Tesla has lowered prices of its vehicles seemingly across the board in an unannounced late night move, with prices dropping as much as 23% for a Tesla Model Y Performance and 6.4% for a Tesla Model 3 RWD. This move seemingly was done to take advantage of a procedural move by the IRS, which we wrote about earlier, that makes it possible to get the full $7,500 tax credit on a Tesla for a few weeks. Additionally, Tesla also dropped prices on other vehicles in the lineup, even though it may not qualify for tax credits.
“Honestly, I’m not even sure what to make of these changes,” Ryan Levenson, who owns the EV Cannonball Run record in a Tesla and makes videos about EVs, told me in a DM. “A Part of me is excited more people can afford to buy a Tesla and part of me is disappointed for recent customers who had to pay more to buy a car just a couple days ago, especially anyone who purchased in the last 12 days.”
Why is this happening?
“If I were to guess, this is an effort to qualify for the tax incentives while getting the largest possible quantity of new cars on the road in 2023,” said Levenson.
The Inflation Reduction Act, which passed last year, fundamentally altered the way the government gives credits for buying an electric vehicle. Prior to the law, the government’s initial tax credit had no price or income cap but was limited to 200,000 vehicles per automaker. The new law removes the 200,000 limit but puts additional requirements (like sourcing of battery materials) on automakers to qualify for the full $7,500. We have a write-up explaining this you can read.
Because of a debate over interpretation of the law, the IRS has delayed offering a final ruling on certain aspects until March 31st of this year. The income levels requirement is in place (meaning you need to make $150,000 or less filing solo or $300,000 filing jointly) and, more importantly, the price limit of a vehicle also is in place. A vehicle has to be under $55,000 if it’s a regular passenger vehicle and $80,000 if it’s an “SUV.” This is important.
Up until this evening, a Model 3 Performance cost $63,900 which meant it didn’t qualify. It’s now listed as $53,990, which means it does potentially qualify. If you meet the other requirements you could, in theory, buy a Model 3 Performance for $46,490. The base Model 3 was also dropped to $43,990, which means you can potentially get into a Model 3 for $36,490.
The same can be said for the Model Y Long Range, which was dropped to $52,990 from $65,990. That vehicle, too, should qualify. The Model Y Performance has also seen a massive price drop (at 23%, likely the biggest) to $56,990, though this probably keeps it out of range for a federal tax credit.
Price drops aren’t just limited to lower-end Teslas, as others have noted:
BREAKING: @Tesla has reduced the price of the Model S/X in the US:
• Model S: $94,990 (from $104,990, 9.5% drop)
• Model S Plaid: $114,990 (from $135,990, 15.4% drop)
• Model X: $109,990 (from $120,990, 9.1% drop)
• Model X Plaid: $119,990 (from $138,990, 13.7% drop) pic.twitter.com/uKeRxwGcvT— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 13, 2023
In addition to keeping ahead of the quirk in federal tax law, this is likely also to be a boon for Tesla when the company needs to change the narrative from stories about CEO Elon Musk only caring about Twitter now and crashes involving cars with semi-automated driving systems.
While it’s possible that Musk is doing this out of the goodness of his heart, the reality for the company is that it’s been losing market share as brands like Ford, Kia, Volvo, Polestar, and others offer comparable vehicles. According to a report from S&P Global Mobility discussed in this CNBC article, Tesla’s share of the EV market has dropped in the United States from 79% in 2020 to 65% in the third quarter of last year. The firm predicts that Tesla’s share will drop to 20% by 2025. This same issue is happening around the world, with Tesla dropping prices in China just days ago. Some have also pointed out the discovery of rare earth metals in Sweden, but the timing of that is questionable.
“Price changes of this magnitude are unprecedented and while it’ll surely increase demand this quarter, in my opinion it also has the potential to really hurt brand loyalty,” said Levenson. “Whatever it is, I don’t think any other OEM can compete with this, Tesla had the largest margins on their cars in the industry and probably still will after this which is potentially the most insane part.”
It’s important to point out that the most popular interpretation of the law is that the vehicles need to be delivered by March 31st, so you can’t just order one and file it on your taxes later. This is perhaps why Tesla says delivery is estimated between January – March 2023 on their website.
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In France they were very slow to bring their “cheap” Model 3 below a €60,000 limit for getting whopping state help to buy EVs, it came in about 18 months ago and they only reacted las summer.
Just looked and the cheapest model 3 is now €45,000 going to surprise, surprise €59,990 for the fanciest one.
Even at those prices they struggle to meet the prices Europeans are starting to put out for admittedly smaller, but more comfortable, less strange and better service network EVs where they drop batteries and motors into thermal designed cars…
I think their lineup is getting really stale, to me it’s still a very Apple to Android comparison, Iphone came out and took the world by storm, everyone had to have an iPhone, they owned the market, then Android comes out with 5,000 different brands making them and a few end up really competing while Apple is slow to innovate, losing over half the Market share in very short order.
The main difference being quality, the reason Apple is slow to have the latest and greatest features/hardware is the quality of the experience is really factored in, whereas Tesla they just don’t have enough capacity to shut down for half a year and retool for an updated model so keep churning out cars that look pretty much the same for the past 10 years. They’ve got the gigapress now, so they are retooling, so maybe they just can’t pay somebody to better design their cars year to year?
The updated Model S still looks like a 10 year old Model S, not underneath, but other car makes have changes like that from year to year, Chevy updated their Bolt after 5 years with a new look, and that’s not even the future of their platform, they just did it cause it was due.
I hope they figure it out, startup time is over, they need to show they can perform like a real car company, producing multiple models at speed, and quality, and coming out with new models or completely revamped models at a regular pace, they keep building more factories, but they’re all cranking out the same cars, where’s the innovation? Where’s the Cybertruck they announced before the Hummer and Lightning? They built the Model S from a box of scraps in a cave, but now they can’t just crank out 100 Cybertrucks to say they did like Cadillac did with the Lyriq?
That’s more telling than anything. If GM or Toyota or any of the other companies that Tesla was valued higher than wanted to, they could make a run of 100 custom cars in short order just to see how they do. The fact that Tesla can’t or isn’t willing to speaks to either they’ve decided to stop innovating, or they’re still scrambling like they were 10 years ago but just at a larger scale.
I still don’t want one. For so many reasons.
“Whatever it is, I don’t think any other OEM can compete with this, Tesla had the largest margins on their cars in the industry and probably still will after this which is potentially the most insane part.”
This is the worst part. So 20% off and you are still making money on each unit. That is fine for a handbag or HiFi electronics. While people say an EV is not a need it still is a car. Cars are needs in this country. This is why we can not afford cars anymore. It’s not that they cost more it’s to make it’s the 20% plus pure profit gouging. At least the big three will have PR, ads, R&D and all the other things that keep people in Detroit employed. His company is so lean that he can’t design a pickup on time and fires anyone he thinks it not giving 120% for the mighty god of profit.
Anyone driving one is a pure fool and burned money.
Tesla is losing market share quickly as the big manufacturers ramp up ev production. It’s long been known teslas had the highest profit margin in the industry. They have to give some of that up to increase sales volume and try to stay relevant. Add in Musk alienating the very people that bought his cars and the popping of the stock price bubble and you get Tesla having to lower prices to hold onto market share. I considered a Model 3 briefly but I just don’t want to be associated with Musk. Ended up in a loaded Bolt EV 2lt for 32k. Got 2500 off sticker and will get 7500(yes my fed tax liability is over that amount) in spring of 24. So essentially a 22k car with similar range to a model 3. Only reason to consider a Tesla in my opinion is if you travel alot and don’t have a second car in the family for that. The supercharger network is the best thing they have going for them. They don’t update their cars and their self driving is trash. I’ve been in several model 3s and am not that impressed. Model Y I like but didn’t want to send that much.
Now Tesla is facing stiff competition, I’m curious what will happen. Their share of the EV market will drop, for sure. But will their sales volume follow suit? It seems to be for now, but I’m curious how it pans out.
I really wish I could like Tesla more. I think that at this point, Musk is holding the company back. They aren’t the only game in town, gimmicks and jokes and early adopters aren’t gonna cut it. It’s time for them to grow up. I think that the Cybertruck is unfortunate–whenever it finally goes into production it will be behind all the competition. And thanks to the size and styling, it likely won’t be a volume seller. And who knows what it’ll actually end up costing. I’m all for unconventional designs, but I’m afraid they went too far.
I’m also curious how long people are willing to tolerate the same designs. There is some historical evidence that they will–the original VW Beetle was built from 1949 – 2003, and it was sold in the States for over 25 years. But that was a long time ago, and the Beetle was the epitome of cheap, reliable transportation.
All in all, it’ll be an interesting thing to watch. I wish Tesla the best, but I think Musk needs to leave before they can realize their full potential.
Elon Musk is an E.T. and all his businesses are sources for income and technology to provide him with a means to finally get home. E.M. phone home.
Tesla got a good head start on electric vehicles. Now, they have to compete against the major manufacturers. Nothing like living in a time when history is being made! BTW, in a free market Mr. Musk can do whatever he wishes with his money. He bought Twitter. If you object to that, then don’t use Twitter and don’t buy Teslas. Pretty simple.
This. Tesla has become such a large player because for a long time they were the ONLY player. They may have the majority market share now but this will begin to continually decline as major manufacturers ramp up EV production/development. Tesla still suffers from poor build quality (although it is improving) and quarterly production deadlines. Their platforms are also becoming old and I don’t believe they have the cash on hand to develop a second generation of any of them. I mean the Model S is at or past a decade at this point. Tesla is in a predicament just from a pure business standpoint and that doesn’t include and of the issues with Elon alienating his primary customer base. The CyberTruck will also never come to production in its current form (sorry to drop the bombshell if you’re one of the ones who dropped a deposit). I’m not saying Tesla is doomed but I’m not buying any of their stock anytime soon.
Wow, the vitriol being spilled on this is unreal. I quit the other site because of this and it seems it followed over here. I hate to rain on everyone’s parade but “supporting car culture” means there are cars you don’t like but you should still support a person’s right to choose them.
I bought a Model Y in 2020 during the pandemic. Paid less than this “new” price at the time. We’ve put 45k miles on the car with NO problems. We love the car, and do NOT like Elon. I bought it because I wanted to try out an electric car and liked the Supercharger network for the times we do take long roadtrips. It is fast, quiet, and incredibly comfortable for cruising.
Even today, I’m not sure what I would buy to replace it. Still very happy with the decision and would do it again today.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with buying a Model Y. Teslas are still, in some ways, the best electric cars out there. One of our favorite contributors has a Model Y and I drove around in it and it was great. I lived with Alex Roy’s Model 3 for a while and also really enjoyed it. Just, FYI, we want people who love Teslas here just as much as we want people who love AMC Matadors or whatever.
I rented a Model Y over Christmas to visit family. OK-ish car, but not worth the 70K list they were asking for it at the time. I think even the newly discounted prices could stand another 8-10K discount.
Quality on the car was laughable; even for a rental with 4K miles on it. Windshield squirters didn’t work – well, it would send a stream of fluid to the lower left corner of the windscreen and onto the side of the car. That made the drive up north on Christmas…interesting. A quick google once I arrived indicated that the hose was not connected under the front cowl from the factory. Pulling up the front cowling on the car revealed that, yes, the hose was not connected. Brake fluid master cylinder cap was not on properly either; again, the internet said I should check that…because kwality is hard.
Not surprised. Everyone paying attention knew that once competition entered the market things would change for Tesla. The only question was timing and if Tesla would be ready. It’s finally happening.
Now they are going to have to compete.
1. Stock price will adjust to similar P/E (already happening, this will effect their ability to borrow, also capital through stock issuance is going to be nearly impossible). They will need to rely more on cash flow and debt (the interest of which will weigh on their P&L).
2. Quality will start to matter – they are getting better, but is it enough? Probably not for a “luxury” car.
3. Style (and styling updates) will start to matter. Do they have a refresh ready to go? Their design is 10 years old now.
Early adopters are done, there is market competition now, it’s gunna get real.
This is a good step in the right direction. Unfortunately the base Model 3 is still $55,000 CAD…. could buy a very nice Mercedes/BMW/Audi with that cash
which ones exactly?
Sorry, $43 grand is NOT in any way affordable in my eyes. If we still had a decent select of new cars in the $15-25k range, that’s affordable to me.
Also, with the price drop, still wouldn’t want one…not with all the Tesla quality horror stories. I’ll take something like an Ioniq5 please and thanks if I had to buy an EV in that similar price range.
I’m not saying you’re wrong, but accordong to KBB in November 2022, the average non-luxury vehicle sold for $44,584.
World’s gone mad.
Average not median. Those six figure vehicles play havoc with an average. Median is a better estimate of the population when the distribution isn’t bell shaped.
There could easily be a ~$25k Tesla (or any other manufacturer’s EV), but the range would be way low, so it would never sell. Dumb, but that’s the world we’re in.
Let’s see: new production capacity worldwide, slumping stock price thanks to CEO statements, supply chain issues easing, interest rates back to normal from a decade long aberration, and compelling products from competitors released or soon to be released. All that points to needing to lower prices to stay competitive. My crystal ball says look for future price cuts in April.
I do not feel bad for people who chose to buy a Tesla during a time of supply chain crunches. It’s a luxury vehicle. Definitely not a basic commuter box like a Bolt or LEAF that someone who genuinely needed a car might have purchased.
I’m not saying the technology is the same. But the finish on the Bolt is at least as good as the Model 3 if not better. So, while the Bolt is an “econobox” the Tesla is definitely not “luxury” except that it is expensive.
Yea the Model 3 is a nicer car than a Bolt EV 2lt or EUV priemire but not by 10 to 15k after the tax rebate. Model 3s biggest strength is the supercharger network. So if you don’t plan to use it for longer trips and have a place at home to charge its advantages drop quickly.
Just going by what the Feds have classified each car as. Same thing as an XV10 Camry next to a same year Jaguar or Land Rover.
I used to want a Model 3 but I just don’t like Elon and his antics so supporting him leaves a bad feeling. All rich dude CEOs are mostly assholes but at least the others aren’t so public about it. I could get past Elon’s Elon-ness if the cars he sells didn’t have the quality issues they seem to still have. I can’t have my car flatbedded to the nearest service center 4+ hours away in Indianapolis all the time (and yes, that is the nearest Tesla service center to me).
Every time I’m on the fence about whether to consider financially supporting this site, I consider what is tolerated in the comments on articles like this. So it’s gonna be a no from me dawg.
I agree. I’m no fan of Elon and none of the Teslas intrigue me – I’ve ridden in a M3 and rented an S and neither one impressed me as much as the Kona EV I rented – but holy hell some of the comments on this story are just repugnant and not at all in the spirit of the Autopian.
I agree, they are not in the spirit of The Autopian.
Thanks to you and Mercedes for taking care of the out-of-line comments. I know that monitoring thousands of comments a day is a somewhat Sisyphean task, and I appreciate everything the staff at the Autopian does to make this a better place to talk about cars and car-culture (inclusive of motorcycles, trucks and even Teslas!).
Wasn’t it last year that the price of a model y went up like 12k? If so this is just a product of their insultingly high profit margins.
Also tax credit for SUVs under 80k. What a joke. Would have been a great opportunity to force prices a bit lower.
The over $6000 decrease in price of a Bolt after
Oops! Hit post and then it went to the shadow realm so couldn’t immediately fix it.
…after the tax credit went away was prime evidence of inflated prices due to the credit.
That price for a Model 3 Performance is almost tempting. If the board boots the doofus in charge like they should maybe I’d consider one. Maybe. Probably not…because the interior is still a suburban office park from the mid 2000s. But it’s more tempting than it used to be, I guess. Idk at that price I’d probably still go with an M340i but keep the prices dropping and who knows.
The Tesla subreddits are chock full of infuriated people who took delivery a month ago and just had their car drop $20k in value
Literally laughing out loud if they think their car hadn’t already dropped $20k in value. Tesla’s no longer have a depreciation curve, it’s just a cliff.
Oh totally – for a long time people were reflexively buying them as ‘investments’ so they could flip them for the newest model in 3 years and um… let’s just say they’re now driving them until the wheels fall off!
Based on my personal experiences with their build quality the good news is that shouldn’t take too long.
You gotta learn to live with these decisions.
Buy whatever house, car, tv or phone that suites your needs and wallet, and let it go.
Yeah I saw on a site someone spent an extra $12k because they bought last month. Got 10k miles of charging though.
Yeah it’s not nothing but that’s maybe $1.5k in charging. Not even close.
I suppose they can’t “return and rebuy” it at the customer service desk the way you can at Costco if an item you’ve bought later goes on sale…
Apparently several people called demanding they be made whole and were predictably laughed off the phone line. Worth noting GM actually refund recent Bolt buyers the $5k drop in MSRP after they dropped the price for the 2023 model year.
Not only that, every Bolt that has the battery recall done has the latest spec with the extra range advertised for 2022-23 models. That could’ve been software locked out of older cars and I’m sure Melon would’ve.
Yeah we have a 2018 Bolt that has something like 500 miles on its brand new battery that has more range than the original one did. Kinda hard to beat.
When GM dropped the price of the Bolt dramatically last year they gave a refund to everyone who purchased one previously in 2022. So, prior 6 months basically. I doubt the same will happen here.
A few comments:
1. ” This move seemingly was done to take advantage of a procedural move by the IRS,”
Then why is this a global price decrease? (US, EU, CHINA)? EU prices were dropped between 20 and 30% this morning.
2. “the reality for the company is that it’s been losing market share”
65% of EV sales in 2021 is still quite a lot more than 79% of 2020 EV sales.
Tesla global production:
2020: 500.000 units
2021: 930.000 units
2022: 1.300.000 units
3. The global price decrease is related to the major find of rare earth metals in Kiruna (Sweden) that was made public yesterday. In other words, rare earth metals are now half as rare as they used to be.
It’s worth adding that, though I’m not sure all of it.
Regarding 1 and 3:
EU price decrease, follows the battery pack size.
Bigger pack-> bigger drop. Have not looked at the China/US prices.
2:
Just numbers, you can disgree with reality, if you feel like it, but Tesla more than doubled the sales figures of a profitable product in 2 years. If that curve flattens to 2.000.000 units/year, that is still a solid number.
Without perpetual sales growth Tesla value plummets even more.
I maintain this is decreasing demand due to aging product, increased competition and Elon’s shenanigans.
yes, exactly, and if the demand curve shifts you have to adjust price. Especially when they are pretty focused on units and not profit. They are going to target max volume and not highest total profit, especially when they are not capacity constrained.
All within reason of course. I don’t think Tesla investors can stomach losing money per unit at this point. They did for almost a decade and finally got used to some profitability.
Umm no. If Tesla could keep selling vehicles with increased profit margins they would.
This is decreasing demand.
lol, no. Go kiss Melon’s ass somewhere else.
@rootwyrm
Buddy… you need to take a chill pill and dial down the anger.
3. Tesla is never that quick to pass along any potential savings. The next day? really? That’s not the reason.
It’s mostly #2. Their entire story on wallstreet is growth and right now it’s faltering compared to its projections and losing market share. They’re share price is in a free fall and they are in a panic and a fire sale is the only way to get the quarters numbers to be anywhere near growth projections. Even if they take a huge hit on profitability.
I think this is 100 percent of what’s happening.
You make a good point about a smaller slice of a larger pie, but EU/CN price drops are in response to dropping sales and I imagine that is a factor here, too.
Swedish rare earth material production is planned to start in around 2027; I doubt this has an impact on goods purchased and paid for months ago.
Note that Tesla dropped the prices in China more than a week ago, and that was largely due to the weakening demand in that country/competing with BYD.
And yes, Tesla is still by far the leader in EV sales. But its market share (not overall unit production) has been declining every year as new players show up.
Clearly, Tesla margins are very good…
I don’t care if the price drops 50%, a fire-prone sedan with the build quality of a Hyundai Excel will never be a crazy deal. Life is too valuable.
Hey, March 31 is almost March 32, the birthday of this madhouse!
What celebrations are on deck? Gladiatorial games between East European cars from the 70’s, I assume?
This is not a great time to sell your slightly used Tesla.
Good news for everyone planning on converting an existing car to electric, because this means the prices of smashed up Teslas will also drop, and they’re very popular for conversions.
At this point Tesla should really consider embracing the trend and start making crate kits for EV swaps. I don’t think it would really undercut their sales because people who salvage the tech from wrecked Teslas are not the people in the market for a new Tesla (neither are the people commissioning restomods). I think it could be a real money maker for them, especially if sales keep slowing down. Building full cars is way more expensive and if they’re just accumulating in parking lots there’s good reason to slow down production and look for other sources of income.
At this point I will purposely avoid buying a Tesla when I get an electric for my next daily, because in all honesty, fuck that guy and his companies.
Your loss man. Tesla arguably makes the best electric cars on the market and they have exclusive access (in the US) to the best charging network in the US without having to deal with scummy dealer markups and getting your order sold out from under you. Tesla is the first US automaker who has actually posed a threat to foreign automakers in their own countries because they make much better BEVs than they do, that’s something to be proud of as an American.
That being said I haven’t bought a Tesla because they haven’t yet made a BEV that meets my needs, while other companies have done so (Nissan with the e-NV200, Ox Delivers with the Ox Truck, etc.) sadly none of the BEVs I want are sold in the US.
If Tesla comes out with the Cybertruck before 2026 I’ll most likely get one. I don’t need a full size pickup (even the new “compact” Ford Maverick pickup is too large imho) but having a BEV that has an ultra durable body with lots of ground clearance plus the ability to increase the ground clearance even more via height adjustable air suspension while not having to worry about dealers pulling scummy stuff (due to the lack of dealers) I’d much rather deal with Tesla than any other automaker.
I don’t think the Cybertruck would ever be my favorite new BEV, it would be more my most practical BEV with the charging network, not having to worry about damaging the paint or the body panels, the extra ground clearance, etc. Something I don’t have to worry about getting parts for, or some car mods failing or causing stock parts to fail, just a worry free BEV for the most part.
same here, thinking to have it as a worry-free company vehicle, no worries for scratches is a big plus.
From what I’ve read about Deloreans bare stainless isn’t scratch free, and once scratched is a nightmare to get back to looking like new.
Indeed it isn’t, but unlike painted carbon steel cars you have not paint to scratch through and compromise the anti corrosion properties of the paint.
Honestly I look forward to having a Cybertruck and having it develop a nice patina.
Same here, I scratched the front of my car years ago, and was thrilled to realize that the scratch stopped 3 mm before the painted plastic bumper turned into painted metal.
The plastic has not oxidized so far.
Go simp for Melon on the German lighting site. We ain’t standing for that shit here.Ed note: It’s fine to like Teslas and even to like Elon Musk. We’re an inclusive community.
Your comments are almost as bad as the ones you are replying to.
Worse in fact. Apparently posting even mild, even handed praise of Tesla is worthy of vulgar personal attacks all over the comment section. Sad to see a single upvote on any of these but I guess the Elon = worse than Hitler groupthink must be indulged.
The mistake seems to be assuming this comment section will turn out any different than Jalopnik in the first place.
We are going to do our best and testing some features that’ll hopefully allow some balance here. I don’t mind people being passionate, but one of the most important principles here is that it’s ok to like whatever car you like. Attacking someone for liking a different car is out of line.
Even a Malibu Maxx?
I mean. There is slight difference between being fan of a car, and copy and paste fake marketing bs about a prototype on every EV suv comment section.
I agree, it’s really becoming that “if your opinion doesn’t match the current trend you can die in a fire” mentality
Eh, don’t worry about that guy. He’s always angry and self-righteous. Posts almost every day in the exact same tone. He may know a lot about cars, but he sure doesn’t know how to dial it back a bit.
To me he seems to be extremely narcissistic, not an easy person to get along with
This is a little harsh. There is nothing un-car culture about liking Teslas. We want to be open and accepting of people who like different cars and that means people who like Teslas. Please be thoughtful of that in the future.
Actually, we are not the way that you think we are. We champion car culture, and yes, that includes the people who love Tesla. If someone wants a Cybertruck, that’s awesome. Personally, I love how crazy the Cybertruck looks. Like, you would never see Ford or Ram make a low-poly pickup ripped from a PlayStation 1 game.
Moving forward, comments that contain personal attacks against another reader for liking a car will get a strikethrough, as Matt demonstrated with your comment.
Has there been an announced grade of stainless that will be used on the wedge truck? Some of the grades are weaker than carbon steel, meaning that it will do less in an impact to act as a dampener in a crash.
Funny thing is, some of them will rust, especially when scratched.
The other fun thing about stainless is that it will show everything that happens to it physically. Bad wash job, noticeable, every rock that hits will leave a visible mark, salt corrosion is always lovely, any dirt will be 100x more noticeable than on white, rouging. All of this can be polished out, but if you don’t match the polish of the rest of the truck it will be as noticeable as a different colored body panel
Next thing about stainless, the cost will fluctuate wildly depending on the nickel price, and even when nickel is down in cost, stainless is a significantly higher price than carbon steel.
Last thing, I think. Stainless is not as easy as carbon steel to work with. It will want to work harden, especially if someone who uses carbon steel machining practices on it does the work. This would come into play from a modification standpoint and also a fixing standpoint.
The body is supposed to be much thicker than any other stamped steel car body out there so I’m not too worried about it. I wouldn’t be adding any permanent mods to it so I don’t have to worry about work hardening and such.
It is, kind of a nightmare to straighten out after a collision and get looking good, also, which is why the answer is often to just paint over it
Good bot.
Keep dreaming
Ever heard of tesla customer waiting up to 2 years to get parts for their car ?
In the first few years of Tesla yes. Not recently.
A good friend just waited nearly a month to get a new wheel end of last summer. Casting void issues in the wheel caused it to crack while on vacation in the Carolinas. He had to drive it home (14 hours) filling it with air every hour. Then, they flatbedded it 2 hours to nearest repair center where it sat for a month.
He works from home and they have another reliable car so he wasn’t so mad.
Did he have some performance model with performance wheels?
It’s harder to get parts outside the US, but seems to be improving.
Go simp for Melon on the German lighting site. We ain’t standing for that shit here.Ed note: It’s fine to like Teslas and even to like Elon Musk. We’re an inclusive community.
Please avoid using the word “we”. I’d rather you not represent me when you post.
“If Tesla comes out with the Cybertruck before 2026”
I guess you won’t have to worry about that since it won’t be out before 3026.
Tesla is opening their network to everyone. At least that is what they said last year. But, they say a lot of things that don’t happen so I’m not so sure.
“without having to deal with scummy dealer markup” Instead you get to deal with scummy mfg mark ups. Tesla raised the prices of their vehicles many times over the last year or so, because they could get away with it, just like those scummy dealers. Now that demand is down and supply is up they are having to drop the prices, just like those scummy dealers. There in is the plus in the dealership model as you can find an unscummy dealers for many brands, if that is the vehicle you want, but you can’t run away from a scummy mfg, if that is the vehicle you want.
I’d say Tesla still has a lead in some aspects, but they’re no longer head and shoulders above everyone else like they were a couple years ago. BMW, Chevy, Hyundai/Kia/Genesis, VW, Porsche, Rivian, and Lucid all have vehicles that are better in some ways and worse than others compared to Teslas. The charging network’s still an advantage, but that’s looking likely to shrink as well.
Musk can do whatever he wants with his money, but I just find myself shaking me head when I think of the other cool things that could have been done with $44,000,000,000. Let’s play a game, lets make a list of cool things to do with $44,000,000,000 and send it to Musk. Next time he has an impulse to spend a lot of money, he can reference the list and pick something (anything) better than Twitter.
I’ll start:
1) Build a real-life Hogwarts school for Wizards, Witches and Engineers, including steam train through mountains, owl delivery drones, creepy forest, and Quidditch pitch.
2) Build a utopian city as an experimental testbed for self-sufficient sustainability.
3) Build an evil lair in a skull-shaped mountain on a stormy island.
4) Seed 44 different startups with $1,000,000,000
5) Build a couple Gigawatt scale solar power plants.
6) Convert it to gold coins and swim in it.
Please add to list.
Remember, that was only ever air money. The second he tries to convert any of it into hard money, the value drops, as seen with Twitter.
Actually help fight hunger, as he said he would
Yep this played a big part in which car I bought. Biggest thing Tesla has going for it is their supercharger network. But in 5 years I bet widespread universal fast charging will be readily available and that advantage will be gone.
Got to get the good decisions in while the boss is distracted elsewhere I suppose.