Tesla's quality issues continue

[ARK]

Directly from the article:







Several safety specialists and repair experts have anticipated that crashing a vehicle with these cast parts would most certainly imply writing off these cars. Oliver Zipse was even more vocal about that. The BMW CEO said the manufacturing advantages of a massive cast part would not compensate for the higher repair costs. This was the reason the German carmaker would never adopt the same strategy.







The gigacastings exist to make it cheaper and faster for Tesla to build cars. The castings go into the wheel wells.

I think stuff like this is a big part of why Teslas are so expensive to get insurance on - much more likely to get a write-off when a Tesla crashes compared to other similarly sized/priced vehicles.

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[Ghost Ryder]

I think stuff like this is a big part of why Teslas are so expensive to get insurance on - much more likely to get a write-off when a Tesla crashes compared to other similarly sized/priced vehicles.

It cost me the same to insure my MYP as it does my GTPE. My insurance is through Costco.

 

[Ghost Ryder]

Directly from the article:







Several safety specialists and repair experts have anticipated that crashing a vehicle with these cast parts would most certainly imply writing off these cars. Oliver Zipse was even more vocal about that. The BMW CEO said the manufacturing advantages of a massive cast part would not compensate for the higher repair costs. This was the reason the German carmaker would never adopt the same strategy.







The gigacastings exist to make it cheaper and faster for Tesla to build cars. The castings go into the wheel wells.

How does repair cost affect the OEM manufacturer?
Based on recent repair bills from minor collisions of MME, I'm not sure Tesla would be that much more to repair.

 

[Pushrods&Capacitors]

The problem with Tesla is that they use aluminum panels which is really hard and costly to repair.

The word on gigacastings is that if that if the car was hit hard enough to damage the casting, then the car is totaled. No different to when a car frame is damage, the car is usually totaled.

Cars are not body on frame any more, they’re unibody. And, Tesla’s gigacastings are vulnerable to damage that wouldn’t be considered enough to “total” a typical unibody car. It’s another example of Elon’s incessant push to do it differently/cheaper/faster than the legacy makers with little regard for downstream problems for the customer.

 

[Pushrods&Capacitors]

How does repair cost affect the OEM manufacturer?
Based on recent repair bills from minor collisions of MME, I'm not sure Tesla would be that much more to repair.

That’s the point, it doesn’t affect the maker, it affects the customer/insurance co. So, “not my problem” in Tesla’s view.

 

[SWO]

That’s the point, it doesn’t affect the maker, it affects the customer/insurance co. So, “not my problem” in Tesla’s view.

Yep.

Manufacturers actually benefit when cars are essentially disposable.

 

[Ghost Ryder]

That’s the point, it doesn’t affect the maker, it affects the customer/insurance co. So, “not my problem” in Tesla’s view.

I see it as it cost less to build the car using a gigapress than the traditional way. Some of that savings get passed onto the consumer in the form of lower MSRP. So all buyers benefit.

 

[Pushrods&Capacitors]

I see it as it cost less to build the car using a gigapress than the traditional way. Some of that savings get passed onto the consumer in the form of lower MSRP. So all buyers benefit.

I mean, I guess, but it’s hard to simultaneously be passing savings on to your customer while supposedly reaping the highest profit margins of any EV. And by hard, I mean fiction.

 

[sookestang]

I agree with you that I am not so sure Tesla will make it long term. If they do, maybe they will continue to be a niche player. They haven’t changed models yet. people will get tired of the same old thing. Let’s see how Tesla handles those changes

all new EVs are having issues. I have read forums for BMW and Porsche EVs. Not a whole lot different than Ford.

hopefully these companies hire the “right” engineers to develop and fine tune their software. For legacy companies the car is the easy part, technology , the hard part.

Tesla may better serve as a parts company in the future. What I mean by that is building cars, compared to the long standing big car manufacturers, as it currently stands, may not be built to the same expertise, knowledge and quality that we expect from the traditional brands.

However, their FSD, computers and technical components may present an opportunity for resale to those large aforementioned companies.

I'm not as familiar with Tesla's giga plants, or whatever they are titled, so perhaps that would be a lot of investment money tied up in significant real estate and infrastructure dumped for them to change direction and to stop mass producing vehicles and simply licensing their electronic components.

 

[Ghost Ryder]

I mean, I guess, but it’s hard to simultaneously be passing savings on to your customer while supposedly reaping the highest profit margins of any EV. And by hard, I mean fiction.

They were able to decrease the price across the board by a significant amount. they had the largest profit margin partly from the use of the gigapress. So not fiction.

you know, it's not against the law for a company to make a profit.

 

[Rory]

I can almost hear the same discussions playing out 120+ years ago when gas cars started replacing horses.

Just how old are you?

 

[Ghost Ryder]

Tesla may better serve as a parts company in the future. What I mean by that is building cars, compared to the long standing big car manufacturers, as it currently stands, may not be built to the same expertise, knowledge and quality that we expect from the traditional brands.

However, their FSD, computers and technical components may present an opportunity for resale to those large aforementioned companies.

I'm not as familiar with Tesla's giga plants, or whatever they are titled, so perhaps that would be a lot of investment money tied up in significant real estate and infrastructure dumped for them to change direction and to stop mass producing vehicles and simply licensing their electronic components.

The thing with Tesla is that they're not just a car company. They are an energy company. They are very vertically integrated. Going so far as getting contracts for lithium mines to ensure that they have the raw material. They have revolutionalized how a car is built. Using a lot less man power to do so. OEMs are rushing to copy their blueprint. I don't think they are going anywhere soon.

 

[Mach1E]

They were able to decrease the price across the board by a significant amount. they had the largest profit margin partly from the use of the gigapress. So not fiction.

you know, it's not against the law for a company to make a profit.

After first significantly increasing it.

It’s a pretty straightforward concept:

If they have the highest profit margins, they are NOT passing the savings to the consumer. In fact they’re passing the least amount of savings to the consumer of any manufacturer!

 

[Pushrods&Capacitors]

They were able to decrease the price across the board by a significant amount. they had the largest profit margin partly from the use of the gigapress. So not fiction.

you know, it's not against the law for a company to make a profit.

They increase and decrease prices with the weather. And how is charging $15K for still beta FSD and $6K for enhanced Autopilot and $4k for 3rd row seats in the Model Y passing on savings to consumers? They’re making all kinds of their money on those charges.

Profit is the point for sure, just don’t believe they’re passing on all kinds of savings and boasting highest profit margins at the same time. It’s not reality.

 

[Mirak]

To me, the decision of MachE vs Tesla come down to one thing.

Did I want a car company learning to integrate technology or a technology company learning to make a car?

Ford's far from perfect, but they've learned a thing or two in the last 100+ years of building cars. (learned some of those lessons multiple times).

Not only is Tesla’s software much more sophisticated (not saying it is better in every regard, mind you, but better overall), but Tesla’s engineering is also superior in numerous areas. Simpler and more efficient liquid cooling system and wiring harness, for example.

It is the actual manufacturing quality where it still lags. And I agree, that’s important.

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