Tesla's 'Master Plan, Part Deux' Includes Trucks, Buses and Ride-Sharing (latimes.com)

An anonymous reader writes from a report via Los Angeles Times: After teasing Part 2 of his "master product plan" for over a week, Elon Musk finally delivered. Los Angeles Times reports: "In a blog post published on the automaker's website, Musk introduced a multiyear, four-pronged strategy that includes new kinds of Tesla vehicles, expanded solar initiatives, updates on Tesla's 'autopilot' technology and a ride-sharing program. Commercial trucks, buses, a 'future compact SUV' and a 'new kind of pickup truck' will be added to Tesla's fleet of electric cars. A heavy-duty truck called the Tesla Semi and a shrunken bus that Musk called a 'high passenger density urban transport' vehicle are in early development stages 'and should be ready for unveiling next year,' he said. The smaller bus would be designed without a center aisle, with seats close to the entrances, and would be able to automatically pace themselves with traffic, the post said. The bus driver would become a 'fleet manager.' Musk also used the master plan to defend his bid for rooftop solar power provider SolarCity and said he aims to make Tesla's Autopilot robotic driver-assist system 10 times safer than cars that humans drive manually. Musk also plans to move Tesla into the popular ride-sharing business, not only with an Uber-like fleet but also with an app that lets Tesla owners rent out their vehicles when they're not using them, perhaps defraying a portion of their auto loans. This will happen, he said, 'when true self-driving is approved by regulators,' a turn of events that's at least several years away."

Comments

Re: So funny

[Anonymous Coward]

Here's the problem with Musk, and I don't think it's his fault, but people worship him and ridicule people who point out problems with what he does. Fact is Tesla is losing money. A lot of money. And the reason they're calling out on their earning statements is recalls. They don't make a quality product and the amount of money they're spending on recalls is literally putting them out of business. That also gets paired with that they continually miss manufacturing goals. Note that this isn't they're selling more than they can make, it's that they can't make as many as they claim they will. And despite these problems, if you speak ill of Tesla, people around here rush to defend and go on about how you must be an idiot because you haven't consumed the koolaid of Tesla. Fact is they may have done some innovative things, but their quality is shit and as a company there's a very real possibility they won't exist in 5 years if they don't get their shit sorted. And that doesn't even talk about the real problems of the model 3.

They can't keep up with demand for the model X, how the hell are they going to do it for the model 3? What's going to happen when people who pre-ordered the model 3 thinking a $35,000 price tag realizes that Tesla has used up their government rebates and it'll be $42,500 and that assumes that they can actually hit their target price, a goal which historically they've never managed. Will they be willing to wait for the inevitable two years behind schedule that the model 3 will eventually be released because again, Tesla has never released a vehicle on schedule. And of course this all assumes that Tesla manages to stay in business. But of course the Tesla devout will call me a blasphemer (in much ruder terms) even though all of these claims are things that Tesla admits in their own earning reports.

Re: So funny

[Rei]

SolarCity isn't pretty revolutionary. But SpaceX and Tesla's work has been pretty revolutionary. No, it's not like SpaceX "invented rockets" or like Tesla "invented electric cars". But they did vastly change the paradigms in both regards and turn a bunch of new techniques / technologies from the kit / niche / hypothetical arena into mainstream production, as well as radically altering public perceptions..

I'm not sure why people don't see that as commendable.

Re: So funny

[EndlessNameless]

But he is using other people's money, not his

So does every startup company. Investors and loans are normal, even when the founder can invest significantly into the company.

His competitors got pretty much the same tax incentives. If Chevy decided to make an ugly electric car and then not sell it, well, maybe that explains why Tesla is making headway.

That is probably where the traditional manufacturers made a mistake. EVs are new tech in the public mind, which implies a degree of uncertainty and risk---exactly what your typical econobox buyer avoids whenever possible. Tesla went after buyers who are willing to buy something because it's new and shiny or because it makes a statement.

Tesla still has a monopoly on performance/luxury EVs. And if you can deliver the goods in that market, you can probably economize your design down for the masses.

Still, the late delivery of virtually every product and feature would make me shy away from preordering anything. I like what's happening, but the company is far from perfect.