructure is built there,” he says.