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Tesla Receives 115,000 Model 3 Preorders Worth $115 Million In 24 Hours (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Over 115,000 reservations at $1,000 each were placed for the Model 3 in the first 24 hours. This gives Tesla a little extra operating cash.
If each tech-savvy enthusiast who preordered the Model 3 in the first 24 hours follows through with their $35,000 purchase, Tesla would make $4 billion in sales. Right now, they're sitting pretty with $115 million from the down payment required for preordering. It looks like Tesla may have a big hit on their hands.
... for an overhyped fugly overpriced piece of cheap tat.
Whipslash was a little coy earlier about whether there would be an April Fools joke or jokes on Slashdot. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have a suspicion that this is a part of it. It's not like Slashdot to post two consecutive articles about the same topic, unless it's something really big. There have been enough posts lately alleging paid posts and Slashvertisements. I have a feeling whipslash is behind a bit of trolling here. If so, as a fellow troll, I give him credit.
Gosh it's going to be really embarrassing when he days "April fool" this afternoon.
Ultimately, the hype train ended up being an electric car. Who'd'a' thunk it.
One more major electrical energy sink that will concentrate in a very small portion of the day.
Time to invest in energy accumulating techs.
Apparently you can now spam Slashdot freely, as long as you don't write in English.
Also, unless I recall incorrectly, in the past you were able to moderate after having posted, and it deleted your previous posts. Now you can't, so anyone who enters the thread with mod points won't be able to mod spam down if he entered the thread to write something.
Yes. I see how Slashdot advances more and more, in the wrong direction.
They're now a slightly bigger rounding error on the US and world auto markets
I dunno about you, but for building cars, $100M isn't a lot of money.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
A typical modern sedan auto factory making your average Camry or Sonata or Accord turns out about 30,000 cars a month. Sometimes more, sometimes less. And usually there are 1-2 months of downtime and maintenance. Figure roughly 300,000 cars a year.
Tesla is saying they've pre-sold roughly four months of production, before people see the announcement and decide to order one and add more numbers to the list. They sold something like 25,000 MORE pre-orders during the reveal event. This is pretty spectacular by any standard, and more so considering Tesla's annual production rate for the Model S was only 50,000 in 2015. The S is seasoned design which they no doubt assemble fairly efficiently.
This really mean they have sold the equivalent of two plus years of new cars, probably more like three because they won't be at peak output anywhere near the beginning of production. It may take a year to fully ramp up.
To summarise: Damn fine sales, Tesla. Congratulations!
Sig for hire.
To be clear, you've never been able to post and moderate in the same discussion. If you posted, you couldn't moderate. If you moderated in a discussion and then posted, all of your moderations were undone. In fact, posting a comment is done somewhat frequently for the purpose of undoing a moderation done by mistake. So, yes, your recollection is quite incorrect.
There's always been spam on Slashdot, and it's always been addressed through moderation. There have always been troll links on Slashdot, which is why the link domains are displayed after links. Before then, it was way too easy for trolls to slip in a goatse.cx link in an otherwise benign comment and trick people into viewing the goatse man's gaping hole. If goatse.cx links weren't deleted, I don't see why Slashdot would suddenly start deleting spam links in comments.
It begins..
No, in the past you were able to post after moderating, and it would undo your moderation; you were not able to moderate after posting.
Slashdot plays annoying April Fools Joke that isn't funny. Why are the the mods fucked up? This is stupid.
I ignore Anonymous Coward posts. If you want to discuss something, that's awesome. Log in.
Math isn't your strong suit, eh?
We all know math can sound very attractive with raw numbers. But we also know Musk has yet to make Tesla viable in a real world company profit result.
His hope is on this new model being more mainstream attractive and affordable. His delivery estimates have been falling way behind. That's no April fools joke.
Good to see Slashdot finally take the leap to the digital age and do comment scores in binary!
== Jez ==
Do you miss Firefox? Try Pale Moon.
Indeed. I remembered wrongly.
I have no alternative explanation as to why a clear spam post stood un-modded for so long.
150.000 / 50.000 = 30
So... How's that job market for social studies graduates?
"Over 115,000 reservations at $1,000 ... in the first 24 hours. ... It looks like Tesla may have a big hit on their hands."
without comparisons with stats for other cars, their (and this) preorder amount and conditions(eg is it refundable?), etc all that is meaningless.
also even if preorders are above others, that merely proves effectiveness of hype, since actual product is not available, only hype is, success will be judged after the appearance of product.
same with some trashy/good movies for which people queued up for days.
claiming premature success as in here, is just more hype.
As the adage goes, never buy version 1 of anything. And especially don't plunk one grand down on something which won't even see the light of day for a couple of years.
America has entered April 1st. 24 hours of over the top nonsense imminent. See you tomorrow.
Does that mean that the down payment is actually $8?
we can drop the subsidy? I am tied of subsidizing Obama's hipster friend's extravagant lives. Tesla and Musk are a joke. Happy April 1st. I guess even you pagan nerds deserve a holiday.
To crushing Detroit.
Those deposits are fully refundable.
As I understand, the $1000 deposit is refundable, so we'll see how many of those turn into actual sales.
-Styopa
I'm glad the new owners of Slashdot have kept up the yearly tradition of completely missing the point of April Fools; day.
It's not "do something weird and quirky" day. You're supposed to do something - well, really you're supposed to tell people something - that they might actually fall for (and, preferably, get annoyed about). Otherwise it's no different from (rather lame) satire.
So if you're going with the binary thing, announce it. Explain why you're doing it - say it's to make Slashdot more compatible with the Internet of Things, or something. That'll annoy plenty of people.
That's if anyone actually believed it for a moment, which they almost certainly wouldn't.
Here's a few you can have for free:
Facebook is moving exclusively to Tor to protect the privacy of its users.
Microsoft has declared Windows 10 a failure and will be force-downgrading to Windows 7 for all users.
Amazon plans to send a small probe to the Moon to relay data and act as its corporate headquarters for tax purposes (this idea (c) wonkey_monkey Mooncorp Enterprises 2016)
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
If crushing Detroit is you goal, it was already achieved by 50 years of democrat misrule. Today it is more like kicking an addict sleeping on the street.
The hatefest on Slasdot goes into defcon 5
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
It is not over 4 billion the company would make unless the cars cost nothing to make. I would guess majority of these reorders are from the government throwing more tax dollars into the wind.
Why would anyone help crowd fund a car from a well established for-profit company? Do you just like gambling with your money? Here's a tip people: when the thing is actually finished, it will still be for sale.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
150.000 / 50.000 = 30
Umm, 150,000 / 50,000 = 3
I won't lie... I would love to own a Tesla, but when the vehicle costs so much more (just a little more than double, to be specific) than what I would have otherwise been comfortable paying for a car, it only means that if I am to get financing and try to keep the terms to reasonable levels, I would be spending more each month paying for the car than I would on financing for a regular car PLUS gasoline, and that means it would take that much longer for the extra expense of not having to use gasoline to pay for itself, not to mention potentially causing increased levels of hardship upon myself for the duration if I should hit any unexpected financial difficulties.
Oh, and that's not even including the fact that I'd have to drop another 10 thousand dollars of my own money on getting a car charger installed in our condo's garage.
In the end, I'd be looking at having to replace the battery on the car even before the extra amount I was spending would have broken even with how much I would have paid for an otherwise new car, likely pushing the time that it would take for the money I saved on gasoline to break even with the extra expenses to somewhere in the vicinity of about 10 years.
Which is slightly more than the longest single period that I've ever owned any single vehicle.
And it's not a particularly great incentive to look elsewhere for an EV when every other EV manufacturer either also overprices their cars or else makes them look like shit.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Reserving one of these cars now increases the likelihood that your car will be eligible for the $7500 tax credit. As I understand it, this credit only applies to the first 200,000 qualifying vehicles sold by a manufacturer. At last estimates, Tesla sold about 100,000 or so vehicles which leaves about 100,000 credits left.
I reserved mine last night. The deposit is fully refundable. At the very least, I think I've got a shot at getting the federal credit.
It's not a bad deal.
The charger included with Tesla vehicles only needs a NEMA 14-50 outlet in your garage. That means you need a two-pole 50A breaker - 6-3 wire and a NEMA 14-50R receptacle installed......hardly $10k - more like $300 worth of materials and a half a day's work for a competent electrician.
Your charging solution should cost $800 bucks or so.
I thought so too, until I read this. Page 20 is where installation costs are mentioned.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
actual numbers here
I went from a BMW 3 series to a Model S.
Old BMW reached end of useful life, so compared new BMW 4 (convertible, like old 3) to Model S.
Commute is 100 mi/day. in BMW at 26 mi/gal, this is roughly 4 gallons a day, or 20 gallons/week or 1000 gallons/year (2 wks vacation, etc.)
Annual fuel cost @$3/gallon is $3000 or $250/month
Charging tesla is 30 kWh/day (100 mi @ 300 Wh/mile, which is what I get) @ 0.11/kWh = $3.30/day or about $65/month
For same loan term:
Loan payment on new BMW would be about $750-800
Loan payment on new Model S would be about $1000
So the total cost of the BMW is 1000-1050/mo
The total cost of the Model S is 1065/month
Of course, on the BMW there are also
oil changes
brake pads
coolant changes
etc.
which are not free, and none of which you need for a Tesla (I have a friend with a Roadster and he's never replaced brake pads after years and years.. regen braking does a fine job for the "small speed adjustments" in day to day driving)
The cars *are* different: both are fast, both handle well, but you know the Tesla is a 4500 lb vehicle. The Tesla is MUCH quieter on the road than my BMW 3 series was. I don't think the Tesla would do as well in a slalom course as the BMW, but then, I don't do much slalom course driving.
Great! So what do you want on your latte? Would you like some biscotti as well?
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
Saudi Arabia Plans $2 Trillion Megafund for Post-Oil Era, because post oil means they are running out.
I wonder how many potential purchasers in the US are aware that once Tesla passes 200K vehicles sold the Federal subsidy will phase out over the following 12 months. With 90K+ on the road already, not counting Model S & X sales for two years, I think the pre-orders put them over the top. Best guess is subsidy eliminated by the start of 2019 (assuming no delays in Model 3 release, which are expected).
I hope the production costs will decline with experience to replace the subsidy.
This money cannot be used by Tesla, there is zero operating cash acquired by people pre-ordering a product.
When (and *only* when) the cars are actually delivered, depending on various accounting rules and commercial regulations, Tesla *may* be able to profit from any interest made on these payments. These payments express interest and are an excellent way for Tesla to factor real production needs (more than just adding your name to a list), but the actual monetary value to Tesla in the short term is nil.
Job market's fine. You don't expect them to stop producing those 50,000 cars overnight so they can output more of the 'cheaper' model, right? Ah, a code monkey? Well, maybe you do.
Last year the average price of a new car was $33,560:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/...
So, basically, Tesla just introduced an electric model that is the same price as a non-electric car.
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
I have to convince my condo to electrify my parking spot... this is a common problem with people living in condos.
You picked the most expensive scenario and didn't continue reading to the part where the government will cover up to half of the cost. This is also for a communal charging station of which the strata would be expected to cover, so you would only pay your portion of the cost to the strata
Not applicable to most residential installations - but definitely a consideration for apartments and condos (multi-unit buildings). That's the only time you'll need a charger for a Tesla in a residence.
Sure, but if nobody else in the strata actually *HAS* an electric car yet, then nobody else is going to be chomping at the bit to offset your own costs. Thus, nobody can really afford to be first, and it never gets any cheaper.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
I read the title as:
"Tesla Receives 115,000 Model 3 Predators Worth $115 Million In 24 Hours"
Where do I sign up?
I still find it odd that a lot of folks considering an EV completely forget about the Volt. The new 2016 model has about 50 miles of range on pure electricity and switches over to gas when you run out completely eliminating any range anxiety or need to wait for the car to charge. In actual practice, I have the older 2013 model and so far it has served me well for years now. I end up running completely gas free summers and only burn gas in the depths of winter or when I decide to make a cross-country trip. It's also cheaper than the Model 3 Tesla. So cheaper, virtually no limitations. (Works like an EV if you don't drive too far and works like a hybrid when you do.) I would think that it'd be a no-brainer for a lot of folks.
Let me know when you find the median price of a new car.
Indeed, an important distinction.
But I have to admit that in over thirty seconds of diligent searching-- maybe more!-- I didn't run across a link with that number.
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
Yes, the car is heavy, but most of the time, you're using the motors to slow down, not tapping the brakes. the brake pads touch the disks only when you decelerate so fast the battery can't accept charge (about 50kW) or at a complete stop (although I'm not sure about the latter.. it could easily use the motors to hold position), and, of course, when you're parked (different brake pads, though, for the parking brake).
Let's do some numbers: 2000 kg (4400 lb) car, decelerating from 30 m/s (67 mi/hr). Energy in the car is 900 kJ. The battery can accept charge at 50 kJ/s, so 18 seconds to stop from free way speeds. Average of 1.7 m/s^2, or about 0.2g, which is a pretty quick stop.
In reality, there's significant air drag at the higher speeds, so that helps scrub off energy too.
As a practical note, when I commute to work (50mi on freeway) in my Model S, I almost never decelerate at more than 10 kW: I would assume the brake pads never touch the rotors.
So, basically, Tesla just introduced an electric model that is the same price as a non-electric car.
Yes, if you don't look too closely at the cars themselves. The Model 3 is not equal to your average $35K car, it is closer to a $22K car.
Since you've never looked at a Model 3-- unless you were at the unveiling in California?-- you don't actually know that. I'm not sure anybody knows that. Tech Insider claims that the Bolt, the other similar electric car, doesn't come close to Tesla, but they're mostly arguing on speculation. http://www.techinsider.io/how-...
In any case, the point is still that the introduction puts electric cars into the same price class as gasoline cars.
(Leaf, of course, has the jump on both of them (in price as well)-- so it's really about electric cars with 200+ mile range. Leaf seems to get left behind in the discussions, although they will be on their third generation of consumer vehicles before Tesla delivers the 3.)
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
I tried to find the media number too awhile back Couldn't find it. As with income statistics, it's most certainly lower than the average.
I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
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